Final answer:
Pheromones are chemicals secreted by animals that cause various social responses in other individuals of the same species, including mating, territory marking, and colony defense. These chemical signals are crucial for animal communication and have diverse applications across species.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pheromones are chemical substances secreted by animals that trigger social responses in other members of the same species. These chemical signals are incredibly versatile, serving a variety of functions depending on the species and context. For instance, pheromones can be used by social wasps to coordinate attacks on predators, by female silk moths to attract male mates, by eastern wolves to establish territory boundaries, by female garter snakes to lure male mates, and in many other interactions.
This broad range of applications represents different types of pheromones with different purposes, including attracting mates, repelling competitors, forming mother-infant bonds, modifying reproductive cycles, or even using scent for communication amongst social insects. Pheromones are also utilized in pest control, specifically as mating disruptors in pheromone traps.