Pheromones

Common name None

Chemical signals produced and emitted by living organisms and involved in intraspecific communication. They are usually composed of blends of allelochemicals; some may be sequestered from host plants, others are derivatives of plant components and yet others are produced de novo in the pheromone gland of the organism. The repertoire of responses elicited by pheromones is very extensive. For example, sex pheromones are produced by individuals of one sex (in most cases the females) and influence the seeking and mating behavior of the opposite sex. They are exploited in plant protection in the context of IPM. Aggregation pheromones attract both sexes. Pheromones may mark trails or oviposition sites, serve for kin recognition and elicit defensive maneuvers or aggressive behavior and mark a territory.