Anti-aphrodisiac
pheromone (diminish
sexual desire):
This pheromone is reported in Heliconius melpomene Linnaeus (Lepidoptera:Nymphalidae)
(Schulz, 2008). The pheromones of Heliconius melpomene, of males
contained the volatile compound (E)-β-ocimene along woth volatile matrix
of esters of common C16- and C18-fatty acids with the
alcohols ethanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, isobutanol, 1-hexanol, and (Z)-3-hexenol.
The investigation showed that β-ocimene
is an antiaphrodisiac pheromone of H. melpomene (Schulz S Estrada et al., 2008).
It is
reported that male of Lygus hesperus
delivers a large spermatophore and fatty molecule myristyl acetate,which absent in virgin females. When they found
myristyl acetate was as effective reducing the attractiveness of virgin
females. Hence, already mated males are less attractive to males compered to
virgin fmales (Colin S. Brent and John A. Byers, 2011).
In the male
ejaculate,P. brassicae females receive the anti-aphrodisiac benzyl
cyanide (BC) that reduces the females' attractiveness for subsequent mating. It
was detected this pheromone in the
accessory gland secretion released by mated female butterflies. When applied
onto leaves, BC alone induced phytochemical changes that arrested females of
the egg parasitoid. Microarray analyses revealed a similarity in induced plant
responses that may explain the arrest of T. brassicae to egg-laden and BC-treated plants. Thus, a
male-derived compound endangers the offspring of the butterfly by inducing
plant defense (Fatouros
et al.,2008).
Behavioural mating assays showed that males
mount nymphs significantly shorter time compared to females, although initial
mounting preference was the same. In support of our hypothesis, nymphs
experienced the same percentage of mating with sperm transfer as females if
they were unable to emit (E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-octenal 4-oxo-(E)-2-hexenal
and 4-oxo-(E)-2-octenal, from their dorsal abdominal glands.
We report that the aldehydes and 4-oxo-(E)-2-hexenal are
detected by olfactory receptor neurons housed in smooth and grooved peg
sensilla, respectively, on the adult antennae, at biologically relevant
concentrations. Behavioural experiments showed that application of 4-oxo-(E)-2-hexenal or the two aldehydes at a
nymph-emitted ratio, to a male/female pair during mounting initiation,
decreased mating frequency to a rate comparable to that of a male/nymph pair (Harraca et
al.,2010).
Courtship conditioning is an associative
learning paradigm in Drosophila melanogaster, wherein
male courtship behavior is modified by experience with unreceptive, previously
mated females. While the training experience with mated females involves
multiple sensory and behavioral interactions, we hypothesized that female
cuticular hydrocarbons function as a specific chemosensory conditioned stimulus
in this learning paradigm. The effects of training with mated females were
determined in courtship tests with either wild-type virgin females as courtship
targets, or with target flies of different genotypes that express distinct
cuticular hydrocarbon (CH) profiles. Results of tests with female targets that
lacked the normal CH profile, and with male targets that expressed typically
female CH profiles, indicated that components of this CH profile are both
necessary and sufficient cues to elicit the effects of conditioning. Results
with additional targets indicated that the female-specific 7,11-dienes, which
induce naive males to court, are not essential components of the conditioned
stimulus. Rather, the learned response was significantly correlated with the
levels of 9-pentacosene (9-P), a compound found in both males and females of
many Drosophila strains and species. Adding 9-P to
target flies showed that it stimulates courting males to attempt to copulate,
and confirmed its role as a component of the conditioned stimulus by
demonstrating dose-dependent increases in the expression of the learned
response. Thus, 9-P can contribute significantly to the conditioned suppression
of male courtship toward targets that express this pheromone (Siwicki, et
al.,2005).
Closely related egg parasitoids,Trichogramma brassicae and Trichogramma evanescens, exploit
the anti-aphrodisiac pheromone benzyl cyanide of one of their hosts, the
gregarious large cabbage white butterfly Pieris brassicae that deposits a clutch of more than 20 eggs per
oviposition bout. The pheromone is transferred by male butterflies to females
during mating to enforce female monogamy. On detecting the anti-aphrodisiac,
the tiny parasitic wasps ride on a mated female butterfly to a host plant and
then parasitize her freshly laid eggs. The present study demonstrates that both
wasp species similarly exploit the anti-aphrodisiac mixture of methyl
salicylate and indole of another host, the more common solitary small cabbage
white butterfly Pieris rapae that deposits only one egg at a time.
Interestingly, this behavior is innate in T. brassicae, whereas T.
evanescens learns
it after one successful ride on a mated female butterfly. Moreover, we show
that the wasps only respond to the anti-aphrodisiacs of the 2 cabbage white
butterflies when the ubiquitous compounds are part of a complete mated female
odor blend (Huigens
et al.,2010).
