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Activity rhythms involved in pheromone communication of spruce budworm Choristoneura fumiferana represented as normal curves with mean time (X) and SD. A Emergence from pupae (Kipp et al. 1995); BE11-14:Al pheromone titer of female gland (Delisle et al. 1999); C calling females (Delisle et al. 1999); D emission of E11-14:Al pheromone from female (Morse et al. 1982); and E male catch on virgin females in high-density population (Kipp et al. 1995). Calculation of R² and coefficients for corresponding normal curves explained in text
Source publication
Many insect species have circadian rhythms of pheromone production/titer, calling, emission, and response that are involved in intraspecific communication and impact pest management practices. Rhythms of pheromone biosynthesis, most studied in moths affecting forestry and agriculture, contribute to a periodicity of pheromone concentration or titer...
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Social insect queens have evolved mechanisms to prevent competition from their sexual daughters. For Solenopsis invicta , the fire ant, queens have evolved a primer pheromone that retards reproductive development in their winged reproductive daughters. If these daughters are removed from the influence of the queen, it takes about a week to start re...
Citations
... Virtually all life on the Earth experiences a 24 h circadian rhythm, which affects almost all behaviors, including sexual activity and mating. 1 Insects are no exception, with most species hitherto studied displaying circadian rhythm of mating behavior, sex pheromone titer, calling, and pheromone emission. 2 One notable exception to this chronobiology rule is the large black chafer Holotrichia parallela (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae). As a result of a 4-year study, it was reported for the first time that the large black chafer (then named Lachnosterna morosa) remains in the soil during the daytime, coming to the surface every other evening soon after sunset. ...
... However, whether the ''every other day'' periodicity in H. parallela was formed by an endogenous, free-running, circabidian rhythm remained speculative until recently. In nature, cycles are synchronized by exogenous environmental cues (time givers, also known as zeitgebers), 2 and there are no known 2-day zeitgebers. Recently, Kawasaki and colleagues 7 elegantly addressed the 48 h periodicity in H. parallela through a comprehensive chronobiological study and confirmed that under 12 h light (photophase) and 12 h dark (scotophase), H. parallela appeared on the ground at the beginning of the scotophase every 2 days. ...
Article Circabidian rhythm of sex pheromone reception in a scarab beetle Graphical abstract Highlights d HparOR14 is required for sex communication in the scarab beetle H. parallela d AlphaFold models and docking predict possible ligand-binding sites in HparOR14 d Transcripts of the sex pheromone gene exhibit an unusual 48 h (circabidian) rhythm d Male antennal responses to the sex pheromone are abolished in non-calling days In brief Wang et al. through studies on the scarab beetle Holotrichia parallela, discover the first sex pheromone receptor in Coleoptera. They also demonstrate that expression of the receptor gene exhibits an unusual 48 h periodicity, consistent with the male's electrophysiological responses to the sex pheromone. SUMMARY Animals have endogenous clocks that regulate their behavior and physiology. These clocks rely on environmental cues (time givers) that appear approximately every 24 h due to the Earth's rotation; thus, most insects exhibit a circadian rhythm. One notable exception is the scarab beetle, Holotrichia parallela, a severe agricultural pest in China, Japan, South Korea, and India. Females emerge from the soil every other night, reach the canopy of host plants, evert an abdominal gland, and release a pheromone bouquet comprising L-isoleucine methyl ester (LIME) and L-linalool. To determine whether this circa'bi'dian rhythm affects the olfactory system , we aimed to identify H. parallela sex pheromone receptor(s) and study their expression patterns. We cloned 14 odorant receptors (ORs) and attempted de-orphanizing them in the Xenopus oocyte recording system. HparOR14 gave robust responses to LIME and smaller responses to L-linalool. Structural modeling, tissue expression profile, and RNAi treatment followed by physiological and behavioral studies support that HparOR14 is a sex pheromone receptor-the first of its kind discovered in Coleoptera. Examination of the HparOR14 transcript levels throughout the adult's life showed that on sexually active days, gene expression was significantly higher in the scotophase than in the photophase. Additionally, the HparOR14 expression profile showed a circabidian rhythm synchronized with the previously identified pattern of sex pheromone emission. 48 h of electroantennogram recordings showed that responses to LIME were abolished on non-calling nights. In contrast, responses to the green leaf volatile (Z)-3-henexyl acetate remained almost constant throughout the recording period.
