at Google ScholarTitle data
Stökl, Johannes ; Dandekar, Anna-Teresa ; Ruther, Joachim:
High Chemical Diversity in a Wasp Pheromone : a Blend of Methyl 6-Methylsalicylate, Fatty Alcohol Acetates and Cuticular Hydrocarbons Releases Courtship Behavior in the Drosophila Parasitoid Asobara tabida.
In: Journal of Chemical Ecology.
Vol. 40
(2014)
Issue 2
.
- pp. 159-168.
ISSN 1573-1561
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-014-0378-4
Abstract in another language
Wasps of genus Asobara, a larval parasitoid of Drosophila, have become model organisms for the study of host-parasite interactions. However, little is known about the role of pheromones in locating mates and courtship behavior in this genus. In the present study, we aimed to identify the female courtship pheromone in Asobara tabida. The chemical compositions of solvent extracts from male and female wasps were analyzed by GC/MS. These extracts, fractions thereof, and synthetic pheromone candidates were tested for their activity in behavioral bioassays. The results demonstrate that the courtship pheromone of A. tabida is characterized by a remarkable chemical diversity. A multi-component blend of female-specific compounds including methyl 6-methylsalicylate (M6M), fatty alcohol acetates (FAAs), and cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) released male courtship behavior. Using a combinatory approach that included both purified natural products and synthetic analogs, it was shown that none of the three chemical classes alone was sufficient to release a full behavioral response in males. However, a blend of M6M and FAAs or combinations of one or both of these with female-derived CHCs resulted in wing-fanning responses by males comparable to those elicited by the crude extract of females. Thus, components from all three chemical classes contribute to the bioactivity of the pheromone, but none of the elements plays a key role or is irreplaceable. The fact that one of the FAAs, vaccenyl acetate, is also used as a kairomone by Asobara females to locate Drosophila hosts suggests that a pre-existing sensory responsiveness to vaccenyl acetate might have been involved in the evolution of the female sex pheromone in Asobara.
Further data
| Item Type: | Article in a journal |
|---|---|
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Additional notes: | BAYCEER147414 |
| Institutions of the University: | Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Biology > Chair Animal Ecology II - Evolutionary Animal Ecology > Chair Animal Ecology II - Evolutionary Animal Ecology - Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sandra Steiger Research Institutions Research Institutions > Research Centres Research Institutions > Research Centres > Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research- BayCEER Faculties Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Biology Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Biology > Chair Animal Ecology II - Evolutionary Animal Ecology |
| Result of work at the UBT: | No |
| DDC Subjects: | 500 Science |
| Date Deposited: | 12 Apr 2019 12:04 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Apr 2019 12:04 |
| URI: | https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/48361 |