Vandenbergh effect
the effects of chemical communication in influencing age of puberty in rodent populations. Adult males produce an odor that can accelerate puberty in young females, leading to earlier reproduction. However, adult females produce odors that inhibit puberty in females. As a result, in low-density populations with more males than females, young females mature earlier, but in dense populations with many adult females, young females mature more slowly, leading to a regulation of population density. See also Whitten effect. [John G. Vandenbergh (1935– ), U.S. biologist]