Thieves, Deceivers, and Killers by William Agosta, Princeton
University Press, 拢16.95, ISBN 0691004889
MOST tsetse flies respond to the smelly blend of carbon dioxide, acetone and
octenol that to them cries out 鈥渙x鈥�. Phenols in cattle urine are another
turn-on. And one kind of tsetse prefers to get its blood feast from monitor
lizards. Just what is it about these lizards that does it for the flies? Nobody
knows yet, but don鈥檛 worry, they soon will, says William Agosta.
Agosta is fascinated by 鈥渃hemical ecology鈥濃�攈ow organisms from bacteria
up to humans use chemicals to find mates, subdue prey, cure themselves and much
more.
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Beautifully written, Thieves, Deceivers, and Killers has a cast full
of plant and animal stars. Some create their own chemicals, some steal them from
other organisms, while others merely sense them in the environment.
Agosta鈥檚 stunning tales range from the chemicals behind floral scents to the
search for anti-cancer compounds in sea hares and mayapples. Not all flowers
smell floral: orchids in the genus Ophrys mimic female sex pheromones,
smelling like she-bees. They are pollinated, not surprisingly, by male bees that
attempt to copulate with the blossom.