Published in 2006, Chemical Ecology of Vertebrates was the first book to focus exclusively on the chemically-mediated interactions between vertebrates including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, and other animals and plants. Reviewing research in three core areas - pheromones (where the interactions are between members of the same species), interspecific interactions involving allomones (where the sender benefits) and kairomones (where the receiver benefits), it pulls together information from widely scattered technical literature in many different disciplines into a coherent whole. Chapters on the environment, properties of odour signals, and production and release of chemosignals set the stage for discussion of more complex behavioural topics. While the main focus is ecological, dealing with behaviour and interactions in the field, it also covers chemoreception, orientation and navigation, the development of behaviour and the practical applications of chemosignals.

Fear of predation is a universal motivator. Because predators hunt using stealth and surprise, there is a widespread ability among prey to assess risk from chemical information -scents -in their environment. Consequently, scents often act as particularly strong modulators of memory and emotions. Recent advances in ecological research and analytical technology are leading to novel ways to use this chemical information to create effective attractants, repellents and anti-anxiolytic compounds for wildlife managers, conservation biologists and health practitioners. However, there is extensive variation in the design, results, and interpretation of studies of olfactory-based risk discrimination. To understand the highly variable literature in this area, we adopt a multi-disciplinary approach and synthesize the latest findings from neurobiology, chemical ecology, and ethology to propose a contemporary framework that accounts for such disparate factors as the time-limited stability of chemicals, highly canalized mechanisms that influence prey responses, and the context within which these scents are detected (e.g. availability of alternative resources, perceived shelter, and ambient physical parameters). This framework helps to account for the wide range of reported responses by prey to predator scents, and explains, paradoxically, how the same individual predator scent can be interpreted as either safe or dangerous to a prey animal depending on how, when and where the cue was deposited. We provide a hypothetical example to illustrate the most common factors that influence how a predator scent (from dingoes, Canis dingo) may both attract and repel the same target organism (kangaroos, Macropus spp.). This framework identifies the catalysts that enable dynamic scents, odours or odorants to be used as attractants as well as deterrents. Because effective scent tools often relate to traumatic memories (fear and/or anxiety) that cause future avoidance, this information may also guide the development of appeasement, enrichment and anti-anxiolytic compounds, and help explain the observed variation in post-traumatic-related behaviours (including post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD) among diverse terrestrial taxa, including humans.

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The dispersal pattern of the beaver (Castor canadensis) was studied by intensive livetrapping, tagging, and observation in Allegany State Park and its vicinity in New York from 1984 to 1996. The majority (74%) of dispersing beavers (n = 46) initiated dispersal in a downstream direction after spring ice-out. Females dispersed significantly farther away from their natal colonies than males (10.15 ± 2.42 (SE) km vs. 3.49 ± 0.86 km). Movements to neighboring sites were common (16 of 46 dispersers), indicating that beavers, especially males, may prefer to disperse to the nearest available sites. Most (64%) natal dispersers were 2-year-olds. Three-year-olds also constituted a considerable proportion (21%) of the dispersers, but 1-year-old dispersers were relatively rare (14%). Many adults underwent secondary dispersal after successful natal dispersal in our study area. Male secondary dispersers were more inclined to take over neighboring sites than were male natal dispersers (10 of 13 vs. 3 of 13). The effective population size in a 250-km2 area was estimated to be 161-228 individuals by the areal method and 267-378 individuals by the 85th percentile method.