feromoni

Feromoni (or pheromones) are chemical signals released by members of a species that elicit a behavioral or physiological response in other members of the same species. Unlike kairomones or allomones, pheromones are signals that primarily affect conspecifics. They can influence reproduction, social organization, and defense. Pheromones are detected by the olfactory system, often via the vomeronasal organ, though in many species they are perceived by the main olfactory epithelium. Chemical signals can act quickly as releasers, triggering immediate behaviors, or slowly as primers, inducing longer-term physiological changes such as puberty timing or ovulation.

Pheromones are commonly categorized as releaser pheromones and primer pheromones. Releasers produce rapid behavioral effects like mating attraction or alarm, while primers alter physiology over time, influencing development or reproduction. Insects provide well-documented examples: sex pheromones in moths entice mates over long distances; trail pheromones in ants recruit nest mates; aggregation or alarm pheromones coordinate group behavior. In mammals, pheromones can influence mating, territorial marking, and social interactions; examples include scent marks and olfactory cues linked to reproductive status. The role of pheromones in mammals beyond rodents is variable and often contested.

In humans, evidence for functional pheromones remains debated. Some candidate compounds, such as certain steroids, have been proposed, but robust, repeatable demonstrations of pheromone-driven behaviors are limited and controversial. The term pheromone remains useful as a generic descriptor for chemically mediated intraspecific communication, though the extent of its universality across taxa is debated.

The concept originated in the work of Karlson and Luscher in 1959, who defined pheromones as chemical messages that elicit specific, species-typical responses in conspecifics.