In Drosophila melanogaster, the male ejaculatory bulb is the site of synthesis of a
male-specific pheromone, cis-vaccenyl
acetate, which functions as both an attractant and an anti-aphrodisiac. This
long monounsaturated acetate is structurally similar to a number of shorter
gland-synthesized moth pheromones. The cell monolayer that forms the Drosophila male ejaculatory bulb wall is
responsible for the production and secretion of cis-vaccenyl
acetate into the seminal fluid. When dissected bulbs were incubated with sodium
[14-C]-acetate (or deuterated acetate), a labeled acetate ester was
synthesized. The labeled acetate ester co-migrated with cis-vaccenyl
acetate in thin layer chromatography. Incubation of the abdomens of males from
which the ejaculatory bulbs had been removed, or the abdomens of females, with
radiolabeled acetate did not yield any acetate ester, but did yield other lipid
products, including hydrocarbons. When the isolated labeled acetate ester was
hydrolyzed, no radioactive vaccenol was formed. This strongly suggests that the
acetyl group is incorporated via a transacetylation reaction, but that the vaccenyl
moiety is not synthetized in the blub. The transacetylation enzyme activity was
localized in the microsomal subfraction of the bulb homogenate, and its
affinity for vaccenol was not very different from that reported for
monounsaturated alcohol substrates in moths (Guiraudie et al.,2007).
Gas-liquid chromatography was used to investigate the role of cis-vaccenyl acetate, cis-vaccenol and esterase 6 in the inhibition of male
courtship in D. melanogaster. Results indicate that (1) cis-vaccenyl acetate is not converted tocis-vaccenol, (2) esterase 6 has no effect on the
rate of cis-vaccenyl acetate loss from the reproductive
tracts of mated females, (3) in vivo concentrations
of cis-vaccenyl acetate transferred to females during
copulation fall below effective courtship-inhibitory levels within 4 h, (4) cis-vaccenyl acetate is not translocated from the
female reproductive tract to the abdominal cuticle, and that (5) mutant male
flies that do not reduce the post-mating sexual attractiveness of females
contain and transfer normal amounts of cis-vaccenyl acetate (Vander Meer et al.,1996).
A recent study in BMC Biology has determined that the immature
stage of the bed bug (the nymph) signals its reproductive status to adult males
using pheromones and thus avoids the trauma associated with copulation in this
species. The success of this nymphal strategy of deterrence is instructive.
Against the background of increasing problems with bed bugs, this research
raises the question whether pheromones might be used to control them (Haynes et
al.,2010).
After Drosophila males are rejected by mated females, their
subsequent courtship is inhibited even when encountering virgin females.
Molecular mechanisms underlying courtship conditioning in the CNS are unclear.
In this study, we find that tyramine β hydroxylase (TβH) mutant males unable to
synthesize octopamine (OA) showed impaired courtship conditioning, which could
be rescued by transgenic TβH expression in the CNS. Inactivation of
octopaminergic neurons mimicked the TβH mutant phenotype. Transient activation
of octopaminergic neurons in males not only decreased their courtship of virgin
females, but also produced courtship conditioning. Single cell analysis
revealed projection of octopaminergic neurons to the mushroom bodies. Deletion
of the OAMB gene encoding an OA receptor expressed in the mushroom bodies
disrupted courtship conditioning. Inactivation of neurons expressing OAMB also
eliminated courtship conditioning. OAMB neurons responded robustly to
male-specific pheromone cis-vaccenyl acetate in a dose-dependent manner. Our
results indicate that OA plays an important role in courtship conditioning
through its OAMB receptor expressed in a specific neuronal subset of the
mushroom bodies (Zhou et al.,2012).
In polyandrous butterflies males transfer a
large, nutritious ejaculate at mating. Larger ejaculates delay female remating
and confer an advantage in sperm competition. However, large ejaculates are
costly, potentially selecting for male adjustment of ejaculate size to the risk
of sperm competition. Here, we test if male ejaculate size in the butterfly Pieris
napivaries with male density, and whether males assess
sperm competition risk using the male sex pheromone citral as a cue. The
results conformed to sperm competition theory and showed that male P.
napi tailored
their reproductive investment in response to the risk of sperm competition;
ejaculates transferred by males in the high male density treatments were on
average 23% larger than ejaculates transferred at low male densities. The
results also show for the first time that the sex pheromone citral was used by
males to assess male density; ejaculates transferred by males in presence of
added male sex pheromone were 19% larger than ejaculates transferred in the
control. In conclusion, the study shows how the sex pheromone not only
facilitates female acceptance when dispensed by courting males but also allows
males to assess the degree of male competition for matings (Mellström,
et al.,2009).
Chemical cues play a major role in the process of host selection by
parasitoids, a process that has been discriminated into several steps such as
habitat location, host location, and host acceptance. Egg parasitoids are known
to rely on infochemicals of the adult host stage, e.g., pheromones, rather than
cues emitted by the inconspicuous host eggs themselves. Here, we show that
three different Trichogramma(Hymenoptera:
Trichogrammatidae) species were attracted to the synthetic sex pheromone of the
olive, Olea europea L., pest Prays
oleae(Bern) (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae). In Y-tube
olfactometer experiments, we revealed differences in the behavior of four testedTrichogramma strains to different concentrations
of the host pheromone. Although wasps of Trichogramma oleae (Voegele & Poitale) (IO47) were
significantly attracted to two concentrations of the host pheromone, another
strain of the same species (IO24) did not show a response to any offered
concentrations. Trichogramma cacoeciaeMarchai females showed greatest attraction toward the
pheromone to three of five offered concentrations. Bioassays with Trichogramma
bourarachae Pintureau & Babault wasps showed a positive
response of the parasitoids to three concentrations of the host pheromone.
