Crambidae; male pheromone; reproductive strategy; sexual reproduction; wheat pest; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Agronomy and Crop Science; Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (all); Insect Science; General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Abstract :
[en] The complex and efficient sex pheromone communication system in insects is essential for reproduction and for reproductive isolation of species. In moths, sex pheromone communication starts with male attraction to compounds emitted by females; only a few species act in the reverse. However, how the pheromones that are emitted by both sexes co-regulate and coordinate mate finding and mating remains unknown. Here, we identified both the male and female pheromones of Eastern Grass Veneer moth, Agriphila aeneociliella (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), and demonstrated their efficiency in manipulating behavioral responses of the opposite sex. Combining data from analysis of gas chromatography-electroantennogram detection, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and olfactory behavior assays, the female pheromone of A. aeneociliella was identified as (Z,Z,Z)-9,12,15-octadecatrienal and (Z)-9-hexadecenyl acetate, while the male pheromone was determined to be 1-nonanal. Both the 2 individual components of the female pheromone and their binary mixture were significantly attractive to males, and the 1-nonanal male pheromone induced strong electrophysiological responses in females and induced attraction of females in a Y-tube olfactory test. Depending on the concentration of 1-nonanal, its addition to the binary mixture of the female pheromone either enhanced (10-3 or 10-2 μg/μL) or reduced (1 μg/μL) the aphrodisiac effect of the mixture on males. In wind-tunnel bioassays, different concentrations of pheromones, including the binary mixture of female pheromone and the mixture of male and female pheromones, had significant effects on male behavior. Our findings suggested that the blend of both female and male pheromones plays a significant role in the sexual communication system in some moths.
Disciplines :
Agriculture & agronomy
Author, co-author :
Zhan, Yi-Di ; College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong Province, China
Liu, Ying-Jie; Staff Development Institute of China National Tobacco Corporation, Zhengzhou, China
Liu, Jiahui ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre ; College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong Province, China
Liu, Yong; College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong Province, China
Language :
English
Title :
Pheromones emitted by both female and male moths regulate coordination between the sexes for Agriphila aeneociliella (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).
This work was supported by grants from the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2020MC121) and the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFD0201705).
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