Question

One advantage and on limitation of chrmical communiacation

Answer 1

There are many advantages to using chemical signals. Some basic ones include the fact that chemicals can transmit through darkness, around obstacles, and they are very energetically efficient. Pheromones are relatively cheap to biosynthesize and they can be released in a very simple manner, including the simple operation of opening a gland. Pheromones can also last for days and be transmitted over great potential distances. This includes millimeters for microorganisms and kilometers for other organisms, without even altering the reception or biosynthesis. Some pheromones last so long that once they are released, they are actually used by the same organism in the future if it returns. There is one major disadvantage of chemical communication. It is very slow. Organisms cannot quickly transmit pheromones over long distances or change from one chemical message to another. Also, there has been no evidence that organisms use amplitude and frequency modulation in the transfer of pheromones.