| Title: | The Combined Use of an Attractive and a Repellent Sex Pheromonal Component by a Gregarious Parasitoid |
| Author(s): | Xu H; Zhou G; Dotterl S; Schaffler I; von Arx M; Roder G; Degen T; Chen L; Turlings TCJ; |
| Address: | "Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Research in Chemical Ecology (FARCE), Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, CH-2000, Neuchatel, Switzerland. Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agriculture Products of Zhejiang Province, Department of Plant Protection, Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University, Lin'an, 311300, China. Department of Bioscience, Plant Ecology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria. Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008, Zurich, Switzerland. State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China. Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Research in Chemical Ecology (FARCE), Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, CH-2000, Neuchatel, Switzerland. ted.turlings@unine.ch" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10886-019-01066-4 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1573-1561 (Electronic) 0098-0331 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Gregarious parasitoids usually clump their cocoons together and the adults emerge in a synchronized fashion. This makes it easy for them to find mating partners and most copulations indeed take place at the natal patch. Yet, males should leave such sites when females are no longer receptive. As yet, this decision-making process and the possible involvement of pheromones were poorly understood. Here we report on a remarkable use of attractive and repellent pheromones of the well-studied gregarious parasitoid species Cotesia glomerata (L.) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Virgin C. glomerata females were found to release an attractive as well as a repellent compound, which in combination arrest males on the natal patch, but after mating the females stop the production of the attractant and the males are repelled. The repellent compound was identified as heptanal, which was also released by males, probably reducing male-male competition on the natal patch. We also confirmed that the sex ratio of the emerging wasps can vary considerably among patches, depending on the relative quality of hosts and the number of females that parasitize a host. The newly revealed use of attractive and repellent pheromone compounds by C. glomerata possibly helps maximize mating success under these variable conditions" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Brassica/parasitology Female Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Hymenoptera/growth & development/*physiology Larva/physiology Male Sex Attractants/*chemistry/isolation & purification Sexual Behavior, Animal/drug effects Cotesia glomerata Mate lo;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineXu, Hao Zhou, Guoxin Dotterl, Stefan Schaffler, Irmgard von Arx, Martin Roder, Gregory Degen, Thomas Chen, Li Turlings, Ted C J eng 201206300090/China Scholarship Council/ 2034070001/Outstanding Young Scholars Fund of ZAFU/ 31572020/National Natural Science Foundation of China/ 2019/03/30 J Chem Ecol. 2019 Jul; 45(7):559-569. doi: 10.1007/s10886-019-01066-4. Epub 2019 Mar 28" |
