Publications [#148125] of Christine M. Drea
search PubMed.Papers Published
- Charpentier, M.J.E., Boulet, M., C., & Drea, C.M., Smelling right: The scent of male lemurs advertises genetic quality and relatedness,
Molecular Ecology, vol. 17 no. 14
(2008),
pp. 3225-3233 [doi] .
(last updated on 2011/04/22)Abstract:
Deciphering the chemical components contained in olfactory cues has provided important insights into the functional significance of mammalian scent marking. Through advances in semiochemistry, volatile and non-volatile components of olfactory signals have been shown to vary by species, family, sex, reproductive state, dominance status, and even individual identity, supporting suggestions that scent marking serves to transmit information about e.g. group membership, kinship, sexual receptivity, competitive ability and resource ownership. Women and female mice behavioral response to conspecific male odorants has suggested that olfactory cues may also transmit information about genetic quality and compatibility and recent evidence confirms that genes from the major histocompatibility complex influence rodent semiochemical profiles. Here, using a primate model and a new analytical approach, we provide the first semiochemical evidence relating male olfactory signals to genetic characteristics, including both genome-wide heterozygosity and genetic relatedness. The relationship between olfactory profiles and genetic constitution is apparent, however, only during the highly competitive breeding season. As heterozygosity in lemurs accurately predicts health and survivorship, our findings identify olfactory cues as honest indicators of individual quality. Therefore, beyond showing that semiochemicals could underlie olfactory-guided kin recognition and nepotism, we provide a putative olfactory mechanism to guide female mate choice and male-male competition.