Title: | "Do age and mating status affect olfactory response of the parasitoid, Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) to host-related plant odors?" |
Author(s): | Burrows M; Morawo T; Fadamiro H; |
Address: | "Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, 36849, USA. 926 Medical Detachment, US Army Medical Corps, Fort Benning, Georgia, 31905, USA" |
DOI: | 10.12688/f1000research.16927.2 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 2046-1402 (Electronic) 2046-1402 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Background: Parasitic wasps (parasitoids) use volatile organic compounds released by herbivore-infested plants to locate their hosts. Response of parasitoids to plant odors may be plastic and dependent on their physiological state. Using Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a relatively specialized larval endoparasitoid of Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), we asked whether age and mating status of parasitoids affect their olfactory response to host-related odors. Methods: Four odor stimuli of varying complexity were selected based on previous reports of parasitoid response to cotton volatiles: cis-3-hexenol (a green leaf volatile), alpha-pinene (a constitutive monoterpene), a 50/50 v/v binary mixture ( cis-3-hexenol + alpha-pinene), and H. virescens-infested cotton odors. Female M. croceipes used in Y-tube olfactometer bioassays were either mated or unmated, and grouped 1-3, 4-6, and 7-9 d-old. Female parasitoids used in electroantennogram (EAG) recording were mated and grouped 1-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 d-old. Results: In Y-tube olfactometer bioassays, neither age nor mating status played a major role in the attraction of parasitoids to test odor stimuli, with two exceptions: 4-6 d-old mated parasitoids showed attraction to the binary mixture, and 1-3 d-old mated parasitoids showed attraction to H. virescens-infested cotton. Age did not affect EAG response of parasitoids to test stimuli. Conclusions: The present results suggest that age and mating status do not play a major role in modulating olfactory responses of M. croceipes to host-related plant odors. Instead, plasticity of olfactory response may be limited in M. croceipes due to strong innate sensitivity to host-related odor cues" |
Keywords: | Heliothis virescens Y-tube olfactometer cotton electroantennogram physiological state; |
Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINEBurrows, Matthew Morawo, Tolulope Fadamiro, Henry eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2019/01/05 F1000Res. 2018 Nov 20; 7:1817. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.16927.2. eCollection 2018" |