Behavioral responses of maleHeliothis virescens in a sustained-flight tunnel to combinations of seven compounds identified from female sex pheromone glands

Vetter, Richard S.; Baker, Thomas C.

doi:10.1007/bf00988780

Cited by 97 publications

(93 citation statements)

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“…The female sex pheromone of this species consists of (Z)-11-hexadecenal (Z11-16:Ald) as the critical major component and (Z)-9-tetradecenal (Z9-14:Ald) as the critical secondary component [42]. These two components are essential to attract H. virescens males [42][43][44]. Additional compounds in the pheromone gland are tetradecanal (14:Ald), hexadecanal (16:Ald), (Z)-7-hexadecenal (Z7-16:Ald), (Z)-9-hexadecenal (Z9-16:Ald) and (Z)-11-hexadecen-1-ol (Z11-16:OH) [42][43][44].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These two components are essential to attract H. virescens males [42][43][44]. Additional compounds in the pheromone gland are tetradecanal (14:Ald), hexadecanal (16:Ald), (Z)-7-hexadecenal (Z7-16:Ald), (Z)-9-hexadecenal (Z9-16:Ald) and (Z)-11-hexadecen-1-ol (Z11-16:OH) [42][43][44]. Previous studies all report Z11-16:Ald as the most abundant component, while the abundance of its saturated counterpart 16:Ald normally is only 8-46% of that of Z11-16:Ald on average (see the electronic supplementary materials and methods and table S1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Within-population variability in a moth sex pheromone blend: genetic basis and behavioural consequences

et al. 2014

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Evolutionary diversification of sexual communication systems in moths is perplexing because signal and response are under stabilizing selection in many species, and this is expected to constrain evolutionary change. In the moth Heliothis virescens, we consistently found high phenotypic variability in the female sex pheromone blend within each of four geographically distant populations. Here, we assess the heritability, genetic basis and behavioural consequences of this variation. Artificial selection with field-collected moths dramatically increased the relative amount of the saturated compound 16:Ald and decreased its unsaturated counterpart Z11-16:Ald, the major sex pheromone component (high line). In a cross between the high-and low-selected lines, one quantitative trait locus (QTL) explained 11-21% of the phenotypic variance in the 16:Ald/Z11-16:Ald ratio. Because changes in activity of desaturase enzymes could affect this ratio, we measured their expression levels in pheromone glands and mapped desaturase genes onto our linkage map. A delta-11-desaturase had lower expression in females producing less Z11-16:Ald; however, this gene mapped to a different chromosome than the QTL. A model in which the QTL is a trans-acting repressor of delta-11 desaturase expression explains many features of the data. Selection favouring heterozygotes which produce more unsaturated components could maintain a polymorphism at this locus.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Within-population variability in a moth sex pheromone blend: genetic basis and behavioural consequences

et al. 2014

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“…Hv males must perceive Z11-16:Ald and Z9-14:Ald to maintain flight toward a pheromone source in a wind tunnel (31). The presence of Z11-16:Ald is also critical for Hs, but these males do not respond to Z9-14:Ald at normal concentrations in pheromone blends.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Of 90 Hs-BC males presented with this blend in a wind tunnel, 36 flew at least halfway toward the pheromone source, suggesting that these males had inherited an Hv chromosome with gene(s) for response to Z9-14: Ald. In a smaller experiment, Hv-BC males were tested for flight toward a blend with Z11-16:Ald, Z9-16:Ald, and Z11-16:OH, in a 1.0:0.5:0.1 ratio, which is attractive to F 1 males but not to Hv males (31,42). Fifteen of 28 males flew at least halfway to the pheromone source, suggesting that they had inherited Hs gene(s) for response to the Z9-16:Ald.…”

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confidence: 99%

Sexual isolation of male moths explained by a single pheromone response QTL containing four receptor genes

