Pheromone

Pheromone a pheromone is a chemical released by an organism and serves as a behavior-modifying agent. The term pheromone came from the Ancient Greek (Phero), meaning 'to bear', and (hormone), meaning 'stimulating'. It means it can change the behavior of members of the same species when the next one can detect them. In the general sense, a pheromone is a regulatory substance that incites its target to respond or act. In humans and other animals, hormones are produced and secreted by the endocrine glands. In plants, they are released to regulate various plant activities, such as growth and senescence. In some references, pheromones are a hormone, particularly an ecto-hormone, since it is excreted and works outside the organism's body.

In mammals, the pheromones are detected through the vomeronasal organ (Jacobson's organ). This organ is located in the nose and connected to the hypothalamus in the brain. Humans have vomeronasal organs, too, but only at the fetal stage. Thus, human pheromones are not yet well established. However, if they occur, humans may be detecting them not by the vomeronasal organs but most likely through their normal olfactory system.

Types Al least six types of pheromones have been extracted so far. These are: Aggregation, Alarm, Releaser, Signal, Territorial, and Trail pheromones.

Biological Importance the pheromones secreted or excreted by some organisms can influence the physiology or behavior of their species. Many of them are used for attracting mates of the opposite sex. Thus, they are referred to as sex pheromones. Other pheromones are used to raise the alarm or signal a food trial. Some pheromones are used to delineate territory. For example, the pheromones in a dog's urine will mark its territory. Thus, pheromones are a means for organisms to communicate. Most insects use pheromones to communicate with each other. [Mohammed Almujaddade Alfasane]