Influence of ambient and thoracic temperatures upon sexual behaviour of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar

ABSTRACT. In an ambient temperature ( T _a) range of 18–28°C, thoracic temperatures ( T _th) of individual male Lymantria dispar (L.), caught at flight in the field, ranged from 21 to 36.5°C, with a correlation coefficient of 0.63 between T _th and ambient temperature ( T _a). Ambient temperature (and insolation) altered the insect's body temperature and the probabilities, latencies, and durations of preflight responses to pheromone. In a wind tunnel at 16 and 20°C, quiescent males exposed to pheromone raised their T _th by sustained wing fanning from 17 and 21°C, respectively, to c. 24°C before takeoff. At 24 and 28°C ambient, T _th rose by takeoff to 28 and 31°C, respectively. The latencies of male wing fanning in response to pheromone decreased from 1.44 min at 16°C ambient, to 0.58 min at 20°C, to 0.26 min at 24°C, and to 0.16min at 28°C. The components of behaviour (antennal twitch, body jerk, step and wing tremor) that occurred between quiescence and wing fanning were more frequent at ambients of 16 and 20°C than at 24 and 28°C.     

Female sex pheromone suppression and the fate of sex-peptide-like peptides in mated moths of Helicoverpa armigera

Insect males produce accessory gland (MAG) factors that are transferred in the seminal fluid to females during copulation, and elicit changes in the mated female's behavior and physiology. Our previous studies showed that the injection of synthetic Drosophila melanogaster sex-peptide (DrmSP) into virgin females of the moth Helicoverpa armigera causes a significant inhibition of pheromone production. In this and other moth species, pheromone production, correlated with female receptivity, is under neuroendocrine control due to the circadian release of the neuropeptide PBAN. In this study, we show that PBAN, present in the hemolymph during the scotophase in females, is drastically reduced after mating. We also identify 4 DrmSP-like HPLC peaks (Peaks A, S1, S2, and B) in MAGs, with increasing levels of DrmSP immunoreactivity during the scotophase, when compared to their levels observed during the photophase. In H. armigera MAGs, a significant reduction in the pheromonostatic peak (Peak B) was already evident after 15 min of copulation, and depletion of an additional peak (Peak S2) was evident after complete mating. Peak A is also detected in female brains, increasing significantly 1 h after mating, at which time inhibition of pheromone biosynthesis also occurs. However, changes corresponding to the other MAG peaks were not detected in mated female tissues.     

Development, fecundity and survival of the herbivore Lymantria dispar and the number of plant species in its diet

ABSTRACT.

• 1 Larval gypsy moth Lymantria dispar (L.) mortality depends upon the number and type of plant species consumed as well as the sequence in which they are consumed.
• 2 When a two-species diet is composed of a favourable and an unfavourable species, larval mortality is higher on the two-species diet than on the diet of the favourable species alone.
• 3 When a two species diet is composed of a favourable and unfavourable coniferous species, larval mortality is higher on the single conifer species diet than on the two-species diet.
• 4 Two-species diets, in which one species is a conifer, produce individuals with a greater fecundity than diets of either species alone.
• 5 The influence of diets composed of two favourable species, on development, size and fecundity, depends both on the relative quality of each of the two plant species and which of the two is consumed by older instars.

     

Causes and correlates of loss and recovery of sexual receptivity inLucilia cuprina females after their first mating

After an initial mating, females of the Australian sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina(Diptera: Calliphoridae), rejected mating attempts by males for several days. Almost all (>98%) females were unreceptive 24 h after mating. When tested 9 days after mating receptivity had returned in 24% of females denied the opportunity to oviposit and 45% of females given repeated opportunities to oviposit on liver. Those mated females that regained receptivity mated as readily as virgins. Gravid first-, second-, or third-cycle females that did not oviposit when presented with liver had a higher receptivity than those that laid. These non-layers laid after remating. Injection of 1 male equivalent of an extract of male accessory reproductive glands into virgin females switched off their receptivity within 5 h for at least 8 days. An extract of testis reduced receptivity 5 h after injection but had no detectable effect 3 days after injection. Both extracts increased the tendency of virgin females to oviposit. There was no difference in the sperm stores of females that refused to lay a second egg mass and comprised a high percentage of receptive females and those given no opportunity to lay this egg mass.     

