Pheromone
A chemical substance produced and released by an organism that affects the behavior or physiology of other members of the same species. Used for communication about mating, alarm, territory, and trails.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 8 chapters:
"...intersections where intruders likely to pass - Recent intrusion sites (double-marking = warning) Scent composition: - Urine contains pack-specific pheromone signature - Diet influences scent (prey type detectable) - Hormone levels indicate pack strength, breeding status - Information-rich signal, not just..."
"...ion**: Ant colonies maintain cooperation among millions of individuals who can't possibly remember each other individually. They use chemical markers—pheromones that mark colony members. An ant with wrong chemical signature gets attacked immediately. This is automated cheater detection: simple rules that scal..."
"His antennae have 17,000 chemoreceptors designed to detect this one molecule: bombykol, the silk moth sex pheromone. One molecule is enough to trigger a response: The male flies upwind, following the increasing concentration gradient toward the female. This is che..."
"...t sites, navigating obstacles) more effectively than individuals through distributed decision-making. Ant foraging: Ant colonies find food using pheromone trails. Individual ants wander semi-randomly until finding food, then return to the nest laying pheromone trail."
"...ows, Governance/Enforcement) --- BOOK 5 COMPLETE! All 8 chapters of Book 5: Communication & Signaling are now complete: 1. Chemical Signaling (Pheromones) ✅ 2. Acoustic Communication ✅ 3. Visual Signals ✅ 4. Honest vs Deceptive Signals ✅ 5. Quorum Sensing ✅ 6. Alarm Calls & Information Cascades ✅ 7."
And 3 more chapters...
Biological Context
Ants use pheromones to mark trails to food sources. Moths release sex pheromones detectable from miles away. Alarm pheromones trigger defensive behavior in social insects. Pheromones are a fundamental communication system, especially in invertebrates.
Business Application
Business pheromones: the subtle signals that spread through organizations—body language in meetings, email tone, office atmosphere. These informal signals often communicate more than explicit statements.