| Title: | Anti-aphrodisiac compounds of male butterflies increase the risk of egg parasitoid attack by inducing plant synomone production |
| Author(s): | Fatouros NE; Pashalidou FG; Aponte Cordero WV; van Loon JJ; Mumm R; Dicke M; Hilker M; Huigens ME; |
| Address: | "Laboratory of Entomology, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8031, 6700 EH Wageningen, The Netherlands. nina.fatouros@wur.nl" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10886-009-9714-5 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1573-1561 (Electronic) 0098-0331 (Print) 0098-0331 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "During mating in many butterfly species, males transfer spermatophores that contain anti-aphrodisiacs to females that repel conspecific males. For example, males of the large cabbage white, Pieris brassicae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), transfer the anti-aphrodisiac, benzyl cyanide (BC) to females. Accessory reproductive gland (ARG) secretion of a mated female P. brassicae that is deposited with an egg clutch contains traces of BC, inducing Brussels sprouts plants (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera) to arrest certain Trichogramma egg parasitoids. Here, we assessed whether deposition of one egg at a time by the closely related small cabbage white, Pieris rapae, induced B. oleracea var. gemmifera to arrest Trichogramma wasps, and whether this plant synomone is triggered by substances originating from male P. rapae seminal fluid. We showed that plants induced by singly laid eggs of P. rapae arrest T. brassicae wasps three days after butterfly egg deposition. Elicitor activity was present in ARG secretion of mated female butterflies, whereas the secretion of virgin females was inactive. Pieris rapae used a mixture of methyl salicylate (MeSA) and indole as an anti-aphrodisiac. We detected traces of both anti-aphrodisiacal compounds in the ARG secretion of mated female P. rapae, whereas indole was lacking in the secretion of virgin female P. rapae. When applied onto the leaf, indole induced changes in the foliar chemistry that arrested T. brassicae wasps. This study shows that compounds of male seminal fluid incur possible fitness costs for Pieris butterflies by indirectly promoting egg parasitoid attack" |
| Keywords: | Animals Aphrodisiacs/*antagonists & inhibitors Brassica/*drug effects/*metabolism Butterflies/*metabolism/physiology Ejaculation/physiology Female Indoles/analysis/pharmacology Male Olfactory Perception/drug effects *Ovum Pheromones/*biosynthesis Plant Le; |
| Notes: | "MedlineFatouros, Nina E Pashalidou, Foteini G Aponte Cordero, Wilma V van Loon, Joop J A Mumm, Roland Dicke, Marcel Hilker, Monika Huigens, Martinus E eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2009/12/02 J Chem Ecol. 2009 Nov; 35(11):1373-81. doi: 10.1007/s10886-009-9714-5. Epub 2009 Dec 1" |