Influence of pheromone concentration and ambient temperature on flight of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L), in a sustained-flight wind tunnel

Abstract. The effects of pheromone concentration and ambient temperature on male gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera), flight responses to pheromone were investigated in a wind tunnel. As the pheromone dose increased from 10 ng to 1000 ng, males flew at progressively slower airspeeds and ground speeds, and reduced their wingbeat frequencies. Furthermore, the moths steered significantly smaller course angles as the pheromone concentration increased, indicating that they were adopting a more upwind heading. The overall width of the flight tracks also decreased when males flew in more concentrated pheromone plumes. Estimation of plume dimensions using a male wing-fanning assay showed that as pheromone dosage increased, the resultant active spaces became wider, indicating that an inverse relationship existed between the dimensions of the time-averaged plume and the width of track reversals and that most turns were initiated within the plume. When males were flown at cool (20°C) and warm (26°C) ambient temperatures but to equivalent pheromone emission rates, they exhibited higher airspeeds and ground speeds at the higher temperature but steered larger course angles. Track widths, and length of track legs were, however, similar at the two temperatures. The mean turning frequency was nearly the same (c. 4 turns/s) across all the concentrations and temperatures tested even though the moths' thoracic temperature differed by 5°C when the ambient temperature was varied.     

Structural organization of the sex pheromone gland in Helicoverpa zea in relation to pheromone production and release

Morphological location of the sex pheromone producing area in the ovipositor of the female corn earworm Helicoverpa zea, was correlated with gas chromatographic analysis of the extracted pheromone. Histological studies showed that the pheromone gland occupied an almost complete ring of specialized columnar cells between the 8th and 9th abdominal segments. Ultrastructure of the pheromone gland cells revealed distinct features such as microvilli, pockets of granular material, intercellular canals with abundant desmosomes. Apparent changes in some of these features are associated with phases of pheromone production and non-production. Examination of the tissue with low temperature scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of excreted droplets at the tips of cuticular hairs in the glandular area during the period of pheromone production.     

Variation in temperature and dietary nitrogen affect performance of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.)

Abstract. . The independent and interactive effects of temperature and dietary nitrogen content on performance of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) were examined. In long-term feeding trials, larvae were reared from egg hatch to pupation on low (1.5%) and high (3.7% dry weight) nitrogen diets, under three temperature regimes. Short-term feeding trials with fourth instars and the same treatments were conducted in order to calculate nutritional indices.
Higher temperatures did not influence larval survival and marginally increased final pupal weights, but strongly decreased long-term development rates. They also accelerated short-term growth and consumption rates, and tended to improve food processing efficiencies. High concentrations of dietary nitrogen increased survival rates and final pupal weights markedly, but decreased long-term development rates only marginally. A high content of dietary nitrogen also accelerated short-term development and growth rates, reduced consumption rates, and improved food digestibility. Insects responded to low nitrogen-content diets primarily by eating faster, rather than by altering efficiency of nitrogen use. In the short-term feeding trials, thermal regime and dietary nitrogen interacted to influence growth rates, overall food processing efficiencies and nitrogen consumption rates. No interactive effects were observed in long-term studies.
This research demonstrates that small changes in thermal regime and ecologically relevant variation in dietary nitrogen content can strongly affect gypsy moth performance. Moreover, various performance parameters are differentially sensitive to the direct and interactive effects of temperature and diet.     

Helicoverpa zea males (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) respond to the intermittent fine structure of their sex pheromone plume and an antagonist in a flight tunnel

Abstract. We investigated the behavioural response of male Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) to the fine-scale structure of an odour plume experimentally modified in a wind tunnel by using an air-pulsing device. Male H. zea flew upwind to pulsed filaments of a binary pheromone blend of (Z)-11-hexadecanal (Z11-16:Ald) and (Z)-9-hexadecanal (Z9-16:Ald) in the ratio of 20:1. Sustained upwind flight in experimentally altered intermittent plumes was dependent on concentration, as well as the frequency of generation of odour filaments. At a loading of 10μg of the major pheromone component, Zll-16:Ald, which gave an emission rate of approximately that released by a female H. zea , sustained upwind flight and source contact correlated positively with filament delivery rate, becoming significant at a minimum filament delivery rate of 2/s. Decreases in upwind progress and source location were recorded at a loading of 1 μg of Z11-16:Ald. At this suboptimal dosage, a high filament generation rate of 10/s was necessary for significant upwind progress and source contact. When an interspecific compound: (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate (Z11-16:OAc), was added to the attractive pheromone binary aldehyde blend of H. zea at a proportion of 10% of the major pheromone component, and pulsed from the same source, there was a significant reduction in sustained upwind progress and source location by males, indicating that Z11-16:OAc is antagonistic to the upwind progress of H. zea. However, Z11-16:OAc was less antagonistic when its filaments were isolated and alternated with pheromone filaments, indicating a strong effect of the synchronous arrival of odour filaments on the antenna needed for antagonism of upwind flight.     

