| Title: | Chemical Species Recognition in a Tetragnatha Spider (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) |
| Author(s): | Adams SA; Gerbaulet M; Schulz S; Gillespie RG; Uhl G; |
| Address: | "Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California-Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall, #3114, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3114, USA. seira.adams@berkeley.edu. Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universitat Braunschweig, Hagenring 30, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany. Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California-Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall, #3114, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3114, USA. Department of General and Systematic Zoology, Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Loitzer Strasse 26, 17489, Greifswald, Germany" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10886-020-01237-8 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1573-1561 (Electronic) 0098-0331 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Much of our knowledge regarding the role of chemicals in species recognition in arthropods is based on a few taxonomic groups, predominantly insect pest species. To investigate the chemical underpinnings of species recognition cues in other arthropods, we conducted mate choice experiments and analyzed the chemical profiles of two species in the long-jawed spider genus Tetragnatha from allopatric populations across two different continents. In two separate bioassays, in which male T. extensa spiders were presented with either web silk or extracts from the silk of conspecific and heterospecific females, males consistently chose the silk or silk extract of conspecific females over those of heterospecifics. We examined the chemistry affecting this response using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to analyze silk and whole-body extracts of the spiders. The major compounds in the extracts were identified as long chain aliphatic methyl ethers. The chemical profiles of the two species differed: the T. extensa profile consisted of 12,20-dimethylnonacosyl methyl ether (A), 8,14,20-trimethylnonacosyl methyl ether (B), and 6,14,20-trimethylnonacosyl methyl ether (C), while the profile of T. versicolor consisted of B and 14,20-dimethylnonacosyl methyl ether (D). Within each species, chemical profiles of females and males did not differ. Our results suggest that these methyl ethers are involved in species recognition of Tetragnatha spiders. This is the first study to propose compounds involved in species recognition in spiders" |
| Keywords: | "Animal Communication Animals Female Male Mating Preference, Animal/*physiology Methyl Ethers/*analysis/chemistry Silk/*chemistry Species Specificity Spiders/*chemistry/physiology Gustation Lipids Methyl ethers Olfaction Pheromones Speciation;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineAdams, Seira A Gerbaulet, Moritz Schulz, Stefan Gillespie, Rosemary G Uhl, Gabriele eng 2021/01/05 J Chem Ecol. 2021 Jan; 47(1):63-72. doi: 10.1007/s10886-020-01237-8. Epub 2021 Jan 4" |
