Role of Cuticular Hydrocarbons in German Cockroach (Blattodea: Ectobiidae) Aggregation Behavior

Hamilton, Jamora A; Wada‐Katsumata, Ayako; Schal, Coby

doi:10.1093/ee/nvz044

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The majority of the investigated cockroach species are gregarious, living in groups for long periods with few individuals dispersing to distant areas [46,47]. Recognition of their own group is mediated through chemical cues emitted directly from the cockroaches and from organic materials deposited on or near the refugium, like volatiles from faeces and associated microbes [44], and contact metabolites, like CHCs (but see Hamilton et al [17]). We hypothesize that as faeces royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb Proc.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…CHCs are species-specific blends of aliphatic chains that cover the entire insect body surface [13,14] and serve multiple functions, including as pheromones [15,16]. Insect CHCs are also ingested during grooming behaviour, and defecated, thus accumulating on resting sites, such as shelters [17]. The process of CHC degradation is similar to rancidification of lipids in food [18] and skin [19], cleaving the double bonds in unsaturated CHCs into short-chain VOCs, such as aldehydes, ketones and fatty acids.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental decomposition of olefinic cuticular hydrocarbons of Periplaneta americana generates a volatile pheromone that guides social behaviour

2020

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Once emitted, semiochemicals are exposed to reactive environmental factors that may alter them, thus disrupting chemical communication. Some species, however, might have adapted to detect environmentally mediated breakdown products of their natural chemicals as semiochemicals. We demonstrate that air, water vapour and ultraviolet (UV) radiation break down unsaturated cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) of Periplaneta americana (American cockroach), resulting in the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In behavioural assays, nymphs strongly avoided aggregating in shelters exposed to the breakdown VOCs from cuticular alkenes. The three treatments (air, water vapour, UV) produced the same VOCs, but at different time-courses and ratios. Fourteen VOCs from UV-exposed CHCs elicited electrophysiological responses in nymph antennae; 10 were identified as 2-nonanone, 1-pentanol, 1-octanol, 1-nonanol, tetradecanal, acetic acid, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, pentanoic acid and hexanoic acid. When short-chain fatty acids were tested as a mix and a blend of the alcohols and aldehyde was tested as a second mix, nymphs exhibited no preference for control or treated shelters. However, nymphs avoided shelters that were exposed to VOCs from the complete 10-compound mix. Conditioned shelters (occupied by cockroaches with faeces and CHCs deposited on the shelters), which are normally highly attractive to nymphs, were also avoided after UV exposure, confirming that breakdown products from deposited metabolites, including CHCs, mediate this behaviour. Our results demonstrate that common environmental agents degrade CHCs into behaviourally active volatile compounds that potentially may serve as necromones or epideictic pheromones, mediating group dissolution.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental decomposition of olefinic cuticular hydrocarbons of Periplaneta americana generates a volatile pheromone that guides social behaviour

2020

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“…The majority of the investigated cockroach species are gregarious, living in groups for long periods with few individuals dispersing to distant areas (41, 42). Recognition of their own group is mediated through chemical cues emitted directly from the cockroaches and from organic materials deposited on or near the refugium, like volatiles from feces and associated microbes (39), and contact metabolites, like CHCs (but see Hamilton et al (17)). We hypothesize that as feces and CHCs accumulate on shelters and react with environmental factors, VOCs signal colony conditions, such as size, demographic composition and health.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…CHCs are species-specific blends of aliphatic chains that cover the entire insect body surface (13, 14) and serve multiple functions, including as pheromones (15, 16). Insect CHCs are also ingested during grooming behavior, and defecated, thus accumulating on resting sites, such as shelters (17). The process of CHC degradation is similar to rancidification of lipids in food (18) and skin (19), cleaving the double-bonds in unsaturated CHCs into short-chain VOCs, such as aldehydes, ketones and fatty acids.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental decomposition of cuticular hydrocarbons generates a volatile pheromone that guides insect social behavior

