{"title":"n-octyl acrylate is a candidate sex pheromone component involved in courtship in parasitoid wasp Microplitis mediator.","authors":"Yu-Xiao Tao, Shuang Shan, Youssef Dewer, Shan-Ning Wang, Adel Khashaveh, Rui-Jun Li, Yong-Jun Zhang","doi":"10.1111/1744-7917.13297","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sex pheromones are considered to play critical roles in partner communication of most parasitic Hymenoptera. However, the identification of sex pheromone components remains limited to a few families of parasitoid wasps. In this study, we functionally characterized a candidate sex pheromone component in Microplitis mediator (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a solitary parasitoid of Noctuidae insects. We found that the body surface extract from female wasps could significantly stimulate courtship behavior of males. Gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) analysis revealed that a candidate semiochemical from extract triggered significant electrophysiological response of antennae of males. By performing gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) measurement, GC-EAD active compound was identified as n-octyl acrylate, a candidate sex pheromone component in female M. mediator. In electroantennogram (EAG) tests, antennae of male wasps showed significantly higher electrophysiological responses to n-octyl acrylate than those of females. Y-tube olfactometer assays indicated that male wasps significantly chose n-octyl acrylate compared with the control. Furthermore, male wasps showed a remarkable preference for n-octyl acrylate in a simulated field condition behavioral trial; simultaneously, n-octyl acrylate standard could also trigger significant courtship behavior in males. We propose that n-octyl acrylate, as a candidate vital sex pheromone component, could be utilized to design behavioral regulators of M. mediator to implement the protection and utilization of natural enemies.</p>","PeriodicalId":13618,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Insect Science","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.13297","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2023/11/15 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENTOMOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Sex pheromones are considered to play critical roles in partner communication of most parasitic Hymenoptera. However, the identification of sex pheromone components remains limited to a few families of parasitoid wasps. In this study, we functionally characterized a candidate sex pheromone component in Microplitis mediator (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a solitary parasitoid of Noctuidae insects. We found that the body surface extract from female wasps could significantly stimulate courtship behavior of males. Gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) analysis revealed that a candidate semiochemical from extract triggered significant electrophysiological response of antennae of males. By performing gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) measurement, GC-EAD active compound was identified as n-octyl acrylate, a candidate sex pheromone component in female M. mediator. In electroantennogram (EAG) tests, antennae of male wasps showed significantly higher electrophysiological responses to n-octyl acrylate than those of females. Y-tube olfactometer assays indicated that male wasps significantly chose n-octyl acrylate compared with the control. Furthermore, male wasps showed a remarkable preference for n-octyl acrylate in a simulated field condition behavioral trial; simultaneously, n-octyl acrylate standard could also trigger significant courtship behavior in males. We propose that n-octyl acrylate, as a candidate vital sex pheromone component, could be utilized to design behavioral regulators of M. mediator to implement the protection and utilization of natural enemies.
期刊介绍:
Insect Science is an English-language journal, which publishes original research articles dealing with all fields of research in into insects and other terrestrial arthropods. Papers in any of the following fields will be considered: ecology, behavior, biogeography, physiology, biochemistry, sociobiology, phylogeny, pest management, and exotic incursions. The emphasis of the journal is on the adaptation and evolutionary biology of insects from the molecular to the ecosystem level. Reviews, mini reviews and letters to the editor, book reviews, and information about academic activities of the society are also published.