Activity of gut alkaline phosphatase,proteases and esterase in relation to diapause of pharate first instar larvae of the gypsy moth,Lymantria dispar

Two distinctly different patterns of gut enzyme activity were noted in relation to diapause in pharate first instar larvae of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar. Trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase, aminopeptidase and esterase activities were low at the initiation of diapause and through the period of chilling needed to terminate diapause. At the completion of a 150 day chilling period, activity of each of these enzymes quickly increased when the pharate larvae were transferred to 25°C. By contrast, activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) increased rapidly at the onset of diapause, remained elevated throughout diapause, increased again during postdiapause, and then dropped at the time of hatching. In addition, zymogram patterns of ALP activity differed qualitatively in relation to diapause: several bands were detectable during the pre- and postdiapause periods, but only one band, a band of high mobility, was visible during diapause. The ALP isozyme present in diapausing pharate larvae had a pH optimum of 10.6. Diapause in the gypsy moth can be averted by application of an imidazole derivative, KK-42, and pharate larvae treated with KK-42 showed elevated protease and esterase activity, low ALP activity, and expressed ALP isozymes with low mobility. Thus the overall patterns of gut enzyme activity and the ALP zymogram in KK-42 treated individuals were similar to those observed in untreated individuals at the termination of diapause. Our results suggest a unique pattern of enzyme activity in the gut that is regulated by the diapause program. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 37:197–205, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Influence of host plant, foliar phenology and larval dietary history on Lymantria dispar larval nutritional indices

Quantitative nutritional indices were measured in 3rd instar gypsy moths, Lymantria dispar L. Analyses of the main and interactive effects of host plant consumed (oak or pine), foliar phenology (early or late season) and larval dietary history (whether fed artificial diet or foliage as second instars) indicate that larval performance was significantly affected by all three variables tested. Relative Growth Rate (RGR) was higher on oak than pine early in the season, but the reverse occurred one month later, owing largely to the slower Relative Consumption Rate (RCR) of late season oak feeders. Efficiency of Conversion of Digested food (ECD) was depressed in larvae fed pine foliage for two instars compared with those fed oak. The interaction between larval dietary history and foliar phenology produced significant effects on all indices measured. Foliar analyses showed that, as the season progressed, oak had a higher percent dry weight than did pine. On a dry weight basis, pine foliage had significantly less total and protein nitrogen than did oak collected at the same time.

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Résumé Les indices nutritionnels larvaires ont été évalués sur des chenilles de L. dispar L. du troisième stade. L'analyse des effets et des interactions de la nature de la plante consommée (Quercus microcarpa) ou Pinus strobus, de la phénologie foliaire (en début de saison, c'est-à-dire seconde quinzaine de mai, ou en fin de saison, c'est-à-dire à la mi-juin), de l'alimentation antérieure (régime artificiel de germes de blé ou feuillage pendant le second stade) montre que les performances larvaires sont fortement modifiées par ces 3 variables. Le taux de croissance relative (RGR) est plus élevé sur chêne que sur pin en début de saison, mais s'inverse un mois plus tard avec une forte diminution sur chêne. L'efficacité de conversion de l'aliment (ECD) est diminuée sur pin pendant les second et troisième stades. L'interaction entre l'alimentation antérieure et le phénologie foliaire a des effets significatifs sur la digestibilité approchée (AD), sur l'efficacité de la conversion de l'aliment ingéré (ECI), et sur ECD, RCR et RGR.Les analyses foliaires ont montré que, lorsque la saison avance, le poids sec du chêne devient supérieur à celui du pin. En considérant le poids sec, le feuillage de pin contient moins d'aliments et de protéines que le chêne récolté au même moment. La teneur en azote tend à diminuer chez les deux espèces, de 17% pour le pin et 26% pour le chêne.Nous pensons que certains de ces facteurs déterminent la valeur de ces plantes pour L. dispar. Les chenilles âgées peuvent compenser plus ou moins la faible assimilation sur pin par des RCR plus élevés. Le même comportement ne semble pas possible sur chêne, une plus grande quantité de chêne avancé en saison que de feuilles jeunes ne pouvant être consommée pour compenser la diminution de la digestibilité.