... In laboratory settings, sex dimorphism aids in distinguishing living adult insects for volatile collection and behavioral bioassays, while diel activity assists in conducting these bioassays effectively (Zarbin et al. 1999(Zarbin et al. , 2009Ambrogi and Zarbin 2008) . It is well established that pheromone production and bioactivity are influenced by specific photoperiods (Fonseca et al. 2010;Levi-Zada and Byers 2021). Ultimately, the information obtained from our research may serve as a valuable tool in the development of an integrated management program for cassava insect pests in Brazil. ...
Eubulus cf. elongatus Hustache (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a Neotropical species recently considered an important pest of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in Brazil. This weevil feeds on cassava roots under the soil, which makes detection and control by traditional methods as pesticide quite ineffective. Besides that, no information is available about morphology, sex identification, and behavior. Given its recent category as a pest, its morphology, sex identification, and behavior were previously unknown. Laboratory reared adults of E. cf. elongatus emerged from pupal chambers originated from Embrapa Cerrados (Planaltina, Federal District, Brazil) were used to investigate sexual dimorphism, sex ratio, diel activity, and mating behavior. The visible sexual dimorphism was observed in the hind tibiae of females, which presents a more expansive distal portion than a proximal portion. The sex ratio analysis of E. cf. elongatus evidenced a proportion of males and females, approximately 1:1 in 2018, while 1.5:1, both similar to other species of curculionids. Males and females show predominantly nocturnal activity, including the mating attempts during scotophase. Three distinct phases of mating behavior developed by E. cf. elongatus are described: (i) pre-copulation, (ii) copulation, and (iii) post-copulation. The results obtained in this study provide essential information for developing monitoring and control strategies within an integrated management program for this critical pest species in cassava crops in Brazil.
... To attract a mate, moth females of most species produce and release sex pheromones from specific glands at the tip of the abdomen during calling behavior (Valles et al. 1992;Pires et al. 1994;Foster and Anderson 2022). Calling behavior and pheromone production are regulated by several factors, mainly, photoperiod, environmental temperature, conspecifics females calling, and female age Soofbaf et al. 2007;Kawazu et al. 2011;Rehermann et al. 2016;Levi-Zada and Byers 2021). For example, Pseudaletia adultera (Schaus) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) females in the presence of conspecifics started calling at a lower age, a higher percentage of females called during the scotophase, and they called longer compared to females held in isolation (Rehermann et al. 2016). ...
The macadamia nut borer, Gymnandrosoma aurantianum Lima (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is the main pest of Macadamia integrifolia Maiden & Betche (Proteales: Proteaceae) in Central America. Despite its importance, there is little information on its reproductive behavior. We studied the calling behavior and effect of age on female sex pheromone production and male antennal response to the pheromone. Calling behavior of G. aurantianum females occurred at the onset of scotophase, between 17:00 and 20:00 h. The mean time spent calling was 64 min. It was observed that 30% of the 50 females exhibited a calling posture characterized by extrusion of the pheromone gland from the tip of the abdomen and they spread their wings slightly. Female age had no influence on the sex pheromone production, while male antennal response increased with age and pheromone dosage. The information obtained in this work contributes to understanding the sexual behavior of G. aurantianum and thus to the creation of strategies to control this important pest in macadamia.
... Regardless of the outcome of these experiments, our data (Fig. 3) indicate that female S. grossa do manipulate their webs' attractiveness in response to perceived mate competition. These results are intriguing because, to date, timed pheromone production and dissemination are known only in insects 62 . Although we demonstrate that female spiders adjust the pheromone titer on their webs, and thus their webs' attractiveness, according to perceived social context, we did not experimentally demonstrate but only infer the preferential attraction of males to webs constructed in high-web-density settings. ...
