The role of male scent in female attraction in the bank vole, Myodes glareolus.

ABSTRACT: Chemical signals are frequently utilised by male mammals for intersexual communication and females are often attracted to male scent. However, the mechanism underlying female attraction has only been identified in a small number of mammalian species. Mammalian scents contain airborne volatiles, that are detected by receivers at a distance from the scent source, as well as non-volatile molecules, such as proteins, that require physical contact for detection. Lipocalin proteins, produced within the scent secretions of many terrestrial mammals, are thought to be particularly important in chemical signalling. Here, we explore if the male-specific protein, glareosin, expressed by adult male bank voles, Myodes glareolus, stimulates female attraction to male scent. We show that female bank voles

SUBMITTER: Coombes HA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10899570 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature