Title: | A plant volatile alters the perception of sex pheromone blend ratios in a moth |
Author(s): | Hoffmann A; Bourgeois T; Munoz A; Anton S; Gevar J; Dacher M; Renou M; |
Address: | "Institut National de La Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Sorbonne Universite, Universite Paris Est Creteil, CNRS, UMR IEES, IRD-Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris (iEES Paris), Route de Saint Cyr, 78026, Versailles, France. Department of Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, University of Konstanz, Univeristatsstrasse 10, 78464, Konstanz, Germany. Centre d'elevage conservatoire de l'outarde canepetiere-Zoodyssee, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France. Institute for Genetics, Environment and Plant Protection-EGI, INRA-Agrocampus Ouest, Universite de Rennes 1, 49045, Angers, France. Institut National de La Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Sorbonne Universite, Universite Paris Est Creteil, CNRS, UMR IEES, IRD-Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris (iEES Paris), Route de Saint Cyr, 78026, Versailles, France. michel.renou@inrae.fr" |
Journal Title: | J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol |
DOI: | 10.1007/s00359-020-01420-y |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1432-1351 (Electronic) 0340-7594 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Mate finding in most moths is based on male perception of a female-emitted pheromone whose species specificity resides in component chemistry and proportions. Components are individually detected by specialized olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) projecting into the macroglomerular complex (MGC) of the male brain. We asked how robust ratio recognition is when challenged by a plant volatile background. To test this, we investigated the perception of the pheromone blend in Agrotis ipsilon, a moth species whose females produce a blend of Z7-dodecenyl acetate (Z7-12:Ac), Z9-tetradecenyl acetate (Z9-14:Ac), and Z11-hexadecenyl acetate in a 4:1:4 ratio optimally attractive for males. First, we recorded the responses of specialist ORNs for Z7 and Z9 and showed that heptanal, a flower volatile, activated Z7 but not Z9 neurons. Then, we recorded intracellularly the responses of MGC neurons to various ratios and showed that heptanal altered ratio responses of pheromone-sensitive neurons. Finally, we analyzed the behavior of males in a wind tunnel and showed that their innate preference for the 4:1:4 blend was shifted in the presence of heptanal. Pheromone ratio recognition may thus be altered by background odorants. Therefore, the olfactory environment might be a selective force for the evolution of pheromone communication systems" |
Keywords: | Aldehydes/*pharmacology Animals Female Flowers/*chemistry Male Moths/*drug effects/physiology Odorants/*analysis Olfactory Receptor Neurons/*drug effects/physiology Perception Sex Attractants/*pharmacology Smell Olfactory neuron recording Plant volatile R; |
Notes: | "MedlineHoffmann, Antoine Bourgeois, Thomas Munoz, Alicia Anton, Sylvia Gevar, Jeremy Dacher, Matthieu Renou, Michel eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Germany 2020/04/27 J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2020 Jul; 206(4):553-570. doi: 10.1007/s00359-020-01420-y. Epub 2020 Apr 25" |