Female-female competition in animals has rarely been studied. Responses of females that compete context-dependently for mates and prey, and seek safety from predators, are ideally studied with web-building spiders. Cobwebs possess unique sections for prey capture and safety, which can be quantified. We worked with Steaoda grossa females because their pheromone is known, and adjustments in response to mate competition could be measured. Females exposed to synthetic sex pheromone adjusted their webs, indicating a perception of intra-sexual competition via their sex pheromone. When females sequentially built their webs in settings of low and high intra-sexual competition, they adjusted their webs to increase prey capture and lower predation risk. In settings with strong mate competition, females deposited more contact pheromone components on their webs and accelerated their breakdown to mate-attractant pheromone components, essentially increasing their webs' attractiveness. We show that females respond to sexual, social and natural selection pressures originating from intra-sexual competition.
... The central clock that drives rhythmic behavior is usually located in the brain 21 . The biological clock plays important roles in the regulation of insect activities, including sex pheromone production 22 , mating 23,24 and egg laying 25,26 . Within the intestine, circadian rhythms can alter the gut microbe composition 27,28 . ...
Studies have shown that intestinal bacteria have profound effects on the neurophysiological development of their hosts via the gut-brain axis. However, it is still unclear whether and how host neurophysiological activities can affect the activity of intestinal bacteria. Here, we examined the molecular basis for the rhythmic production of sex pheromones by rectal bacteria in flies and demonstrated that a series of genes in the brain-rectum axis were activated for rhythmic production of sex pheromones. By comparative transcriptome analysis, we identified clock genes ( cryptochrome 1 (CRY1), timeless (TIM) and pigment-dispersing factor (PDF)) in the brain-rectum axis and showed that genetic silencing of these genes abolished the rhythmic production of sex pheromones. Moreover, we identified the genes downstream (glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT) and alpha-galactosidase (GLA)) of the clock genes and showed that they are responsible for producing rectal glucose and glycine (or threonine), which are the precursors of bacteria-originated sex pheromones. Together, these findings reveal distinct genes and targets that lie in the brain-rectum axis as a fundamental conduit for the rhythmical production of sex pheromones by rectal bacteria.
... Therefore, the sex pheromone communication behavior of both sexes has obvious circadian rhythm characteristics. 2,8 For example, before mating, female moths biosynthesize and release sex pheromones rhythmically through pheromone glands (PGs) at the end of the abdomen. 9 The calling rhythm of female Spodoptera littoralis is circadian, persistent for at least 4 days once it had been entrained, and regulated by light. ...
... Calling activity can reach its highest value in the scotophase at a specific time. 2,8 Some studies have also confirmed that light, temperature, and chemical signals can regulate the expression of circadian clock genes and sexual communication behavior in moths. 6,36 However, it is unclear whether Per genes can regulate the sex pheromone titer and calling behavior of female moths. ...
Background
The 24‐h circadian rhythm is considered crucial for insect sexual communication. However, its molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways, particularly the roles of the clock gene period (Per), remain largely unclear. The sex pheromone communication behavior of Spodoptera litura displays typical circadian rhythm characteristics. Thus, it represents an excellent model for functional analyses of the clock gene Per.
Results
In this study, we investigated the potential roles of SlitPer in regulating sex pheromone communication in S. litura using RNA interference, quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reactions (qPCR), gas chromatography, and behavioral assays. The qPCR results showed that the expression levels of SlitPer and two desaturase genes (SlitDes5 and SlitDes11) in the siPer group differed significantly at most time points from those in the siNC group. Dynamic variation in the three major sex pheromone titers and calling behavior of S. litura females in the siPer group was disordered. In addition, the mating rates of siPer S. litura females decreased significantly by 33.33%. Oviposition by mated siPer females was substantially reduced by 84.84%.
Conclusion
These findings provide a fundamental basis for elucidating the molecular mechanism by which Per regulates sex pheromone communication behavior in lepidopteran species. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
... Chemicals with ester functional groups such as species-specific pheromones, host plant odorants, and xenobiotic insecticides are important for insect physiology, biochemistry, and ecology (Xu and Turlings, 2018;Levi-Zada and Byers, 2021;Mdeni et al., 2022). Carboxylesterases (CXEs) belong to a superfamily that includes diverse functional enzymes (Oakeshott et al., 1999;Oakeshott et al., 2005). ...
