What smells? Developing in-field methods to characterize the chemical composition of wild mammalian scent cues

Olfactory cues play an important role in mammalian biology, but have been challenging to assess in the field.  Current methods pose problematic issues with sample storage and transportation, limiting our ability to connect chemical variation in scents with relevant ecological and behavioral contexts.  Real-time, in-field analysis via portable gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) has the potential to overcome these issues, but with tradeoffs of reduced sensitivity and compound mass range.  We field-tested the ability of portable GC-MS to support two representative applications of chemical ecology research with a wild arboreal primate, common marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus).  We developed methods to: 1) evaluate the chemical composition of marmoset scent marks deposited at feeding sites, and 2) characterize the scent profiles of exudates eaten by marmosets.  We successfully collected marmoset scent marks across several canopy heights, with the portable GC-MS detecting known ...