Difference between revisions of "Pheromone"
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(Edited to remove some misconceptions in the original introduction, although the article needs a lot of expansion.) |
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| − | '''Pheromones''' are chemical signals released by an organism | + | '''Pheromones''' are chemical signals released by an organism that affect the behaviour of other members of the same species (although they can also be sensed and responded to by unrelated organisms). Although they are especially-well studied in insect species, they are also thought to be used by many plants and vertebrates, with some evidence suggesting that humans exchange pheremone signals too. |
| + | The name Pheromone comes from the Greek words ''pherein'' (to transport) and ''hormone'' (to stimulate), and Pheromones are perhaps best explained to a lay audience as exchangable hormones. | ||
[[Category:Biology]] | [[Category:Biology]] | ||
Revision as of 14:54, August 26, 2008
Pheromones are chemical signals released by an organism that affect the behaviour of other members of the same species (although they can also be sensed and responded to by unrelated organisms). Although they are especially-well studied in insect species, they are also thought to be used by many plants and vertebrates, with some evidence suggesting that humans exchange pheremone signals too. The name Pheromone comes from the Greek words pherein (to transport) and hormone (to stimulate), and Pheromones are perhaps best explained to a lay audience as exchangable hormones.