Olfaction and taste senses in sturgeon behaviour

Olfaction is one of the fundamental senses for spawning and feeding behaviour in sturgeons. The olfactory spectra of free amino acids affecting behaviour in sturgeon species of the family Acipenseridae are narrow and similar. The threshold concentrations for effective amino acids (glycine and L-alanine) are 1 μM The taste spectra are highly species specific, especially for the oral taste modality. There is a good correlation between the responses of extra-oral and oral taste systems within the same species. The extra-oral taste system is more sensitive and has a wider effective spectrum than the oral system. The extra-oral taste system develops more rapidly than oral taste system during sturgeon ontogenesis.