Oleoresin chemistry mediates oviposition behavior and fecundity of a tree-killing bark beetle.

Many herbivores are sensitive to the secondary chemistry of their host plants. However, the influence of pine secondary chemicals (monoterpenes) on bark beetle fitness is poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that the monoterpene composition of the phloem oleoresin of ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa var scopulorum, mediates rates of host acceptance, oviposition behavior, and fecundity of the western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis. We performed reciprocal rearing experiments, controlling for the monoterpene composition (chemotype) of host material. We tested the effects of two geographically interspersed host chemotypes on beetles with unknown (wild) and known (reared F(1)) chemical histories. Host chemotype and insect chemical history did not affect rates of acceptance of host material by female beetles. Insect chemical history affected egg gallery construction, and beetles constructed egg galleries that were on average 24.3% longer when reared in host material that was chemically similar to their natal host material. However, mean egg gallery lengths did not differ between host chemotypes. Insect chemical history also influenced fecundity: F(1) beetles produced 52.7% more offspring on average when reared in host material that was chemically similar to their natal host. Our experiments demonstrate that the chemical history of bark beetles mediates egg gallery construction and fecundity, but not host acceptance. This implicates chemical history as a more important factor than host chemotype in the oviposition behavior and fecundity of D. brevicomis.

Towards Coleoptera-specific high-throughput screening systems for compounds with ecdysone activity: development of EcR reporter assays using weevil (Anthonomus grandis)-derived cell lines and in silico analysis of ligand binding to A. grandis EcR ligand-binding pocket.

Molting in insects is regulated by ecdysteroids and juvenile hormones. Several synthetic non-steroidal ecdysone agonists are on the market as insecticides. These ecdysone agonists are dibenzoylhydrazine (DBH) analogue compounds that manifest their toxicity via interaction with the ecdysone receptor (EcR). Of the four commercial available ecdysone agonists, three (tebufenozide, methoxyfenozide and chromafenozide) are highly lepidopteran specific, one (halofenozide) is used to control coleopteran and lepidopteran insects in turf and ornamentals. However, compared to the very high binding affinity of these DBH analogues to lepidopteran EcRs, halofenozide has a low binding affinity for coleopteran EcRs. For the discovery of ecdysone agonists that target non-lepidopteran insect groups, efficient screening systems that are based on the activation of the EcR are needed. We report here the development and evaluation of two coleopteran-specific reporter-based screening systems to discover and evaluate ecdysone agonists. The screening systems are based on the cell lines BRL-AG-3A and BRL-AG-3C that are derived from the weevil Anthonomus grandis, which can be efficiently transduced with an EcR reporter cassette for evaluation of induction of reporter activity by ecdysone agonists. We also cloned the almost full length coding sequence of EcR expressed in the cell line BRL-AG-3C and used it to make an initial in silico 3D-model of its ligand-binding pocket docked with ponasterone A and tebufenozide.

Extensive natural intraspecific variation in stoichiometric (C:N:p) composition in two terrestrial insect species.

Heterotrophic organisms must obtain essential elements in sufficient quantities from their food. Because plants naturally exhibit extensive variation in their elemental content, it is important to quantify the within-species stoichiometric variation of consumers. If extensive stoichiometric variation exists, it may help explain consumer variation in life-history strategy and fitness. To date, however, research on stoichiometric variation has focused on interspecific differences and assumed minimal intraspecific differences. Here this assumption is tested. Natural variation is quantified in body stoichiometry of two terrestrial insects: the generalist field cricket, Gryllus texensis Cade and Otte (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) and a specialist curculionid weevil, Sabinia setosa (Le Conte) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Both species exhibited extensive intraspecific stoichiometric variation. Cricket body nitrogen content ranged from 8-12% and there was a four-fold difference in body phosphorus content, ranging from 0.32-1.27%. Body size explained half this stoichiometric variation, with larger individuals containing less nitrogen and phosphorus. Weevils exhibited an almost three-fold difference in body phosphorus content, ranging from 0.38-0.97%. Overall, the variation observed within each of these species is comparable to the variation previously observed across almost all terrestrial insect species.

A microfluorometric method for quantifying RNA and DNA in terrestrial insects.

Evidence is accumulating for a mechanistic linkage between body phosphorus content and growth and reproduction of individual organisms, due in part to variation in allocation of resources to ribosomal RNA. Testing this connection requires reliable methods of quantifying the nucleic acid content of individual organisms. Although methods for quantifying nucleic acids are available for a wide array of organisms, adaptation of such methods for study of insects has been neglected. Sensitive stains and high throughput fluorometric measurements are now available that substantially improve past methodologies. Here we present methods for the extraction and quantification of insect RNA and DNA based on the use of N-lauroylsarcosine and sonication for extraction, the nucleases RNase and DNase, and the use of microplate fluorescent assays to quantify nucleic acids as percent of body weight in insects. We illustrate the method using Drosophila and curculionid weevils.