Centre for Biodiversity & Restoration Ecology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Sci Rep. 2018 Aug 22;8(1):12588. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-30953-1.
There is mounting evidence that single compounds can act as signals and cues for mammals and that when presented at their optimal concentration they can elicit behavioural responses that replicate those recorded for complex mixtures like gland secretions and foods. We designed a rapid bioassay to present nine compounds that we had previously identified in foods, each at seven different concentrations (63 treatments), to wild, free-ranging rats and scored each treatment for attraction and three behavioural responses. Nine treatments (taken from five compounds) statistically outperformed the current standard rat attractant, peanut butter. Attraction to treatments was highest at the two lowest concentrations (0.1 and 0.01 μg g) and a statistically significant relationship of increasing attraction with decreasing treatment concentration was identified. Our study identified five compounds not previously associated with behavioural responses by rats that elicit equivalent or more intense behavioural responses than those obtained with peanut butter. Moreover, attraction to treatments was driven by a concentration-dependent relationship not previously reported. This is the first study to identify isopentanol, 1-hexanol, acetoin, isobutyl acetate and 2-methylbutyl acetate as possible semiochemicals/cues for rats. More broadly, our findings provide important guidance to researchers in the ongoing search for mammalian semiochemicals and cues.
越来越多的证据表明，单一化合物可以作为哺乳动物的信号和线索，当以最佳浓度呈现时，它们可以引发行为反应，这些反应可以复制复杂混合物（如腺体分泌物和食物）的记录。我们设计了一种快速生物测定法，用 9 种我们之前在食物中发现的化合物，每种化合物有 7 种不同的浓度（63 种处理）来处理野生、自由放养的老鼠，并对每种处理的吸引力和 3 种行为反应进行评分。有 9 种处理（来自 5 种化合物）在统计学上优于目前标准的老鼠诱食剂——花生酱。在两个最低浓度（0.1 和 0.01μg/g）下，对处理的吸引力最高，并且确定了吸引力随处理浓度降低而增加的统计学显著关系。我们的研究确定了 5 种以前与老鼠行为反应无关的化合物，它们引发的行为反应与花生酱相当或更强烈。此外，对处理的吸引力是由浓度依赖性关系驱动的，这是以前没有报道过的。这是第一项确定异戊醇、1-己醇、乙酰基、异丁酸乙酯和 2-甲基丁酸乙酯可能是老鼠的半化学物质/线索的研究。更广泛地说，我们的发现为正在寻找哺乳动物半化学物质和线索的研究人员提供了重要的指导。
