| Title: | The Impact of Environmental Factors on the Efficacy of Chemical Communication in the Burying Beetle (Coleoptera: Silphidae) |
| Author(s): | Chemnitz J; von Hoermann C; Ayasse M; Steiger S; |
| Address: | "Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany. Department of Conservation and Research, Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany. Department of Evolutionary Animal Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1536-2442 (Electronic) 1536-2442 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "There is growing evidence that a wide range of insect sex pheromones are condition dependent and play a fundamental role in mate choice. However, the effectiveness of pheromonal communication might not only depend on internal factors of the sender, but also on attributes of the microhabitat, in which the signaler chooses to emit its chemical signal. For example, the degree of anthropogenic land use might affect how successful the signal is transmitted, as land use has been shown to affect animal communities and the complexity of biotic interactions. To test the hypothesis that parameters of the microenvironment determine males' ability to attract females via their sex pheromone, we used the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides Herbst (Coleoptera: Silphidae) as our model system. We exposed 144 males across differently managed forest stands and analyzed the impact of 29 environmental parameters. Our data revealed that human land use intensity had no effect on a male's attractiveness. However, the harvested tree biomass positively affected the proportion of competitors attracted. Furthermore, we found that soil characteristics were important factors determining the amount and body size of females a male was able to attract. Consequently, we present evidence that the environmental context of a signaling male influences the effectiveness of chemical signaling either because it affects the transmission process or the prevailing abundance of potential signal receivers. Thus, our results demonstrate that males need to make careful decisions about the location where they emit their pheromone, as this choice of microhabitat has an impact on their fitness" |
| Keywords: | *Animal Communication Animals Coleoptera/*physiology *Environment Germany Male Pheromones/*metabolism/pharmacology Sex Attractants/*metabolism/pharmacology forest management land-use intensity mate choice sex pheromone signal efficacy; |
| Notes: | "MedlineChemnitz, Johanna von Hoermann, Christian Ayasse, Manfred Steiger, Sandra eng 2020/07/14 J Insect Sci. 2020 Jul 1; 20(4):3. doi: 10.1093/jisesa/ieaa061" |
