| Title: | Parasitic wasps avoid ant-protected hemipteran hosts via the detection of ant cuticular hydrocarbons |
| Author(s): | Mouratidis A; Vacas S; Herrero J; Navarro-Llopis V; Dicke M; Tena A; |
| Address: | "Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias, Plant Protection and Biotechnology Research Center, Moncada, Spain. Wageningen University, Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen, The Netherlands. Centro de Ecologia Quimica Agricola, Instituto Agroforestal del Mediterraneo, Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1471-2954 (Electronic) 0962-8452 (Print) 0962-8452 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "One of the most studied and best-known mutualistic relationships between insects is that between ants and phloem-feeding insects. Ants feed on honeydew excreted by phloem-feeding insects and, in exchange, attack the phloem feeders' natural enemies, including parasitic wasps. However, parasitic wasps are under selection to exploit information on hazards and avoid them. Here, we tested whether parasitic wasps detect the previous presence of ants attending colonies of phloem feeders. Behavioural assays demonstrate that wasps left colonies previously attended by ants more frequently than control colonies. This behaviour has a potential cost for the parasitic wasp as females inserted their ovipositor in fewer hosts per colony. In a further bioassay, wasps spent less time on papers impregnated with extracts of the ant cues than on control papers. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry analyses demonstrated that ants left a blend of cuticular hydrocarbons when they attended colonies of phloem feeders. These cuticular hydrocarbons are deposited passively when ants search for food. Overall, these results suggest, for the first time, that parasitic wasps of honeydew producers detect the previous presence of mutualistic ants through contact infochemicals. We anticipate such interactions to be widespread and to have implications in numerous ecosystems, as phloem feeders are usually tended by ants" |
| Keywords: | Animals *Ants Ecosystem Female Hydrocarbons Symbiosis *Wasps cuticular hydrocarbons enemy avoidance hazard cues infochemicals phloem-feeding insects; |
| Notes: | "MedlineMouratidis, Angelos Vacas, Sandra Herrero, Julieta Navarro-Llopis, Vicente Dicke, Marcel Tena, Alejandro eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2021/01/07 Proc Biol Sci. 2021 Jan 13; 288(1942):20201684. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1684. Epub 2021 Jan 6" |
