The origin and dynamic evolution of chemical information transfer
- 22 December 2010
- journal article
- review article
- Published by The Royal Society in Proceedings Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences
- Vol. 278 (1708), 970-979
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.2285
Abstract
Although chemical communication is the most widespread form of communication, its evolution and diversity are not well understood. By integrating studies of a wide range of terrestrial plants and animals, we show that many chemicals are emitted, which can unintentionally provide information (cues) and, therefore, act as direct precursors for the evolution of intentional communication (signals). Depending on the content, design and the original function of the cue, there are predictable ways that selection can enhance the communicative function of chemicals. We review recent progress on how efficacy-based selection by receivers leads to distinct evolutionary trajectories of chemical communication. Because the original function of a cue may channel but also constrain the evolution of functional communication, we show that a broad perspective on multiple selective pressures acting upon chemicals provides important insights into the origin and dynamic evolution of chemical information transfer. Finally, we argue that integrating chemical ecology into communication theory may significantly enhance our understanding of the evolution, the design and the content of signals in general.Keywords
This publication has 90 references indexed in Scilit:
- Smells like a new species: Gene duplication at the peripheryProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2010
- Odorant reception in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiaeNature, 2010
- Quantity matters: male sex pheromone signals mate quality in the parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennisProceedings Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 2009
- Characterization and Coding of Behaviorally Significant Odor MixturesCurrent Biology, 2009
- Odor Detection in Insects: Volatile CodesJournal of Chemical Ecology, 2008
- The evolution of imperfect floral mimicryProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2008
- The smell of parents: breeding status influences cuticular hydrocarbon pattern in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloidesProceedings Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 2007
- Within-plant signaling by volatiles leads to induction and priming of an indirect plant defense in natureProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007
- Coding of Odors by a Receptor RepertoireCell, 2006
- Herbivore-infested plants selectively attract parasitoidsNature, 1998