Estock

Hillier

Powell

et al. 2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Long distance sexual communication in moths has fascinated biologists because of the complex, precise female pheromone signals and the extreme sensitivity of males to specific pheromone molecules. Progress has been made in identifying some genes involved in female pheromone production and in male response. However, we have lacked information on the genetic changes involved in evolutionary diversification of these mate-finding mechanisms that is critical to understanding speciation in moths and other taxa. We used a combined quantitative trait locus (QTL) and candidate gene approach to determine the genetic architecture of sexual isolation in males of two congeneric moths, Heliothis subflexa and Heliothis virescens. We report behavioral and neurophysiological evidence that differential male responses to three female-produced chemicals (Z9-14:Ald, Z9-16:Ald, Z11-16:OAc) that maintain sexual isolation of these species are all controlled by a single QTL containing at least four odorant receptor genes. It is not surprising that pheromone receptor differences could control H. subflexa and H. virescens responses to Z9-16:Ald and Z9-14:Ald, respectively. However, central rather than peripheral level control over the positive and negative responses of H. subflexa and H. virescens to Z11-16:OAc had been expected. Tight linkage of these receptor genes indicates that mutations altering male response to complex blends could be maintained in linkage disequilibrium and could affect the speciation process.Other candidate genes such as those coding for pheromone binding proteins did not map to this QTL, but there was some genetic evidence of a QTL for response to Z11-16:OH associated with a sensory neuron membrane protein gene.mating | speciation | AFLP | odorant receptor | Heliothis E volutionary diversification of sexual communication traits remains paradoxical (1, 2) because signal production and signal reception are under independent genetic control, and a mutation causing an alteration in one component of the system is predicted to reduce efficiency of communication and to cause a loss of fitness. The resulting stabilizing selection is expected to promote evolutionary stasis, not diversification (3-5). Systems in which changes in signals and responses are governed by the same genetic alterations (i.e., pleiotropy) should be less evolutionarily constrained in many cases (6), and studies of mating communication have revealed a few systems that appear to have this property (7-9). However, no pleiotropy has been found between signal production and response in moths (e.g., 5, 10). Because female and male moths with divergent signals and responses appear to be selected against (11, 12), we have no simple explanation for the great diversity of moths (∼180,000 species) and moth pheromones (5,13,14).Beyond capturing the attention of evolutionary biologists, the diversity of long distance, pheromone-based sexual communication traits in moths has become a focus of some molecular biologists, biochemists, neurophysiologists, and communi...

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“…Z11-16:Ald is the most abundant sex pheromone component in both species and it is essential for attraction in both species. Z9-14:Ald is also essential for attraction of Hv males, although this component occurs at only ∼5% of the amount of Z11-16:Ald in Hv pheromone glands (Roelofs et al, 1974;Tumlinson et al, 1975Tumlinson et al, , 1982Vetter and Baker, 1983;Ramaswamy et al, 1985;Teal et al, 1986;Vickers and Baker, 1997). Hs males are only attracted when both Z9-16:Ald and Z11-16:OH are present in addition to Z11-16:Ald (Teal et al, 1981;Vickers and Baker, 1997;Vickers 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introgressing Pheromone QTL Between Species: Towards an Evolutionary Understanding of Differentiation in Sexual Communication

et al. 2004

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Abstract-As a first step toward understanding how noctuid moths evolve species-specific pheromone communication systems, we hybridized and backcrossed two closely related moth species, Heliothis virescens (Hv) and H. subflexa (Hs), which differ qualitatively and quantitatively in their multicomponent sex pheromone blends. We used amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) marker-based mapping of backcross families to determine which of the 30 autosomes in these moths contained quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling the percentages of specific chemical components in the pheromone blends. In two previous backcrosses to Hs, we found a strong depressive effect of Hv-chromosome 22 on the percentage of three acetate components in the pheromone gland. These acetates are present in Hs and absent in Hv. Here, we describe how we introgressed Hv-chromosome 22 into the genomic background of Hs. Selection for Hv-chromosome 22 started from backcross 3 (BC 3 ) females. All females that had Hv-chromosome 22 and a low percentage of acetates (<3% of the total amount of pheromone components present) were backcrossed to Hs males. In BC 5 to BC 8 , we determined whether Hvchromosome 22 was present by a) running only the primer pairs that would yield the markers for that chromosome, and/or b) determining the relative percentages of acetates in the pheromone glands. Either or both genotype and phenotype were used as a criterion to continue to backcross these females to Hs males. In BC 9 , we confirmed the isolation of Hv-chromosome 22 in the Hs genomic background, and backcrossed the males to Hs females to eliminate the Hv-sex chromosome as well as mitochondrial DNA. The pheromone composition was determined in BC 3 , BC 5 , and BC 11 females with and without * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: astrid groot@ncsu.edu Hv-chromosome 22. All backcross females with Hv-chromosome 22 contained significantly less acetates than females without this chromosome. In addition, BC 3 females with Hv-chromosome 22 contained significantly more Z11-16:OH than BC 3 females without Hv-chromosome 22. However, in BC 5 and BC 11 females, the correlation between Z11-16:OH and Hv-chromosome 22 was lost, suggesting that there are separate QTL for the acetates and for Z11-16:OH, and that the relative amount of the alcohol component is only affected in epistasis with other (minor) QTL. Now that we have succeeded in isolating the chromosome that has a major effect on acetate production, we can test in behavioral experiments whether the presence of acetates may have been a driving force for a shift in pheromone composition. Such tests are necessary to move towards an evolutionary understanding of the differentiation in sexual communication in Heliothis spp. moths.

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Behavioral responses of maleHeliothis virescens in a sustained-flight tunnel to combinations of seven compounds identified from female sex pheromone glands

Cited by 97 publications

References 10 publications

Within-population variability in a moth sex pheromone blend: genetic basis and behavioural consequences

Within-population variability in a moth sex pheromone blend: genetic basis and behavioural consequences

Sexual isolation of male moths explained by a single pheromone response QTL containing four receptor genes

Introgressing Pheromone QTL Between Species: Towards an Evolutionary Understanding of Differentiation in Sexual Communication

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