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J Exp Biol

Title:		Sex pheromones in mate assessment: analysis of nutrient cost of sex pheromone production by females of the moth Heliothis virescens
Author(s):		Foster SP; Anderson KG;
Address:		"Entomology Department, North Dakota State University, PO Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050, USA stephen.foster@ndsu.edu. Entomology Department, North Dakota State University, PO Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050, USA"
Journal Title:		J Exp Biol
Year:		2015
Volume:		20150226
Issue:		Pt 8
Page Number:		1252 - 1258
DOI:		10.1242/jeb.119883
ISSN/ISBN:		1477-9145 (Electronic) 0022-0949 (Linking)
Abstract:		"It has been postulated that sex pheromones, in addition to their role in mate recognition and/or finding, may also serve a role in assessment of mate quality. For this, a sex pheromone must give honest information about a signaler's quality, with honesty ensured by a direct metabolic or indirect fitness cost to the signaler. Using a stable isotope tracer-tracee method, we characterized the nutrient pools that fuel sex pheromone production in females of the moth Heliothis virescens, as well as the relative importance of larval- and adult-acquired nutrients to this process. Females used three pools for de novo biosynthesis of sex pheromone, hemolymph trehalose, glycogen (via trehalose) and fat, and produced ca. 25% of pheromone directly from stored (previously synthesized) precursor fatty acids. Pheromone was produced roughly equally from carbohydrate and fat. Adult feeding was very important for pheromone biosynthesis, with a maximum of 65% of de novo biosynthesized pheromone produced from a single adult feed (carbohydrate). Although these nutrient pools are shared with other reproductive physiologies, notably oocyte production, it is unlikely that pheromone production imposes a significant metabolic cost on females, because (i) the amount of nutrients used for pheromone production is negligible compared with that available, (ii) the hemolymph trehalose pool is readily replaceable throughout the adult life, and (iii) in mated females, carbohydrate shortages result in reduced allocation to pheromone"
Keywords:		Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena Animals Fatty Acids/metabolism Female Hemolymph/metabolism Larva/metabolism Moths/*metabolism Reproduction/physiology Sex Attractants/*biosynthesis Trehalose/metabolism Lepidoptera Mass isotopomer distribution an;
Notes:		"MedlineFoster, Stephen P Anderson, Karin G eng Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. England 2015/02/28 J Exp Biol. 2015 Apr 15; 218(Pt 8):1252-8. doi: 10.1242/jeb.119883. Epub 2015 Feb 26"