| Title: | The role of cuticular hydrocarbons in mate recognition in Drosophila suzukii |
| Author(s): | Snellings Y; Herrera B; Wildemann B; Beelen M; Zwarts L; Wenseleers T; Callaerts P; |
| Address: | "KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics, Laboratory of Behavioral and Developmental Genetics, Leuven, 3000, Belgium. VIB, Department of Microbiology, Laboratory of Systems Biology, Heverlee, 3001, Belgium. KU Leuven, Department of Biology, Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation Section, Leuven, 3000, Belgium. tom.wenseleers@kuleuven.be. KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics, Laboratory of Behavioral and Developmental Genetics, Leuven, 3000, Belgium. patrick.callaerts@kuleuven.be" |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-018-23189-6 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2045-2322 (Electronic) 2045-2322 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) play a central role in the chemical communication of many insects. In Drosophila suzukii, an economically important pest insect, very little is known about chemical communication and the possible role of CHCs. In this study, we identified 60 CHCs of Drosophila suzukii and studied their changes in function of age (maturation), sex and interactions with the opposite sex. We demonstrate that age (maturation) is the key factor driving changes in the CHC profiles. We then test the effect on courtship behaviour and mating of six CHCs, five of which were positively associated with maturation and one negatively. The results of these experiments demonstrate that four of the major CHC peaks with a chain length of 23 carbons, namely 9-tricosene (9-C23:1), 7-tricosene (7-C23:1), 5-tricosene (5-C23:1) and tricosane (n-C23), negatively regulated courtship and mating, even though all these compounds were characteristic for sexually mature flies. We then go on to show that this effect on courtship and mating is likely due to the disruption of the natural ratios in which these hydrocarbons occur in Drosophila suzukii. Overall, these results provide key insights into the cuticular hydrocarbon signals that play a role in D. suzukii mate recognition" |
| Keywords: | "Age Factors *Animal Communication Animals Courtship Drosophila/*physiology Female Hydrocarbons Male Mating Preference, Animal/*physiology;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineSnellings, Yannick Herrera, Beatriz Wildemann, Bruna Beelen, Melissa Zwarts, Liesbeth Wenseleers, Tom Callaerts, Patrick eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2018/03/24 Sci Rep. 2018 Mar 22; 8(1):4996. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-23189-6" |
