Charpentier Marie J E, Boulet Marylène, Drea Christine M
Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University, 108 Biological Sciences Bldg., Science Drive, Box 90383, Durham, NC 27708-0383, USA.
Mol Ecol. 2008 Jul;17(14):3225-33. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2008.03831.x. Epub 2008 Jun 28.
Sexual selection theory predicts that competitors or potential mates signal their quality or relatedness to conspecifics. Researchers have focused on visual or auditory modes of signal transmission; however, the importance of olfactory indicators is gaining recognition. Using a primate model and a new integrative analytical approach, we provide the first evidence relating male olfactory cues to individual genome-wide heterozygosity and to the genetic distance between individuals. The relationships between male semiochemical profiles and genetic characteristics are apparent only during the highly competitive and stressful breeding season. As heterozygosity accurately predicts health and survivorship in this population, we identify scrotal olfactory cues as honest indicators of male quality, with relevance possibly to both sexes. Beyond showing that semiochemicals could underlie kin recognition and nepotism, we provide a putative olfactory mechanism to guide male-male competition and female mate choice.
性选择理论预测，竞争者或潜在配偶会向同种个体传达自身的质量或亲缘关系。研究人员一直专注于信号传递的视觉或听觉模式；然而，嗅觉指标的重要性正逐渐得到认可。我们使用灵长类动物模型和一种新的综合分析方法，首次提供了将雄性嗅觉线索与个体全基因组杂合性以及个体间遗传距离相关联的证据。雄性信息素谱与遗传特征之间的关系仅在竞争激烈且压力巨大的繁殖季节才明显。由于杂合性能够准确预测该种群中的健康状况和存活率，我们将阴囊嗅觉线索确定为雄性质量的可靠指标，这可能对两性都具有相关性。除了表明信息素可能是亲属识别和裙带关系的基础外，我们还提供了一种假定的嗅觉机制来指导雄性间的竞争和雌性的配偶选择。
