When I was little, I would be working around the barn and I would see a bull go up to a cow that is urinating and stick his nose right in the urine. I would then think ‘what the heck are you doing, you know that’s not water, right?’. I could never figure out why the bull would do that. Well, now I do- he was smelling her pheromones. “Pheromones are air-borne chemical signals that are released during urination or in feces of animals (Rekwot).” Pheromones are secreted from cutaneous glands; from there they are then perceived by the olfactory system where they stimulate a behavioral or an endocrine response. In response to the signals being released, the reaction that happens in the animal’s body involves either the reaction of a specific behavior or a change in the endocrine or reproductive system. There are two types of pheromones- the Signaling and the Priming pheromones (Rekwot).
Signaling pheromones cause an immediate behavior response, invoking a stimulus or the transfer of information between animals. The area that signaling pheromones affects is the olfactory cue. Olfactory cues convey specific information and this result in specific and immediate behavioral response in the male. The Olfactory cue may also be produced in the urine or vaginal secretions of females (Rekwot). Males investigate the anogenital regions of females, this includes sniffing, licking, and nuzzling of that area, this will induce urination by the female. The male will then put his muzzle and mouth directly in the urine; this is related to the vomeronasal organ (VNO). The VNO neurons then respond to pheromones.It is thought that another function of the VNO is to stimulate and maintain sexual activity through the olfactory stimuli (Stowers 699-7032).
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...ows respond to pheromone stimulus from bulls in a dose-dependent manner.
“Cows that did not perceive the minimum daily dose or threshold of pheromone stimulation and relaxation cycles would not receive the appropriate biostimulatory signal and would not resume OA. (Taurck 13-18)
Many mammals use chemo signals to synchronize reproduction by altering the physiology and behavior. Once in reproductive ailment, odors produced and deposited by both males and females are used to find and select an individual for mating. The production, spreading and suitable responses to these cues are modulated by organizational and activational effects of gonadal sex steroids. Thereby intrinsically linking chemical communication to the broader reproductive context. Pheromones are becoming a very popular subject; however there is much lacking in the research and informational part of it.
Deborah L. Duffy, Yuying Hsu, James A. Serpell ,Applied Animal Behavior Science - 1 December 2008 (Vol. 114, Issue 3, Pages 441-460, DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2008.04.006)
This is a phenomenon described by scientists as the automatic response to novel mates. It earned its name many years ago when President Coolidge and his wife were out and about touring a farm, and they came across a farmer who proudly showed Mrs. Coolidge a rooster that he said could copulate with hens all day long, day after day without tiring. This effect was proven by putting a male rat in a cage with a receptive female rat. Initially, there was a frenzy of copulation. Then, progressively the male would tire of that particular female, even without her receptivity changing. The male rat would eventually ignore the female rat. When the female was replaced with a new one, the male rat immediately revived and started copulating again. This process was repeated until the male rat nearly died of exhaustion. The rat’s vigor comes from surges of a neurochemical called dopamine. Dopamine was behind the phenomenon of the rat’s mating fatigue. As the rat copulates repeatedly with the same old partner, the amount of dopamine released reduces in the reward circuitry of its brain. But when ...
Recently, there have been advances in scientific research that has led to the discovery of taste receptors that are outside of the mouth. These taste receptors are scattered throughout the entire body, with large concentrations on the testicles and anus. Sweet and Umami taste receptors are present in this area and can present a minor taste sensation (though nowhere near as well as our mouths can). Through a simple lab test on rats, scientists were able to disable the taste receptors to see if it would have any major impact on them. In attempting to breed rats that did not have functioning taste receptors on the testicles, scientists discovered that the sperm was rendered deformed and unable to fertilize, making the rats infertile. The drug that researchers used to block these taste receptors was the same kind of drugs that are used to treat high cholesterol in humans. This discovery can help scientists to discover ways to treat infertility in humans, as it may be as simple as damaged taste receptors (Styles).
The testes are the primary reproductive organs in the male; they are responsible for the production of sperm. The testes are responsible for the production of testosterone, and are almost nonexistent prior to puberty. Testosterone affects vary to the sound of your voice to hair baldness. The epididymis is a firm structure that consists of three parts, sperm that passes through the epididymis after they are formed. The male urethra is approximately 18-20 cm long. The urethra allows the passage of both urine and sperm. There are two main parts of the penis; the root and body. The three main parts of the root of the penis are, the midline bulb, and the left and right crura on either side of the bulb. While the body is formed by three cylindrical masses of erectile tissue, they are the corpus spongiosum in the midline, and the two-corpus cavernosa on either side. The urethra leaves the head of the penis at the end of the corpus spongiosum.
Pheromones are natural scents, which play an important role in sexual communication. Animals and humans release masses of biological chemicals in tears, saliva and perspiration. These aromas convey signals relating to mood, status, drive and health to the subconscious awareness of the female. The dominant male will exude more of these biological attractants than his submissive counterpart, consequently he inevitably attracts more females and enjoys more conquests. This philosophy holds well in the animal world, pheromones are consciously detected over considerable distances and serve at times in place of spoken communication. They help animals mark territory, recognize mates, and signal sexual interest. For example, female dogs in heat leave their pheromone and can attract male dogs over a mile away (5).
