In August 2017, the Chemical Signals in Vertebrates (CSiV) group held its 14th triennial meeting at Cardiff University in Wales. This well established international conference brings together leaders and students in the field of olfactory communication and chemical signaling of vertebrates to present new advances in their research as well as synopses of disparate areas under new angles. This volume is a collection of the proceedings of this meeting authored by leading experts in this field that covers a wide variety of topics in chemical ecology.

In 2014, the Chemical Signals in Vertebrates (CSiV) group held its 13th triennial meeting in conjunction with the 30th meeting of the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE). The meeting convened on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This meeting was the first held jointly with these two groups, which share common history and are dedicated to understanding the role of chemical communication in the lives of organisms. This volume is a collection of the proceedings of this meeting and, like the meeting, cover a variety of topics in chemical ecology, including Chemical Ecology of Social Behavior; Chemical Signals – Analysis and Synthesis; Evolution, Genomics, and Transcriptomics of Chemical Signals; Molecular Mechanisms of Semiochemical Perception and Processing; Multimodal Communication; and Neuroethology and Neurophysiology.

Intraspecific communication involves the activation of chemoreceptors and subsequent activation of different central areas that coordinate the responses of the entire organism—ranging from behavioral modification to modulation of hormones release. Animals emit intraspecific chemical signals, often referred to as pheromones, to advertise their presence to members of the same species and to regulate interactions aimed at establishing and regulating social and reproductive bonds. In the last two decades, scientists have developed a greater understanding of the neural processing of these chemical signals. Neurobiology of Chemical Communication explores the role of the chemical senses in mediating intraspecific communication. Providing an up-to-date outline of the most recent advances in the field, it presents data from laboratory and wild species, ranging from invertebrates to vertebrates, from insects to humans. The book examines the structure, anatomy, electrophysiology, and molecular biology of pheromones. It discusses how chemical signals work on different mammalian and non-mammalian species and includes chapters on insects, Drosophila, honey bees, amphibians, mice, tigers, and cattle. It also explores the controversial topic of human pheromones. An essential reference for students and researchers in the field of pheromones, this is also an ideal resource for those working on behavioral phenotyping of animal models and persons interested in the biology/ecology of wild and domestic species.

This volume contains the proceedings of the conference of the same name held in July 2006 at the University of Chester in the United Kingdom. It includes all the latest research on chemical communication relevant to vertebrates, particularly focusing on new research since the last meeting in 2003. Topics covered include the chemical ecology, biochemistry, behavior, olfactory receptors, and the neurobiology of both the main olfactory and vomeronasal systems of vertebrates.

Research on chemical communication in animals is in a very active and exciting phase; more species are studied, data are accumulating, concepts are changing, and practical application seems feasible. While most of the work on chemical ecology and chemical sig nals deals with insects, vertebrate communication provides a formidable challenge and progress has been slow. Joint efforts and frequent direct contacts of ecologists, behaviorists, psychologists, physiologists, histologists and chemists are required. Such an interdisciplinary exchange of information took place on the occasion of the Symposium on Chemical Signals in Vertebrates and Aquatic Animals in Syracuse, New York, from May 31 to June 2, 1979. More than one hundred investigators from seven countries participated, and the papers presented comprise this volume. Since the first Symposium on Vertebrate Chemical Signals at Saratoga Springs in 1976, considerable progress has been made with field studies, the physiology of the vomeronasal organ, and its role in reproductive behavior. The behavioral functions and chemi cal nature of priming pheromones are better understood. Efforts to isolate and identify mammalian pheromones are gaining ground, and the bioassays are becoming more sophisticated. In addition to formal presentations, one evening of the Symposi um was devoted to round-table discussions of particular topics. The selected themes indicate the "growing points" of chemical communi cation research: priming pheromones, vomeronasal organ, bioassay, and practical applications.

This volume reviews recent developments in our understanding of che~ ical signaling in vertebrates. After sections dealing with general princi ples and chemical aspects of vertebrate pheromones, it follows a taxonomic approach, progressing from fish to. mammals. The editors asked a diverse, international group of leading investigators, working on a wide array of vertebrate taxa and specific issues, to consider their efforts from compar ative, evolutionary, and ecological viewpoints. The relative number of manuscripts in each part does not necessarily reflect current intensity of research, since the editors invited speakers who together would provide a balanced and comprehensive overview, while avoiding duplication. Still, the part on mammals is the longest. Fourth in a series dating from 1977, this volume illuminates current trends and likely future developments in the field of chemical signaling in vertebrates. Going back even farther, the first chapter, a personal account of the past quarter century by Dr. Mykytowycz recalls the most important milestones, such as symposia, or the founding of societies and journals. He also credits those investigators who stand out by their seminal studies.

Published in 2006, Chemical Ecology of Vertebrates was the first book to focus exclusively on the chemically-mediated interactions between vertebrates including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, and other animals and plants. Reviewing research in three core areas - pheromones (where the interactions are between members of the same species), interspecific interactions involving allomones (where the sender benefits) and kairomones (where the receiver benefits), it pulls together information from widely scattered technical literature in many different disciplines into a coherent whole. Chapters on the environment, properties of odour signals, and production and release of chemosignals set the stage for discussion of more complex behavioural topics. While the main focus is ecological, dealing with behaviour and interactions in the field, it also covers chemoreception, orientation and navigation, the development of behaviour and the practical applications of chemosignals.

This book explains how animals use chemical communication, emphasising the evolutionary context and covering fields from ecology to neuroscience and chemistry.

Comprehensive Overview of Advances in OlfactionThe common belief is that human smell perception is much reduced compared with other mammals, so that whatever abilities are uncovered and investigated in animal research would have little significance for humans. However, new evidence from a variety of sources indicates this traditional view is likely

In creatures as different as crickets and scorpions, mole rats and elephants, there exists an overlooked channel of communication: signals transmitted as vibrations through a solid substrate. Peggy Hill summarizes a generation of groundbreaking work by scientists around the world on this long understudied form of animal communication. Beginning in the 1970s, Hill explains, powerful computers and listening devices allowed scientists to record and interpret vibrational signals. Whether the medium is the sunbaked savannah or the stem of a plant, vibrations can be passed along from an animal to a potential mate, or intercepted by a predator on the prowl. Vibration appears to be an ancient means of communication, widespread in both invertebrate and vertebrate taxa. Hill synthesizes in this book a flowering of research, field studies documenting vibrational signals in the wild, and the laboratory experiments that answered such questions as what adaptations allowed animals to send and receive signals, how they use signals in different contexts, and how vibration as a channel might have evolved. Vibrational Communication in Animals promises to become a foundational text for the next generation of researchers putting an ear to the ground.