  a pheromone (from ancient greek   "to bear" and hormone, from ancient greek  "") is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual. there are alarm pheromones, food trail pheromones, sex pheromones, and many others that affect behavior or physiology. pheromones are used from basic unicellular prokaryotes to complex multicellular eukaryotes. their use among insects has been particularly well documented. in addition, some vertebrates and plants communicate by using pheromones. ==background== the term "pheromone" was introduced by peter karlson and martin lÃ¼scher in 1959, based on the greek word pherein  (to transport) and hormone (to stimulate). they are also sometimes classified as ecto-hormones. they were researched earlier by various scientists, including jean-henri fabre, joseph a. lintner, adolf butenandt, and ethologist karl von frisch who called them various names like "alarm substances." these chemical messengers are transported outside of the body and affect neurocircuits, including the autonomous nervous system with hormone or cytokine mediated physiological changes, inflammatory signaling, immune system changes and/or behavioral change in the recipient. they proposed the term to describe chemical signals from conspecifics that elicit innate behaviors soon after the german biochemist adolf butenandt had cha
Endocrinology Pheromones