Insect carboxylesterases (CXEs) can be expressed in multiple tissues and play crucial roles in detoxifying xenobiotic insecticides and degrading olfactory cues. Therefore, they have been considered as an important target for development of eco-friendly insect pest management strategies. Despite extensive investigation in most insect species, limited information on CXEs in sibling moth species is currently available. The Ectropis obliqua Prout and Ectropis grisescens Warren are two closely related tea geometrid species, which share the same host of tea plant but differ in geographical distribution, sex pheromone composition, and symbiotic bacteria abundance, providing an excellent mode species for studies of functional diversity of orthologous CXEs. In this study, we focused on EoblCXE14 due to its previously reported non-chemosensory organs-biased expression. First, the EoblCXE14 orthologous gene EgriCXE14 was cloned and sequence characteristics analysis showed that they share a conserved motif and phylogenetic relationship. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was then used to compare the expression profiles between two Ectropis spp. The results showed that EoblCXE14 was predominately expressed in E. obliqua larvae, whereas EgriCXE14 was abundant in E. grisescens at multiple developmental stages. Interestingly, both orthologous CXEs were highly expressed in larval midgut, but the expression level of EoblCXE14 in E. obliqua midgut was significantly higher than that of EgriCXE14 in E. grisescens midgut. In addition, the potential effect of symbiotic bacteria Wolbachia on the CXE14 was examined. This study is the first to provide comparative expression profiles of orthologous CXE genes in two sibling geometrid moth species and the results will help further elucidate CXEs functions and identify a potential target for tea geometrid pest control.
... Ethyl 4-methyloctanoate is an aggregation pheromone compound produced by the male imago O. rhinoceros. Then the use of pheromones will attract more female insects (Levi-Zada & Byers, 2021;Regnier & Law, 1968). This was reinforced by (Hasni et al., 2017), which stated synthetic aggregation pheromones (Ethyl 4-methyloctanoate) attracted 69-79% of female imago while male imago attracted only 21-31%. ...
This study aims to find out the engineering of traps against the effectiveness of caught by rhinoceros beetles on palm oil plants. This research was carried out on farmers who were planted in Sidadi Village, Batang Angkola Subdistrict, South Tapanuli Regency. From October to December 2020. The method used in this study is a survey with a sampling technique that is purposive sampling. Traps are installed at as many as 2 points on an area of 720 m2 with a population of 110 palm oil stalks. Traps were placed at the location of many O. rhinoceros attacks. Ember has a trap size of 20 liters, and at the base of the bucket made 4 holes diameter of 2 mm for water disposal. The zinc plate is cleaved in 2 parts of the faucet 30 x 25 cm arranged in pairs in a 4-room-shaped space placed on top of the bucket and tied with a fastening wire. Pheromones are removed from the packaging and hung on zinc traps given gaps on 4 sides. Trap II, Plastic bucket as a trap. The plastic bucket size of 20 liters, the lid of the bucket is perforated with as many as 5 holes (diameter 55 mm) placed upside down, based on the plastic bucket made 4 holes (diameter 2 mm) for water disposal; Pheromones (Ethyl 4-mathyloctanoate) are removed from the packaging, wrapped around a small 10 cm long wire, and attached to the lid of a plastic bucket that is placed upside down. The results showed that the most effective trap installation is trap 1 which has a higher ability to control rhinoceros beetle pests (Oryctes rhinoceros) which are as many as 46 tails compared to 2 traps with as many as 41 tails on plants that have not produced palm oil
... However, during other hourly periods, one or fewer male adults (with a proportion of less than 1.5%) observed responding to the sex pheromone lures could be random rather than intentional. Tuta absoluta male adults typically responded to female cues at dawn and in the early morning (peaking at 1 h after sunrise); the courtship behavior of female adults likely occurs synchronously, while mating behaviors should begin after or at the same time [32,41,42]. ...
