Courtship and mating behaviour in the fruit fly parasitoid Psyttalia concolor (Szépligeti) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): the role of wing fanning

Maize seedlings emit sesquiterpenes during the day in response to insect herbivory. Parasitoids and predators use induced volatile blends to find their hosts or prey. To investigate the diurnal regulation of biosynthesis and emission of induced sesquiterpenes, we applied linolenoyl-L-glutamine (LG) to maize seedlings in the morning or evening using a cut-stem assay and tracked farnesene emission, in planta accumulation, as well as transcript levels of farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase 3 (ZmFPPS3) and terpene synthase10 (ZmTPS10) throughout the following day. Independent of time of day of LG treatment, maximum transcript levels of ZmFPPS3 and ZmTPS10 occurred within 3-4 h after elicitor application. The similarity between the patterns of farnesene emission and in planta accumulation in light-exposed seedlings in both time courses suggested unobstructed emission in the light. After evening induction, farnesene biosynthesis increased dramatically during early morning hours. Contrary to light-exposed seedlings dark-kept seedlings retained the majority of the synthesized farnesene. Two treatments to reduce stomatal aperture, dark exposure at midday, and abscisic acid treatment before daybreak, resulted in significantly reduced amounts of emitted and significantly increased amounts of in planta accumulating farnesene. Our results suggest that stomata not only play an important role in gas exchange for primary metabolism but also for indirect plant defences.

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“…; Benelli et al . ). Hence a circadian regulation of attractive volatile signals fits this postulate.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Emission of herbivore elicitor‐induced sesquiterpenes is regulated by stomatal aperture in maize (Zea mays) seedlings

Seidl-Adams

Richter

Boomer

et al. 2014

Plant Cell & Environment

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“…The wing-beat frequency during courtship displays has been examined photographically [33] and acoustically [17] for the braconid, Psyttalia concolor ; however, these studies did not relate wing movement directly to sound generation. For typical wing sound production, including Drosophila spp., acoustic pressure is proportional to velocity [34].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization and Generation of Male Courtship Song in Cotesia congregata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

et al. 2013

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BackgroundMale parasitic wasps attract females with a courtship song produced by rapid wing fanning. Songs have been described for several parasitic wasp species; however, beyond association with wing fanning, the mechanism of sound generation has not been examined. We characterized the male courtship song of Cotesia congregata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and investigated the biomechanics of sound production.Methods and Principal FindingsCourtship songs were recorded using high-speed videography (2,000 fps) and audio recordings. The song consists of a long duration amplitude-modulated “buzz” followed by a series of pulsatile higher amplitude “boings,” each decaying into a terminal buzz followed by a short inter-boing pause while wings are stationary. Boings have higher amplitude and lower frequency than buzz components. The lower frequency of the boing sound is due to greater wing displacement. The power spectrum is a harmonic series dominated by wing repetition rate ∼220 Hz, but the sound waveform indicates a higher frequency resonance ∼5 kHz. Sound is not generated by the wings contacting each other, the substrate, or the abdomen. The abdomen is elevated during the first several wing cycles of the boing, but its position is unrelated to sound amplitude. Unlike most sounds generated by volume velocity, the boing is generated at the termination of the wing down stroke when displacement is maximal and wing velocity is zero. Calculation indicates a low Reynolds number of ∼1000.Conclusions and SignificanceAcoustic pressure is proportional to velocity for typical sound sources. Our finding that the boing sound was generated at maximal wing displacement coincident with cessation of wing motion indicates that it is caused by acceleration of the wing tips, consistent with a dipole source. The low Reynolds number requires a high wing flap rate for flight and predisposes wings of small insects for sound production.

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“…Cicadella viridis adults (Fig.1) (Benelli et al, 2012a;Benelli et al, 2012b;Benelli et al, 2013). Sequential images from each jump were captured at a rate of 8000framess -1 with an exposure time of 0.125ms.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The green leafhopper,Cicadella viridis(Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Cicadellidae), jumps with near-constant acceleration

Bonsignori

Stefanini

Scarfogliero

et al. 2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY Jumping insects develop accelerations that can greatly exceed gravitational acceleration. Although several species have been analysed using different tools, ranging from a purely physical to a morpho-physiological approach, instantaneous dynamic and kinematic data concerning the jumping motion are lacking. This is mainly due to the difficulty in observing in detail events that occur in a few milliseconds. In this study, the behaviour of the green leafhopper, Cicadella viridis, was investigated during the take-off phase of the jump, through high-speed video recordings (8000 frames s−1). We demonstrate that C. viridis is able to maintain fairly constant acceleration during overall leg elongation. The force exerted at the foot–ground interface is nearly constant and differs from the force expected from other typical motion models. A biomechanical model was used to highlight that this ability relies on the morphology of C. viridis hind legs, which act as a motion converter with a variable transmission ratio and use the time-dependent musculo-elastic force to generate a nearly constant thrust at the body–ground interface. This modulation mechanism minimizes the risk of breaking the substrate thanks to the absence of force peaks. The results of this study are of broad relevance in different research fields ranging from biomechanics to robotics.

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Courtship and mating behaviour in the fruit fly parasitoid Psyttalia concolor (Szépligeti) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): the role of wing fanning

Cited by 48 publications

References 33 publications

Emission of herbivore elicitor‐induced sesquiterpenes is regulated by stomatal aperture in maize (Zea mays) seedlings

Emission of herbivore elicitor‐induced sesquiterpenes is regulated by stomatal aperture in maize (Zea mays) seedlings

Characterization and Generation of Male Courtship Song in Cotesia congregata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

The green leafhopper,Cicadella viridis(Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Cicadellidae), jumps with near-constant acceleration

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