Rosell Frank
Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, Bø in Telemark, Norway.
J Chem Ecol. 2002 Aug;28(8):1697-701. doi: 10.1023/a:1019954020963.
The scent-matching hypothesis postulates that scent marks provide an olfactory link between a resident owner and his territory, and that this enables intruding animals to recognize the chance of escalated conflicts. However, it is unclear if Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) mark their own pelage with castoreum from their castor sacs (i.e., the same material used in territorial marking); and/or if beavers mark their pelage with anal gland secretion (AGS) from the anal glands to waterproof the pelage and to act as a "living-scent mark." Chemical analysis (gas chromatography and mass spectrometry) of hair samples from 22 live-trapped beavers revealed that castoreum compounds were not present in any samples, AGS compounds were found from 3 animals (13.6%) around the cloaca, and the compound squalene was found in all the samples. Beavers may release castoreum directly into the water when it meets an intruder. Thereby, the "scent mark" in the water can provide an olfactory link between a resident owner and his territory. Squalene, in contrast to AGS, may be essential for keeping beaver pelts water-repellant.
气味匹配假说认为，气味标记在领地所有者与其领地之间建立了一种嗅觉联系，这使得入侵动物能够识别冲突升级的可能性。然而，目前尚不清楚欧亚河狸（Castor fiber）是否会用来自其蓖麻囊的海狸香（即用于领地标记的相同物质）标记自己的皮毛；和/或河狸是否会用来自肛门腺的肛门腺分泌物（AGS）标记皮毛，以使皮毛防水并充当“活体气味标记”。对22只活体诱捕河狸的毛发样本进行化学分析（气相色谱法和质谱分析法）后发现，所有样本中均未检测到海狸香化合物，在3只动物（13.6%）泄殖腔周围发现了AGS化合物，所有样本中均检测到了角鲨烯化合物。当遇到入侵者时，河狸可能会直接将海狸香释放到水中。因此，水中的“气味标记”可以在领地所有者与其领地之间建立嗅觉联系。与AGS不同，角鲨烯可能对保持河狸皮毛防水至关重要。
