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Updated: Nov 1, 2025

Author Spotlight: Examining Volatile Sex Pheromone Influence on Male C. elegans Behavior
Published on: August 9, 2024
Evolutionary importance of intraspecific variation in sex pheromones
Chiara De Pasqual1, Astrid T Groot2, Johanna Mappes3
1Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Abstract:
Sex pheromones in many insect species are important species-recognition signals that attract conspecifics and inhibit attraction between heterospecifics; therefore, sex pheromones have predominantly been considered to evolve due to interactions between species. Recent research, however, is uncovering roles for these signals in mate choice, and that variation within and between populations can be drivers of species evolution. Variation in pheromone communication channels arises from a combination of context-dependent, condition-dependent, or genetic mechanisms in both signalers and receivers. Variation can affect mate choice and thus gene flow between individuals and populations, affecting species' evolution. The complex interactions between intraspecific and interspecific selection forces calls for more integrative studies to understand the evolution of sex pheromone communication.
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