Horses use touch to convey to other animals that they like them or dislike them. Meaning that if a horse is pleased and likes something they may nudge their head on it, rub the side of their face on the object and be very gentle. If they are displeased they may swing their head at it, buck it, bite or stomp. These behavior displays of touch show th...
Oestrogen receptors in the brain are believed to cause gender-appropriate behaviour. Oestrogen, a hormone found in the female genital tissue, acts as a ligand and, by activating the oestrogen receptors found on the surfaces of brain cells, causes notable changes in behaviour. Professors at Yale University have studied the effects of oestrogen and found the hormone increases neural connectivity in the brain resulting in a more accurate memory. Turnham et al (2002) supports this as upon investigation...
Biomedical Research | Animal Use Research. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
Other areas that are sometimes activated include: the amydgala (Stoléru et al., 2011); the claustrum (Arnow et al., 2002; Stoléru et al., 2011); the orbitofrontal cortex (Stoléru et al., 2011); the hypothalamus (Redouté et al., 2002; Stoléru et al., 2011); the insula (Arnow et al., 2002; Moulier et al., 2006; Stoléru et al., 2011); the ventral striatum (Redouté et al., 2000; Stoléru et al., 2011); the cerebellum (Aalto et al., 2002; Ivry & Fiez, 2000; Stoléru et al., 2011). These areas are only a few of the many areas that are activated in response to sexual stimuli, and they activate for a variety of reasons and in response to various aspects of the stimuli.
Scent is part of the five senses that are developed when an infant is still in the mother’s womb. It is processed by a part of the brain that correlates with memory, so at a young age an infant could differentiate who their mother is by scent. Odor is a sign and olfactory condition (Waskul & Vannini, 2008). As someone gets older they begin to develop scents they like and dislike. There are also scents that people find attractive and unattractive. When meeting another individual for the first time a human’s first instinct is to smell them without realizing it. For instance, have you ever sat by someone or hugged someone who smelled good or bad? If so, many people tend to associate the scent with attractiveness or unattractiveness depending on the level of smell. There have been many studies indicating that there is a strong correlation between odor and attractiveness. Although the scent is a universal and an undetectable smell it can influence the level of perceived attractiveness of another person.
The purpose of this lab was to study the response of the genus Daphnia to chemical stimuli and to examine human responses to different stimuli. A stimulus is an incentive; it is the cause of a physical response. Stimuli can have a physical or chemical change; an example of a physical change is a change in temperature and sound. An example of chemical change would be changes in hormone levels and pH levels. Muscular activity or glandular secretions are responses that occurs when stimulus information effects the nervous and/or hormone system. Daphnia is a genus; it is a small crustacean that lives in fresh water. The body of the daphnia is visible and its internal organs are clearly seen thus it was chosen for this exercise. The
It may seem obvious to some why people mate, however there are many facets to human mating. Psychology has shown that reasons for mating have gone beyond the scope of love and physical attractiveness. People may search for mates who resemble archetypical images of the opposite-sex parent, mates with characteristics that are either complementary or similar to one's own qualities, or mates with whom to make an exchange of valuable resources (Buss 238). Although these theories play a key role in understanding patterns in human mating preferences, evolutionary psychology and sexual selection theory provide more concrete frameworks for explaining human mating.
The majority of the brain areas affected are in the limbic system. The limbic system is associated with emotional behavior, long term memory, and olfaction. Your sense of smell is the first and most primitive sense you use when you are born. It helps newborns to recognize their parents. Our sense of smell is intertwined with our memories formed in our
The activation of men’s sexual organs would be androgen hormones. Androgens are a major contributor in male’s sexual hormones. Testosterone is the most commonly known active and abundant androgen hormone. Androsterone is an inactive androgen that is made by the metabolism of testosterone and is developed in the male testes. Androgens have the ability to influence several different actions and desires within men. Usually, androgens are known as the masculine hormones although they are also found in women as well. Although not an androgen, many studies observe cortisol along with androgens because cortisol is a response to stress, also known as the "get-up-and-go" hormone. It gives men bravery to overcome challenges to reach their goals. It appears that men pride themselves in having high levels of androgens because it makes a man, a “macho man.” But what happens to androgen levels when these masculine men are exposed to situations in which they are expected to act graciously? What happens to these levels when they are preforming a task that is thought of as un-masculine? For instance, do androgen hormones levels rise or fall when men are in a relationship or become fathers? It is hypothesized that androgen levels would be lower in men who are in a committed relationship and/or in men who are fathers. Perhaps this is caused by the stress obtained or lack thereof from being in a relationship or from being a father. In this paper, we will discuss the effects of stress on men and their androgen levels, determine how being in a committed relationship can effect androgen levels, determine whether or not sexual orientation is a factor in these effects, and lastly we will be looking at how being a father or desiring to be a father can effe...
In the same study by Breland and Breland (1961) a pig was conditioned to pick up wo...