High olfactory sensitivity for dimethyl sulphide in harbour seals
High olfactory sensitivity for dimethyl sulphide in harbour seals
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DOI：
10.1098/rsbl.2005.0380
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发表时间：
2006-03-22
期刊：
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Dehnhardt, Guido
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kowalewsky, Sylvia;Dambach, Martin;Dehnhardt, Guido
生产区零散地分布在海上，是许多海洋生物的重要觅食地。尽管众所周知，鳍足类动物会沿着直接路线旅行并定期返回特定的进食地点，但海豹用于执行这种导航的环境信息仍然未知。由于大气中的二甲硫醚 (DMS) 已被证明是有利可图的觅食区域的可靠指标，因此我们测试了海豹在海洋环境中典型浓度下闻到 DMS 的能力。使用通过/不通过响应范例，我们确定了两只斑海豹 (Phoca vitulina vitulina) 的 DMS 检测阈值。使用定制的嗅觉计对 8.05 X 10(8) 至 8 pmol (DMS) m(-3)（空气）的 DMS 刺激与对照刺激进行测试。两个密封件确定的 DMS 阈值（20 和 13 pmol m(-3)）表明密封件可以检测与高初级生产力相关的环境浓度，例如在北大西洋。因此，海豹对 DMS 具有极高的嗅觉敏感性，这可以为识别或定位有利可图的觅食地提供感官基础。
Productive areas are patchily distributed at sea and represent important feeding grounds for many marine organisms. Although pinnipeds are known to travel on direct routes and return regularly to particular feeding sites, the environmental information seals use to perform this navigation is as yet unknown. As atmospheric dimethyl sulphide (DMS) has been demonstrated to be a reliable indicator for profitable foraging areas, we tested seals for their ability to smell DMS at concentrations typical for the marine environment. Using a go/no-go response paradigm we determined the DMS detection threshold in two harbour seals (Phoca vitulina vitulina). DMS stimuli from 8.05 X 10(8) to 8 pmol (DMS) m(-3) (air) were tested against a control stimulus using a custom-made olfactometer. DMS-thresholds determined for both seals (20 and 13 pmol m(-3)) indicate that seals can detect ambient concentrations associated with high primary productivity, e.g. in the North Atlantic. Thus, seals possess an extraordinarily high olfactory sensitivity for DMS, which could provide a sensory basis for identifying or orienting to profitable foraging grounds.