Hatano

Wada‐Katsumata

Schal

2019

Preprint

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28Once emitted, semiochemicals are exposed to reactive environmental factors that may alter them, 29 thus disrupting chemical communication. Some species, however, might have adapted to detect 30 environmentally mediated breakdown products of their natural chemicals as semiochemicals. We 31 demonstrate that air, water vapor, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation break down unsaturated cuticular 32 hydrocarbons (CHCs) of Periplaneta americana (American cockroach), resulting in the emission of 33 volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In behavioral assays, nymphs strongly avoided aggregating in 34 shelters exposed to the breakdown VOCs from cuticular alkenes. The three treatments (air, water 35 vapor, UV) produced the same VOCs, but at different time-courses and ratios. Fourteen VOCs from 36 UV-exposed CHCs elicited electrophysiological responses in nymph antennae; 10 were identified as 37 1-pentanol, 1-octanol, 1-nonanol, tetradecanal, acetic acid, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, pentanoic 38 acid and hexanoic acid. When short-chain fatty acids were tested as a mix and a blend of the alcohols 39 and aldehyde was tested as a second mix, nymphs exhibited no preference for control or treated 40 shelters. However, nymphs avoided shelters that were exposed to VOCs from the complete 10-41 compound mix. Conditioned shelters (occupied by cockroaches with feces and CHCs deposited on the 42 shelters), which are normally highly attractive to nymphs, were also avoided after UV-exposure, 43 confirming that breakdown products from deposited metabolites, including CHCs, mediate this 44 behavior. Our results demonstrate that common environmental and anthropogenic agents degrade 45CHCs into volatile semiochemicals that may serve as necromones or epideictic pheromones, 46 mediating group formation and dissolution. 47 Significance Statement 53Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) cover the outer surface of insects, where they prevent water 54 loss and serve as sex pheromones and in nest-mate recognition in social insects. Although CHCs are 55 not volatile, they can be broken into volatile fragments by reacting with environmental agents. We 56 demonstrate that volatile breakdown products of CHCs affect the social behavior of the American 57 cockroach. A synthetic mix of volatiles dispersed cockroaches away from shelters, signaling an 58 unsuitable shelter. These results highlight that some insect species have evolved communication 59 strategies that exploit environmental and anthropogenic agents to produce bioactive compounds 60 that mediate ecological interactions.

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“…For example, some cuticular hydrocarbons serve as sex pheromones in house fly [ 20 ], the circumboreal fly [ 21 ], moths [ 22 ], bees [ 23 ] and the cowpea weevil [ 24 ]. Cuticular hydrocarbons also serve as aggregation pheromones in some insects, including Drosophila [ 25 ], termites [ 26 ] and cockroaches [ 27 ]. Sexual selection has been a driving force for the evolution of sexual dimorphism in animals [ 28 ], and many insect taxa exhibit sexual dimorphism in cuticular chemistry [ 29 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cuticular Chemistry of the Queensland Fruit Fly Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt)

et al. 2020

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The cuticular layer of the insect exoskeleton contains diverse compounds that serve important biological functions, including the maintenance of homeostasis by protecting against water loss, protection from injury, pathogens and insecticides, and communication. Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) is the most destructive pest of fruit production in Australia, yet there are no published accounts of this species’ cuticular chemistry. We here provide a comprehensive description of B. tryoni cuticular chemistry. We used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify and characterize compounds in hexane extracts of B. tryoni adults reared from larvae in naturally infested fruits. The compounds found included spiroacetals, aliphatic amides, saturated/unsaturated and methyl branched C12 to C20 chain esters and C29 to C33 normal and methyl-branched alkanes. The spiroacetals and esters were found to be specific to mature females, while the amides were found in both sexes. Normal and methyl-branched alkanes were qualitatively the same in all age and sex groups but some of the alkanes differed in amounts (as estimated from internal standard-normalized peak areas) between mature males and females, as well as between mature and immature flies. This study provides essential foundations for studies investigating the functions of cuticular chemistry in this economically important species.

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Role of Cuticular Hydrocarbons in German Cockroach (Blattodea: Ectobiidae) Aggregation Behavior

Cited by 10 publications

References 48 publications

Environmental decomposition of olefinic cuticular hydrocarbons of Periplaneta americana generates a volatile pheromone that guides social behaviour

Environmental decomposition of olefinic cuticular hydrocarbons of Periplaneta americana generates a volatile pheromone that guides social behaviour

Environmental decomposition of cuticular hydrocarbons generates a volatile pheromone that guides insect social behavior

Cuticular Chemistry of the Queensland Fruit Fly Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt)

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