Question

What type of chemical signals (functionally), the type of compounds, and other factors affect signals sent via diffusion, trails, or plumes (consider air and water).

Answer 1

1.Breath, sweat, urine, feces, their aquatic equivalents, and their bacterial and other symbiotic embellishments all can serve as identifiers for chemoreceptive animals interested in finding food or hosts.

2. Body fluids released from damaged tissues and decay products from dead organisms can be particularly potent signals.

3. The metabolites of a single marine bacterium, the odor plumes left behind a traveling school of tuna or coming from a whale carcass are all chemical signals.