| Title: | Post-mating shift towards longer-chain cuticular hydrocarbons drastically reduces female attractiveness to males in a digger wasp |
| Author(s): | Polidori C; Giordani I; Wurdack M; Tormos J; Asis JD; Schmitt T; |
| Address: | "Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales (ICAM), Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Avenida Carlos III, s/n, 45071 Toledo, Spain; Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, C2-P3 Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: carlo.polidori@uclm.es. Department of Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, University of Freiburg, Germany. Department of Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, University of Freiburg, Germany; Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Wurzburg, Germany. Unidad de Zoologia, Facultad de Biologia, Universidad de Salamanca, Spain" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.05.001 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-1611 (Electronic) 0022-1910 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Females of most aculeate Hymenoptera mate only once and males are therefore under a strong competitive pressure which is expected to favour the evolution of rapid detection of virgin females. In several bee species, the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile exhibited by virgin females elicits male copulation attempts. However, it is still unknown how widespread this type of sexual communication is within Aculeata. Here, we investigated the use of CHCs as mating cues in the digger wasp Stizus continuus, which belongs to the family (Crabronidae) from within bees arose. In field experiments, unmanipulated, recently emerged virgin female dummies promptly elicit male copulation attempts, whereas 1-4days old mated females dummies were still attractive but to a much lesser extent. In contrast, old (10-15days) mated female dummies did not attract males at all. After hexane-washing, attractiveness almost disappeared but could be achieved by adding CHC extracts from virgin females even on hexane-washed old mated females. Thus, the chemical base of recognition of females as appropriate mating partner by males is coded in their CHC profile. Accordingly, differences in CHC profiles can be detected between sexes, with males having larger amounts of alkenes and exclusive long-chain alkanes, and within females specially according to their mating status. Shortly after mating, almost all of the major hydrocarbons found on the cuticle of females undergo significant changes in their abundance, with a clear shift from short-chain to long-chain linear and methyl-branched alkanes. The timely detection of virgin females by males in S. continuus could be advantageous within the narrow period of female emergence, when male-male competition is strongest" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Female Hydrocarbons/*metabolism Male *Mating Preference, Animal Sex Attractants/*metabolism Wasps/*physiology Chemical cues Cuticular hydrocarbons Hymenoptera Mating system Stizus;" |
| Notes: | "MedlinePolidori, Carlo Giordani, Irene Wurdack, Mareike Tormos, Jose Asis, Josep D Schmitt, Thomas eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2017/05/10 J Insect Physiol. 2017 Jul; 100:119-127. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.05.001. Epub 2017 May 3" |