     

Male accessory gland substances and the control of sexual receptivity in female Culex tarsalis

ABSTRACT. Homogenates of accessory glands from male Culex tarsalis Coquillet (Diptera; Culicidae) were fractionated using gel filtration column chromatography. A component of low molecular weight capable of suppressing female sexual receptivity was obtained and partially characterized. Proteins present in homogenates of isolated accessory glands formed aggregates with other proteins in extracts of whole mosquitoes. Consequently, previous reports of the molecular weight of biologically active components in homogenates from accessory glands from other mosquito species may be inaccurate.
When female Cx. tarsalis were mated with ³H-leucine labelled males. radioactivity could be found throughout the body of the female 24 h after mating. Autoradiography showed that the radioactivity was incorporated into the cells of various organs, and was not specifically localized in a particular target tissue. Approximately 30% of the total radioactivity transferred to the female was found in the head and thoracic regions, and proteins from the head had a specific activity twice that of the thoracic proteins. Bioassay of isolated body parts from mated and virgin females showed that injections of head tissues from mated females into virgin females suppressed sexual receptivity. These results suggest that the head is involved in the physiological mechanisms resulting in refractory mating behaviour.     

蛾类昆虫雄性信息素及其功能

昆虫性信息素是两性通讯系统的基础,其中雄性信息素的研究相对较少。本文综述了蛾类昆虫雄性信息素的研究进展。迄今已鉴定出40余种蛾类昆虫的雄性信息素,其行为学功能主要有对雌性的引诱和激欲、对同种雄性的抑制及种间隔离等。     

Juvenile hormone regulation of reproduction in the cyclorrhaphous diptera with emphasis on oogenesis

The great diversity seen in the cyclorrhaphous dipterans suggests that it is unlikely that juvenile hormone (JH) plays a common role within the group. The role that JH does play appears to be determined by adult lifestyle and nutritional impact on the neuroendocrine system. Using Phormia regina as a model system, the importance of JH in the reproductive biology of other cyclorrhaphous dipterans are compared. The different JHs found within this group, and the species studied, are presented. The effects of JH on the disappearance of pupal fat body in adults, accessory reproductive gland development, and the ontogeny of sexual behavior are discussed. As for oogenesis, vitellogenin biosynthesis and its uptake are described in more detail. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 35:513–537, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Impact of male mating history on the postmating resumption of sexual receptivity and lifetime reproductive success in Choristoneura rosaceana females

Abstract.  The first objective of the present study is to test the hypothesis that the decrease in the number of eupyrene spermatozoa in the spermatheca is directly associated with the resumption of sexual receptivity in female moths, an aspect that has not been examined in previous studies. The obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana , is used and females mated with previously mated males have a shorter refractory period than those mated with virgins. This difference is associated with a faster rate of movement of sperm from the spermatheca. Overall, the length of the female refractory period coincides with the mean time required for the number of eupyrene sperm in the spermatheca to drop to approximately 3000, regardless of male mating history. Although such a decline in sperm numbers may be a factor responsible for the resumption of sexual receptivity, this is clearly not the only one because more than 40% of females remate even though sperm numbers in the spermatheca are well above this threshold. Virgin males do not vary the mass or the content of their ejaculate as a function of the female's reproductive status and this may increase the risk of sperm competition if the female is previously mated. The second objective of this study is to examine the effect of previous male mating history on female reproductive potential. Females mated with previously mated males have a significantly lower fecundity than those mated with virgin males. However, in all treatments, remating increases both female longevity and lifetime fecundity. There is also a significant effect of female mass on the length of the refractory period and on lifetime fecundity, with large females resuming sexual receptivity sooner and laying more eggs than small ones, regardless of male mating history.     

