| Title: | Identification and Behavioral Assays of Alarm Pheromone in the Vetch Aphid Megoura viciae |
| Author(s): | Song X; Qin YG; Yin Y; Li ZX; |
| Address: | "Department of Entomology and MOA Key Laboratory for Monitoring and Environment-Friendly Control of Crop Pests, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing, 100193, China. Department of Entomology and MOA Key Laboratory for Monitoring and Environment-Friendly Control of Crop Pests, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing, 100193, China. zxli@cau.edu.cn" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10886-021-01297-4 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1573-1561 (Electronic) 0098-0331 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Aphids are destructive pests, and alarm pheromones play a key role in their chemical ecology. Here, we conducted a detailed analysis of terpenoids in the vetch aphid, Megoura viciae, and its host plant Pisum sativum using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Four major components, (-)-beta-pinene (49.74%), (E)-beta-farnesene (32.64%), (-)-alpha-pinene (9.42%) and ( +)-limonene (5.24%), along with trace amounts of ( +)-sabinene, camphene and alpha-terpineol) (3.14%) were found in the aphid. In contrast, few terpenoids were found in the host plant, consisting mainly of squalene (66.13%) and its analog 2,3-epoxysqualene (31.59%). Quantitative analysis of the four major terpenes in different developmental stages of the aphid showed that amounts of the monoterpenes increased with increasing stage, while the sesquiterpene amount peaked in the 3(rd) instar. (-)-beta-Pinene was the most abundant terpene at all developmental stages. Behavioral assays using a three-compartment olfactometer revealed that the repellency of single compounds varied in a concentration-dependent manner, but two mixtures [(-)-alpha-pinene: (-)-beta-pinene: (E)-beta-farnesene: ( +)-limonene = 1:44.4:6.5:2.2 or 1:18.4:1.3:0.8], were repellent at all concentrations tested. Our results suggest that (-)-alpha-pinene and (-)-beta-pinene are the major active components of the alarm pheromone of M. viciae, but that mixtures play a key role in the alarm response. Our study contributes to the understanding of the chemical ecology of aphids and may help design new control strategies against this aphid pest" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Aphids/chemistry/growth & development/*physiology Behavior, Animal/drug effects Bicyclic Monoterpenes/isolation & purification/pharmacology Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Insect Control/methods Life Cycle Stages Peas/*chemistry/metabolism/pa;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineSong, Xuan Qin, Yao-Guo Yin, Yue Li, Zheng-Xi eng 31972267 and 31772169/National Natural Science Foundation of China/ 2021/08/05 J Chem Ecol. 2021 Sep; 47(8-9):740-746. doi: 10.1007/s10886-021-01297-4. Epub 2021 Aug 4" |
