The olfactory system of the tammar wallaby is developed at birth and directs the neonate to its mother's pouch odours
| Autor: | Geoff Shaw, Nanette Y. Schneider, T. P. Fletcher, Marilyn B. Renfree |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2009 |
| Předmět: |
Olfactory system
Embryology Vomeronasal organ Movement Physiology Biology Models Biological Pheromones Mammary Glands Animal Endocrinology Tammar wallaby medicine Animals Marsupial Macropodidae Behavior Animal Parturition Obstetrics and Gynecology Olfactory Pathways Cell Biology Anatomy biology.organism_classification Olfactory bulb Smell Altricial medicine.anatomical_structure Animals Newborn Reproductive Medicine Odorants Female Pouch Olfactory epithelium |
| Zdroj: | REPRODUCTION. 138:849-857 |
| ISSN: | 1741-7899 1470-1626 |
| DOI: | 10.1530/rep-09-0145 |
| Popis: | In kangaroos and wallabies at birth the highly altricial newborn young climbs unassisted from the urogenital opening to the teat. Negative geotropism is important for the initial climb to the pouch opening, but nothing is known of the signals that then direct the neonate downwards to the teat. Here we show that the newborn tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) has the olfactory apparatus to detect smell. Both the main olfactory system and vomeronasal organ (VNO) are developed at the time of birth. Receptor cells of the main olfactory epithelium immunopositive for Goα-protein project to the three layered main olfactory bulb (MOB). The receptor epithelium of the VNO contains G-protein immunopositive cells and has olfactory knob-like structures. The VNO is connected to an area between the two MOBs. Next, using a functional test, we show that neonates can respond to odours from their mother's pouch. When neonatal young are presented with a choice of a pouch-odour-soaked swab or a saline swab, they choose the swab with their mother's pouch secretions significantly more often (P |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|