Feromony u ssaków – ewolucyjny klucz do rozmnażania płciowego

The aim of this article is to discuss the role of pheromones in mammalian breeding. In the process of sexual reproduction parental haploid gametes fuse during fertilization what is the beginninig of a new diploid organism. This type of reproduction is very effective in gene exchange and provides an excellent level of biodiversity. Sexual male-female selection and sexual behavior are, in some part, mediated by pheromones. These are substances secreted from an individual to obtain a change of some behaviors in another individual of the same species, often apart from sexual performance. Often pheromones are described as behavior-altering agents. According to their activity, two distinct types of pheromones are distinguished – releaser pheromones, that elicit immediate response and primer pheromones, that take longer to get a response, causing endocrine changes which influence also reproduction physiology. Attempts are underway to commercially use their synthetic analogues in animals.