RNAi分析舞毒蛾谷胱甘肽S-转移酶(GST)基因对黄酮和槲皮素胁迫响应

为了明确舞毒蛾Lymantria dispar谷胱甘肽S-转移酶家族基因对生长发育影响及对次生物质的响应机制,采用RNAi技术分别沉默LdGSTe2、LdGSTs1、LdGSTs2和LdGSTz1基因,分析对舞毒蛾3龄幼虫体重、存活率、营养利用等生理指标的影响以及次生物质黄酮和槲皮素胁迫响应.结果表明,dsRNA可有效抑制LdGSTe2、LdGSTs1、LdGSTs2和LdGSTz1基因表达,分别注射dsLdGSTe2、dsLdGSTs1、dsLdGSTs2和dsLdGSTz1处理组舞毒蛾幼虫的相对生长率、相对取食量、食物利用率、食物转化率均低于对照组,但对幼虫的存活率无影响,表明LdGSTe2、LdGSTs1、LdGSTs2和LdGSTz1影响舞毒蛾幼虫生长发育;次生物质黄酮和槲皮素胁迫下,沉默LdGSTe2、LdGSTs1、LdGSTs2和LdGSTz1后舞毒蛾幼虫存活率显著下降,体重显著降低.沉默LdGSTe2、LdGSTs1、LdGSTs2和LdGSTz1基因对舞毒蛾幼虫的生长发育、食物利用具有抑制作用,同时影响了舞毒蛾幼虫对黄酮和槲皮素的适应能力.     

Effects of moth size on velocity and steering during upwind flight toward a sex pheromone source byLymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae)

Free-flying male gypsy moths (Lymantria dispar)head upwind in response to sex pheromone. Males typically fly in a zigzag path, with mean ground speeds modulated by pheromone concentration and ambient temperature, but not by wind speed. We studied the effect of male size on ground speeds and additional flight track parameters. Mean net ground speed along the wind line was fastest among large males and was slower in medium and small males. Similarly, mean airspeeds and ground speeds along the flight tracks increased from small to large males. Males from all three size classes steered similar mean course angles. Small males, however, had larger mean track angles than larger males, and mean drift angles were also larger for small males. Turning rates (frequency of turns across the wind line) and interturn distances (net crosswind displacement between turn apices) were not significantly different among the three size classes; however, large males had a trend toward a reduced mean turning rate and increased mean interturn distance. The steering of similar course angles by males from all three size classes and the higher airspeeds among larger males (the two variables males can actively control during free flight) suggest that changes in other flight parameters are a result primarily of increased ground speed among large males.     

Variation in the ability of larvae of phytophagous insects to develop on evolutionarily unfamiliar plants: a study with gypsy moth Lymantria dispar and Eucalyptus

• 1 By examining variation in the abilities of polyphagous insects to develop on host plants with secondary metabolites that they have never encountered previously, we may be able to gain some insights into the nature of evolution of biochemical mechanisms to process plant secondary metabolites by phytophagous insects.
• 2 The present study aimed to examine variation in the ability of gypsy moth larvae Lymantria dispar (Lymantriidae) to complete development on different species of the plant genus Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae). Leaves of at least some Eucalyptus species contain formylated phloroglucinol derivatives. These are secondary metabolites that are evolutionarily unfamiliar to the gypsy moth.
• 3 Larvae of gypsy moth showed extremely variable responses in larval performance between Eucalyptus species, between individual trees within host plant species, between moth populations, and between individuals within moth populations.
• 4 Larval survivorship was in the range 0–94%, depending on the host. Failure of at least some larvae to complete development on some Eucalyptus species indicates that gypsy moth larvae have a limited ability to process secondary metabolites in eucalypt leaves.
• 5 At least some individuals, however, appear to already possess biochemical mechanisms that process the secondary metabolites in leaves of Eucalyptus species, and therefore the abilities of larvae to complete development on phylogenetically and chemically unfamiliar hosts are already present before the gypsy moth encounters these potential hosts.

