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- Laska, Matthias, et al.
(författare)
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Olfactory sensitivity for alkylpyrazines - A comparative study in CD-1 mice and spider monkeys
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological Genetics and Physiology. - : Wiley. - 1932-5223 .- 1932-5231. ; 311:4, s. 278-288
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Using a conditioning paradigm, the olfactory sensitivity of four CD-1 mice for six alkylpyrazines was investigated. With all six stimuli, the animals discriminated concentrations =0.1 ppm (parts per million) from the odorless solvent, and with three of the six stimuli the animals were even able to detect concentrations =0.1 ppb (parts per billion). Four spider monkeys tested in parallel were found to detect five of the same six stimuli at concentrations less than1ppm and with one stimulus they were able to discriminate concentrations =1ppb from the solvent. The results showed CD-1 mice to be more sensitive than spider monkeys with five of the six alkylpyrazines tested. There was a significant positive correlation between sensitivity and the number of alkyl groups attached to the pyrazine (Pyr) ring in both species. A comparison of the detection thresholds obtained here to those obtained in human subjects suggests that neither the number of functional olfactory receptor genes nor the absolute or the relative size of the olfactory bulbs reliably predict a species olfactory sensitivity. These threshold data may provide useful information for the choice of adequate stimulus concentrations in electrophysiological or imaging studies of the olfactory system or investigations of the discriminative abilities of mice and spider monkeys.
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| 2. |
- Laska, Matthias, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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Self-anointing behavior in free-ranging spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) in Mexico
- 2007
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Ingår i: Primates. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0032-8332 .- 1610-7365. ; 48:2, s. 160-163
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During 250 h of observation, a total of 20 episodes of self-anointing, that is, the application of scent-bearing material onto the body, were recorded in a group of free-ranging Mexican spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). The animals used the leaves of three species of plants (Brongniartia alamosana, Fabaceae; Cecropia obtusifolia, Cecropiaceae; and Apium graveolens, Umbelliferae) two of which have not been reported so far in this context in any New World primate species. The findings that only two males displayed self-anointing, that only the sternal and axillary regions of the body were rubbed with the mix of saliva and plant material, and a lack of correlation between the occurrence of self-anointing and time of day, season of the year, ambient temperature or humidity do not fit the hypothesis that this behavior functions in repelling insects and/or mitigating topical skin infections in this species. Rather, the data and the observation that the leaves of all three plant species spread an intensive and aromatic odor when crushed, support the hypothesis that self-anointing in A. geoffroyi may play a role in the context of social communication, possibly for signaling of social status or to increase sexual attractiveness.
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| 3. |
- Laska, Matthias, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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Taste difference thresholds for monosodium glutamate and sodium chloride in pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina) and spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi)
- 2008
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Ingår i: American Journal of Primatology. - : Wiley. - 0275-2565 .- 1098-2345. ; 70:8, s. 839-847
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this study was to determine taste difference thresholds for monosodium glutamate (MSG) and sodium chloride (NaCl) in pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina) and spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Using a two-bottle preference test of brief duration, three animals of each species were presented with four different reference concentrations of 50, 100, 200, and 400 mM of a tastant and tested for their ability to discriminate these from lower concentrations of the same tastant. The just noticeable differences (JNDs), expressed as Weber ratios (ΔI/I), were found to range from 0.1 to 0.5 for MSG and 0.2 to 0.45 for NaCl in the pigtail macaques, with a significant tendency for higher Weber ratios with higher reference concentrations. In the spider monkeys, JNDs ranged from 0.15 to 0.4 for MSG and 0.1 to 0.25 for NaCl, with Weber ratios staying fairly constant across the reference concentrations tested. Thus, the JNDs were found to be generally similar in both species and to be at least as low as those found in humans for MSG and NaCl, as well as those found in spider monkeys for sucrose. The results support the assumption that both pigtail macaques and spider monkeys may use differences in perceived intensity of MSG and NaCl as a criterion for food selection. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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