Detection of the moth sex pheromone may result in an enhanced searching effort
by Trichogramma wasps
in an area with host eggs and eventually lead to an increased parasitism rate
of these eggs (Milonas et al.,2009).
During mating in many butterfly species, males
transfer spermatophores that contain anti-aphrodisiacs to females that repel
conspecific males. For example, males of the large cabbage white, Pieris brassicae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), transfer the
anti-aphrodisiac, benzyl cyanide (BC) to females. Accessory reproductive gland
(ARG) secretion of a mated female P. brassicae that is deposited with an egg clutch
contains traces of BC, inducing Brussels sprouts plants (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera) to
arrest certainTrichogramma egg
parasitoids. Here, we assessed whether deposition of one egg at a time by the
closely related small cabbage white, Pieris rapae, induced B. oleracea var. gemmifera to arrest Trichogramma wasps, and whether this plant
synomone is triggered by substances originating from maleP. rapae seminal fluid. We showed that plants
induced by singly laid eggs ofP. rapae arrest T. brassicae wasps three days after butterfly egg
deposition. Elicitor activity was present in ARG secretion of mated female
butterflies, whereas the secretion of virgin females was inactive. Pieris rapae used a mixture of methyl salicylate
(MeSA) and indole as an anti-aphrodisiac. We detected traces of both
anti-aphrodisiacal compounds in the ARG secretion of mated female P. rapae, whereas indole was lacking in the
secretion of virgin female P. rapae. When
applied onto the leaf, indole induced changes in the foliar chemistry that
arrested T. brassicae wasps (Fatouros et al.,2009).
Drosophila melanogaster males court mated
females significantly less actively than they court virgins.
Courtship-inhibiting chemicals (anti-aphrodisiacs) released by mated females
when males are present could play a role in controlling the sexual attractiveness
of mated females. To test this hypothesis, the attractiveness of intact mated
females, which are able to release aversive chemical signals, was compared to
that of decapitated mated females, which do not release the signals. By 24 h
after mating, reduced female sexual attractiveness was due almost entirely to
anti-aphrodisiacs released when males were present. Anti-aphrodisiacs vary
between strains, and have been identified as hydrocarbons found primarily on
the cuticle of mature males. The quantity of these hydrocarbons on mated
females increases when males are present, but the increase is not due to
tranfer from the males. When males with radiolabelled cuticular hydrocarbons
were paired with mated females, no transfer of label could be detected. Interstrain
comparisons showed that males from one strain do not necessarily respond to the
anti-aphrodisiac of another, and that male cuticular hydrocarbons may provide a
chemical stimulus that induces release of anti-aphrodisiac by mated females. (Scott et al.,1990).
Gregarious mature males of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) emit a courtship-inhibiting pheromone continuously to repel
rivals. This signal evokes a strong response from males with recent experience
of mature females. However, if males have been female deprived for some time,
they start to ignore the pheromone and attempt to usurp females that are
guarded by males. The probability and intensity with which males struggle for
an occupied mate was found to depend on the time previously spent without a
female. This adaptive behaviour is similar to the response to host-marking
pheromones in phytophagous insects and parasitoids (Seidelmann
et al.,2006).
Males of the beetle Tenebrio molitor produce a volatile sex pheromone
which attracts females of the same species. The pheromone level peaks 8 days
after emergence and then reaches a plateau. Elimination of endocrine centers by
decapitating male adults 24 hr following adult ecdysis did not impair pheromone
production. Treatment of decapitated males with juvenile hormone analogues did
not make any detectable difference in the levels of pheromone activity.
However, undecapitated males treated with juvenile hormone analogue showed a
significant increase in pheromone activity when compared with those that had
been decapitated and subsequently treated with juvenile hormone analogue. This
observation is discussed in the light of published research on the effect of
juvenile hormone on pheromone activity of females of T. molitor (Menon et
al.,1976).
Phoretic insects utilize other animals to
disperse to new environments. We recently discovered how egg parasitoids use an
exciting phoretic strategy to reach egg-laying sites of their butterfly hosts.
In the laboratory, femaleTrichogramma wasps
detect and mount mated female cabbage white butterflies that emit an
anti-aphrodisiac pheromone. Hardly any information exists about the natural
occurrence of phoresy in wasps of this genus. Therefore, we monitored the
presence of phoretic Trichogramma wasps on lepidopteran hosts in the
field. Only female wasps were found at low prevalence on six lepidopteran
species. Wasps were mostly found on female hosts and mainly on abundant
solitary host species. This is the first report of phoretic Trichogramma wasps on butterflies in nature. We
suggest that phoresy is only one of several strategies used by these
polyphagous egg parasitoids. The evolution of phoresy is discussed in relation
to the nutritional ecology of egg parasitoids (Fatouros et al.,2012).
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