     

Development of an in vitro assay for prothoracicotropic hormone of the gypsy moth,Lymantria dispar (L.) following studies on identification,titers and synthesis of ecdysteroids in last-instar females

Summary Hemolymph ecdysteroid titers and in vitro prothoracic gland ecdysteroid synthesis have been examined in last-instar larval (5th instar) females of Lymantria dispar. Ecdysteroids were quantified by radioimmunoassay and characterized by co-elution with known standards of ecdysteroids on reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Analysis of hemolymph yielded ecdysone and 20-OH-ecdysone in ratios of 1:1 (day 6, shortly after attainment of maximum weight) and 1:28 (day 10, molting peak). Analysis of in vitro culture media from glands challenged with extracts of brains or retrocerebral complexes, or left unchallenged, revealed only immunoreactive material co-eluting with a known standard of ecdysone. Time-course studies of in vitro prothoracic gland ecdysone secretion demonstrated a major peak on day 10, 1–2 days prior to pupal ecdysis, and a small elevation on days 5–6. On days 5 and 6, 2.29±0.41 and 2.65±0.72 ng ecdysone per gland, respectively, were secreted in 6-h cultures. On day 10, 25.69±4.36 ng was secreted in 6-h culture. The ability of prothoracic glands of various ages to respond to brain extracts containing prothoracicotropic hormone activity was tested by determining an activation ratio for each day of the instar. The activation ratio was determined over a 90-min period by dividing the amount of ecdysone secreted by one member of a pair of prothoracic glands in the presence of brain extract by that of its contralateral control gland in Grace's medium. Prior to the addition of brain extract, the activity of the glands was allowed to subside to basal level for 180 min in Grace's medium. The activition ratio was highest on days 3–7 and fell throughout the remainder of the instar as the inherent ability of the prothoracic gland to maintain high levels of ecdysteroid synthesis in vitro in the absence of prothoracicotropic hormone increased. A two-phase in vitro assay for prothoracicotropic hormone was established using activition ratios. This assay showed saturable doseresponse kinetics for prothoracic gland ecdysone secretion and specificity to extracts prepared from brain or retrocerebral complexes. A comparable assay for prothoracicotropic hormone purification, based on net synthesis and requiring half the number of prothoracic glands was also established.Abbreviations A _r activation ratio - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - HPSEC high performance size-exclusion chromatography - PG prothoracic gland - PTTH prothoracicotropic hormone - RIA radioimmunoassay     

An analysis of anemotactic flight in female moths stimulated by host odour and comparison with the males' response to sex pheromone

ABSTRACT. The flight pattern of mated female navel orangeworm moths, Amyelois transitella (Walker), responding to odour from potential larval hosts is zigzagging upwind flight. However, at times these moths are capable of flying nearly directly upwind towards the odour source (track angles near 0). This response indicates that these females are capable of very accurate anemotactic control of their heading or course angle, since small angular errors in this measure would translate into larger deviations from direct upwind flight. Males of this species exhibit flight patterns similar to those of females, including track angles clustered about 0 when flying upwind to a source of the female-produced pheromone, but under these experimental conditions they flew with a higher average airspeed than the females. When females lose contact with an odour plume they initiate a well-defined programme of cross-wind counterturning or casting, which may normally increase their chances of retrieving contact with that plume when the wind direction shifts. The resultant track angles of females increase significantly by 0.8 s after plume loss, indicating that the female has initiated changes in both her course angle and airspeed. By 1 s after plume loss the females' track angles are no longer unimodally distributed about 0, but are bimodally distributed about -90 and +90. Males responded more rapidly to the loss of a pheromone plume, demonstrating a significant change in track angle 0.4 s after plume loss. Overall, female and male A.transitella exhibited remarkably similar anemotactic flight manoeuvres during upwind flight to odour sources as well as after plume loss.     

棉铃虫和烟青虫性信息素腺体脂肪醇和乙酸酯转化的比较研究

棉铃虫Helicoverpa armigera和烟青虫H. assulta属于可同域发生的近缘种昆虫,通过产生比例相反的两种性信息素化合物——顺9-十六碳烯醛和顺11-十六碳烯醛维持种间生殖隔离。本研究应用外源不饱和脂肪醇及乙酸酯在棉铃虫和烟青虫性信息素腺体进行在体转化,利用气相色谱法分析转化产物,从酶学角度探讨了上述两近缘种昆虫性信息素腺体组分差异的形成原因。实验结果表明,两种昆虫信息素腺体表皮伯醇氧化酶对外源顺9-十六碳烯醇、顺11-十六碳烯醇和反10-十六碳烯醇无催化专一性,说明末端氧化过程对于醛类性信息素组分特定比例的形成不起作用。棉铃虫性信息素腺体组织具有较高的乙酸酯酶活性,可水解外源乙酸酯,但烟青虫性信息素腺体乙酸酯酶活性很低。这些发现对于进一步了解两种昆虫的生殖隔离机制有重要参考价值。