The Odour of Sex: Sex-Related Differences in Volatile Compound Composition among Barn Swallow Eggs Carrying Embryos of Either Sex.

ABSTRACT: Avian communication has been traditionally believed to be mainly mediated by visual and auditory channels. However, an increasing number of studies are disclosing the role of olfaction in the interaction of birds with their social environment and with other species, as well as in other behaviors such as nest recognition, food location and navigation. Olfaction has also been suggested to play a role in parent-offspring communication not only in the post- but also in the pre-hatching period. Volatile compounds produced during embryogenesis and passively released through the eggshell pores may indeed represent the only cue at parents' disposal to assess offspring quality, including the sex composition of their clutch before hatching. In turn, sex identification before hatching may mediate ada

SUBMITTER: Costanzo A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5112806 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature