Effect of post‐teneral diets on the performance of sterileAnastrepha ludensandAnastrepha obliquafruit flies

Abstract

The effect of post‐teneral diets on the mating performance, pheromone production and longevity of sterile Anastrepha ludens and Anastrepha obliqua fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) was investigated. Enriched pre‐release diets improved male mating performance. Wild and sterile males fed on mango and orange fruits achieved the greatest copulatory success, followed by those fed on a 3 : 1 sugar : yeast (SY) diet. Males fed only on a sugar diet achieved the lowest number of matings. The mean numbers of copulas achieved by wild males were significantly higher than those by sterile males fed on a sugar‐only diet, while there were no significant differences between wild males and sterile males fed on yeast diets. There was a trend of reduced mean number of copulas as the proportion of yeast was reduced in the diet, but differences were not significant. Pre‐release diets had a significant effect on pheromone production. Males fed on a 3 : 1 SY diet produced the greatest amount of the three main pheromone components in A. ludens males and two major components in A. obliqua males, followed by males fed on fruits or pasteurized fruit juice. Males fed on a sugar only diet produced the lowest amounts. The longevity response to post‐teneral diets was complex. The most yeast‐rich diet and the poorest diet (sugar only) resulted in the lowest life expectancies. Flies fed on 24 : 1 SY diets showed the highest life expectancies for both males and females of the two species. Considering the tradeoffs between mating performance and longevity, the 24 : 1 SY diet would be recommended for programmes integrating the sterile insect technique, but the effects of these diets on field survival and dispersal still need to be investigated.

Diet-Mediated Pheromones and Signature Mixtures Can Enforce Signal Reliability

“…First, pheromone output might be influenced by diet quality and the accumulation of specific macro (South et al, 2011) or micro (Kopena et al, 2014) nutrients. In these cases, individuals consuming a high quality diet typically increase pheromone output, leading to a more conspicuous, and/or attractive signal (Liedo et al, 2013). Second, components of the pheromone that cannot be synthesized entirely de novo might be sequestered from dietary sources and then transformed, or directly incorporated into the pheromone (Blaul et al, 2014).…”

“…Numerous studies demonstrate a role of diet quality for mate assessment pheromones across a wide range of taxa, including insects (Shelly et al, 2007;South et al, 2011;Fedina et al, 2012;Weddle et al, 2012;Liedo et al, 2013); mammals (Ferkin et al, 1997;Havlicek and Lenchova, 2006); reptiles (Kopena et al, 2011(Kopena et al, , 2014Chouinard, 2012); arachnids (Cross et al, 2009;Baruffaldi and Andrade, 2015); and fish (Giaquinto, 2010;Giaquinto et al, 2010;Hayward and Gillooly, 2011 ; Table 1). Nonetheless, comprehensive studies that include both behavioral and chemical assays are largely limited to insect systems.…”

“…In some cases this appears to decrease the reliability of the signal (Vonshak et al, 2009), causing the receiver to respond in a way that may be detrimental to both the signaller and the receiver. Nevertheless, in most cases, dietarymediated signals appear to provide the receiver with information about the signaller, eliciting a beneficial behavioral response from the receiver (Martín and López, 2006;South et al, 2011;Liedo et al, 2013).…”

Tapachula-7, a New Genetic Sexing Strain of the Mexican Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae): Sexual Compatibility and Competitiveness

“…On the day of emergence, adults were separated by categories (males from the Tap-7 strain, females from the bisexual strain, wild males, and wild females) and confined in similar cages, each 1 containing 100 individuals. Adults were fed sugar with hydrolyzed protein (MP Biomedicals, LLC, Santa Ana, California) at a ratio of 24:1 (Liedo et al 2013). Flies were kept under laboratory conditions at 24.0 °C ± 1.5, 70.5 ± 10.0% relative humidity with fluorescent light for 12 hr (850 ± 110 lux, 7 AM to 7 PM) followed by 12 hr of darkness.…”

Adding guarana powder to medfly diets: an alternative for improving the Sterile Insect Technique

“…In addition to aromatherapy, providing food supplements during the adult stage has also shown promising results. Liedo et al, (2010), for example, demonstrated that both wild and sterile A. obliqua males fed with mangoes and oranges showed greater mating success than flies fed on normal diets (yeast + sugar). Pérez-Staples et al, (2009) found that sterile males of Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) that fed on yeast hydrolysate for a brief period were as competitive as wild males.…”