Do age and mating status affect olfactory response of the parasitoid, Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) to host-related plant odors?
F1000Res
; 7: 1817, 2018.
Article
de En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30581554
ABSTRACT
Background:
Parasitic wasps (parasitoids) use volatile organic compounds released by herbivore-infested plants to locate their hosts. Response of parasitoids to plant odors may be plastic and dependent on their physiological state. Using Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera Braconidae), a relatively specialized larval endoparasitoid of Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera Noctuidae), we asked whether age and mating status of parasitoids affect their olfactory response to host-related odors.Methods:
Four odor stimuli of varying complexity were selected based on previous reports of parasitoid response to cotton volatiles cis-3-hexenol (a green leaf volatile), α-pinene (a constitutive monoterpene), a 50/50 v/v binary mixture ( cis-3-hexenol + α-pinene), and H. virescens-infested cotton odors. Female M. croceipes used in Y-tube olfactometer bioassays were either mated or unmated, and grouped 1-3, 4-6, and 7-9 d-old. Female parasitoids used in electroantennogram (EAG) recording were mated and grouped 1-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 d-old.Results:
In Y-tube olfactometer bioassays, neither age nor mating status played a major role in the attraction of parasitoids to test odor stimuli, with two exceptions 4-6 d-old mated parasitoids showed attraction to the binary mixture, and 1-3 d-old mated parasitoids showed attraction to H. virescens-infested cotton. Age did not affect EAG response of parasitoids to test stimuli.Conclusions:
The present results suggest that age and mating status do not play a major role in modulating olfactory responses of M. croceipes to host-related plant odors. Instead, plasticity of olfactory response may be limited in M. croceipes due to strong innate sensitivity to host-related odor cues.
Texte intégral:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Base de données:
MEDLINE
Langue:
En
Journal:
F1000Res
Année:
2018
Type de document:
Article
Pays d'affiliation:
États-Unis d'Amérique