... A higher proportion of male than female adults (p = 0.001) was detected in the second half of the night (from 01:30 to 06:30), which could be related to the following (i.e., 06:30-07:30) high proportion response to the sex pheromone traps. The lower proportion of female adults (p = 0.001) observed in the same period of time might be related to sex pheromone production or biosynthesis in the so-called female "calling" behavior [42]. ...
... Courtship, mating, and oviposition are the most important life activities of adult sexually reproducing insects. Related behaviors, especially the response to sex pheromone lures (or female cues) [42] and flying toward light traps [22,38], vary between species, even between those in the same family, e.g., the potato tuberworm moth, Phthorimaea operculella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) [45]. Males responding to sex pheromone (false female) lures and male and female adults flying toward light traps displayed obvious diel rhythms. ...
Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), a leafminer that damages tomato leaves, terminal buds, flowers, and fruits, is a destructive tomato pest and is responsible for 80–100% of tomato yield losses globally. Different insect species have different courtship responses and phototropic flight rhythms. Improving the trapping effects of the sex pheromone and light traps is important for constructing an IPM system for T. absoluta. The present study explored the hourly distribution of T. absoluta adults caught by the sex pheromone (on the ground) and UV light (380 nm) traps in greenhouses over 24 h. The responses of males to sex pheromone (false female) lures were detected at dawn and early morning. The responses lasted for 3 h, from 05:30 (1 h before sunrise) to 08:30 (2 h after sunrise), and 95.8% of the males were caught during this period. The peak of the male responses to the sex pheromone was detected at 07:30 (from 06:30 to 07:30, 1 h after sunrise), and 80.8% of the males were caught during this period. The flight of male (proportion of 54.3%) and female (45.7%) adults toward the UV light traps occurred from 19:30 (time of sunset) to 06:30 (time of sunrise), lasted for 11 h, and exhibited a scotophase rhythm; 97.4% of the adults were caught during this period. The peak of adults flying toward the UV light traps occurred at 21:30 (from 20:30 to 21:30, 2 h after sunset). The rhythms of males’ responses to the sex pheromone and of the adults’ flight toward the UV lights can help to reveal the mechanisms of chemotactic and phototactic responses and may play a significant role in constructing an IPM system for this pest.
... Responses to these chemical signals vary according to environmental factors, previous experience, physiological status, or combinations of all of these [1]. Attraction to chemical stimuli has been the subject of study for its application in pest monitoring and control [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Pheromone attractants, speciesspecific by definition, may function with sexual or physiologic specificity to aid detection, population monitoring, and eradication programs [10]. ...
Attractants are a powerful tool for pest management. The lack of specific attractants for the South American fruit fly, Anastrepha fraterculus, a complex of cryptic species of great economic importance in South America, makes it difficult to monitor the pest in the field. The γ-lactone male sex and aggregation pheromones of several Anastrepha species, naturally released in a 7:3 epianastrephin to anastrephin ratio, and a structurally related naturally occurring γ-lactone ((±)-trans-tetrahydroactinidiolide) with gem-dimethyl groups (dimethyl) at C(4), were evaluated as potential attractants of this species. Different age and mating conditions of A. fraterculus males and females were evaluated during electroantennography (EAG) and field cage experiments in which polymeric lures were deployed to contain 100 mg of attractant. Epianastrephin and dimethyl were EAG+ for all fly conditions, with epianastrephin eliciting the highest response for both sexes and immature flies showing greater responsiveness than mature flies. In the field cage experiments, immature flies were only attracted to leks; virgin females were attracted to leks, dimethyl, and both epianastrephin-anastrephin formulations (95 and 70 wt.% epianastrephin); mature-mated males were attracted to leks, dimethyl and 70 wt.% epianastrephin; and mature-mated females were only attracted to leks. Our bioassays showed a promising performance of the analog dimethyl since it elicited the same response as epianastrephin, requires fewer steps to synthesize, and contains one less chiral center than the natural pheromones. The attraction to leks was recorded for all mating conditions and ages of flies and suggests that air-borne volatiles of calling males contain cues that could act as sensory traps. The addition of any of these compounds in the synthetic attractants may result in a greater attraction and thus deserves further evaluation. Dose-response experiments will provide additional information to move a step forward and validate the results obtained in open-field conditions.
