| Title: | Electrophysiological and Behavioral Responses of an Ambrosia Beetle to Volatiles of its Nutritional Fungal Symbiont |
| Author(s): | Ranger CM; Dzurenko M; Barnett J; Geedi R; Castrillo L; Ethington M; Ginzel M; Addesso K; Reding ME; |
| Address: | "Horticultural Insects Research Laboratory, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster, OH, 44691, USA. christopher.ranger@usda.gov. Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Forest Ecology, L'udovita Stura 2, 960 53, Zvolen, Slovakia. Present Address: Department of Integrated Forest and Landscape Protection, Technical University in Zvolen, Ul. T. G. Masaryka 24, 960 01, Zvolen, Slovakia. Horticultural Insects Research Laboratory, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster, OH, 44691, USA. Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Ithaca, NY, 14853-2901, USA. Department of Entomology, Purdue University, 901 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 715 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA. Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center, College of Agriculture, Tennessee State University, McMinnville, TN, 37110, USA" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10886-021-01263-0 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1573-1561 (Electronic) 0098-0331 (Print) 0098-0331 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) cultivate their fungal symbiont within host substrates as the sole source of nutrition on which the larvae and adults must feed. To investigate a possible role for semiochemicals in this interaction, we characterized electrophysiological and behavioral responses of Xylosandrus germanus to volatiles associated with its fungal symbiont Ambrosiella grosmanniae. During still-air walking bioassays, X. germanus exhibited an arrestment response to volatiles of A. grosmanniae, but not antagonistic fungi Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium brunneum, Trichoderma harzianum, the plant pathogen Fusarium proliferatum, or malt extract agar. Solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identified 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, 2-phenylethanol, methyl benzoate and 3-methyl-1-butanol in emissions from A. grosmanniae; the latter two compounds were also detected in emissions from B. bassiana. Concentration-responses using electroantennography documented weak depolarizations to A. grosmanniae fungal volatiles, unlike the comparatively strong response to ethanol. When tested singly in walking bioassays, volatiles identified from A. grosmanniae elicited relatively weak arrestment responses, unlike the responses to ethanol. Xylosandrus germanus also exhibited weak or no long-range attraction to the fungal volatiles when tested singly during field trials in 2016-2018. None of the fungal volatiles enhanced attraction of X. germanus to ethanol when tested singly; in contrast, 2-phenylethanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol consistently reduced attraction to ethanol. Volatiles emitted by A. grosmanniae may represent short-range olfactory cues that could aid in distinguishing their nutritional fungal symbiont from other fungi, but these compounds are not likely to be useful as long-range attractants for improving detection or mass trapping tactics" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Ascomycota/metabolism Behavior, Animal Benzoates/chemistry/metabolism Biological Evolution Electrophysiological Phenomena Ethanol/chemistry/metabolism Female Fusarium/metabolism Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Hexanols/chemistry/metabolism In;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineRanger, Christopher M Dzurenko, Marek Barnett, Jenny Geedi, Ruchika Castrillo, Louela Ethington, Matthew Ginzel, Matthew Addesso, Karla Reding, Michael E eng 2021/03/25 J Chem Ecol. 2021 May; 47(4-5):463-475. doi: 10.1007/s10886-021-01263-0. Epub 2021 Mar 24" |
