Abstract
Fish are immersed in their physical and chemical environment, and their sensory systems are in continuous interaction with environmental perturbations. The aquatic environment is similar to the terrestrial environment in that it contains a multitude of chemical mélanges. However, the aquatic environment differs from the terrestrial environment in the ways in which chemical compounds can be distributed: (1) molecules need to be in solution rather than in the gaseous phase to be transported, and (2) water is a slower carrier medium, both for diffusion and for currents (Atema, 1980). Thus, solubility rather than volatility determines the type of compounds that can be found and utilized as chemical signals. Consequently, nonvolatile compounds with rather small molecular weights, such as amino acids and some steroids, are prominent compounds of fish olfaction and gustation and have been implicated in various behavioural roles (Table 7.1).
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Hara, T.J. (1992). Overview and introduction. In: Hara, T.J. (eds) Fish Chemoreception. Fish & Fisheries Series, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2332-7_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2332-7_1
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