The Power of Infochemicals in Mediating Individualized Niches

Müller, Caroline; Caspers, Barbara A.; Gadau, Jürgen; Kaiser, Sylvia

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2020.07.001

Cited by 62 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…It is made available under a preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in The copyright holder for this this version posted February 13, 2021. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.12.430958 doi: bioRxiv preprint longer lived than C-females, due to their lower predation risk, and subsequently laying a larger number of eggs (increasing fitness). Furthermore, such a dual role of clerodnaoids would fit the general pattern of infochemical flexibility observed in insects [64,65] and other animals [66]. The results for mating behaviour presented here weakly support the notion that C+ females have increased mating success whereas C+ males do not, and therefore the idea that clerodanoids may act as a pheromone [35].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Fighting over defence chemicals disrupts mating behaviour

Paul

Mueller

2021

Preprint

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Studies on intraspecific contest behaviour predominantly focus on contests between individuals of the same sex, however contest behaviour is also expected to occur between individuals of the opposite sex including possible mates. Here we investigate potential trade-offs between mating and fighting behaviour in the turnip sawfly (Athalia rosae). Adults of this species collect chemical defence compounds (clerodanoids) directly from plants but also indirectly by nibbling on conspecifics that have already obtained clerodanoids themselves, a highly aggressive behavioural interaction. An A. rosae individual without clerodanoids may therefore be the potential mate or attacker of an individual of the opposite sex that has gained clerodanoids. We paired males and females with or without clerodanoid access and manipulated body mass differences between the sexes via the early life starvation of females. We show that asymmetrical clerodanoid acquisition between male-female pairs causes an increase in agonistic nibbling behaviour, irrespective of sex. Moreover, fighting over clerodanoids disrupted mating behaviour, and the frequency of aggressive nibbling behaviour in these pairs was determined by the comparative body mass of the attacking individual. Our study highlights the vital importance of investigating agonistic intersex interactions not only over mating but also over resources.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Fighting over defence chemicals disrupts mating behaviour

Paul

Mueller

2021

Preprint

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“…Such contests are likely to be especially common in insects which are known to operate in a highly chemically mediated world (Tabata, 2018), and whose pharmacophagous behaviour is some of the best documented in the animal kingdom (Heckel, 2014). By taking up plant compounds and potentially modifying them, individuals change their chemical phenotype with potential ramifications for interactions with conspecifics and therefore their social niche (Müller et al, 2020). Here we investigate contest interactions over a resource acquired by pharmacophagy and look at how prior sequestration of plant compounds influences motivation to fight, whilst also assessing the physiological consequences of both pharmacophagy and fighting behaviour.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consequences of pharmacophagous uptake from plants and conspecifics in a sawfly elucidated using chemical and molecular techniques

Paul

Dennis

et al. 2021

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Pharmacophagy involves the sequestration of specialised plant metabolites for non-nutritive purposes and commonly occurs in insects. Here we investigate pharmacophagy in the turnip sawfly, Athalia rosae, where adults not only collect specialised metabolites (clerodanoids) from a plant (Ajuga reptans), but also from the exterior of conspecifics via fighting. Using behavioural assays, chemical analytics, and RNAseq we show that when individuals nibble on conspecifics that have already acquired clerodanoids from A. reptans leaves, this nibbling results in the transfer of compounds between individuals. Furthermore, unlike other pharmacophagous insects, the acquisition of clerodanoids by A. rosae from the leaves of A. reptans does not induce the upregulation of known detoxification or sequestration genes and pathways. In contrast, pharmacophagous nibbling on conspecifics results in the upregulation of metabolic pathways associated with elevated metabolic rates and increased energy consumption. It therefore seems that individuals attack conspecifics to acquire clerodanoids despite the apparent metabolic costs of this form of pharmacophagy compared to clerodanoid uptake from a plant. Changes in the metabolic phenotype of A.rosae individuals consequently has profound consequences for social interactions with possible ramifications for their social niche.

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“…Our study highlights the potential role of chemical profiles that may mediate the intertwined processes of immunity and niche construction in the red flour beetle (Müller et al 2020). While both stink gland secretions and CHCs are potentially important infochemicals, they might serve different functions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Immune StimulationviaWounding Alters Chemical Profiles of AdultTribolium castaneum

Reshma

Tewes

et al. 2021

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Rapid recognition of disease cues is essential for preventing pathogenic infections and for disease management in group-living animals. Healthy individuals across taxa can detect illness in other conspecifics and adjust their responses to limit further infections of themselves and the group. However, little is known about potential changes in chemical phenotypes due to disease, which may mediate these responses. We here asked whether individual immune experience resulting from wounding or the injection of heat-killed bacteria of Bacillus thuringiensis (i.e., immune priming) leads to changes in the chemical profiles of adult red flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum). This group-living insect species is a well-studied example for both immune priming as a form of innate immune memory and niche construction via 'external immunity', i.e., the secretion of quinone-containing antimicrobials into the flour. Upon interaction with wounded conspecifics, naive beetles were previously found to not only up-regulate immunity, but moreover reduce gene expression of the evolutionary capacitor HSP90, an effect that has the potential to enhance adaptability. We here used gas chromatography-flame-ionisation detection (GC-FID) to study the composition of stink gland secretions and cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) of immune-primed and wounded beetles compared to controls. The overall profiles as well as target compounds of the stink gland secretions showed transient, slight changes after these treatments, particularly in wounded females. Priming and wounding led to pronounced changes in CHC profiles with increases in the proportion of methyl-branched alkanes. Furthermore, we found sex-specific differences, that were particularly pronounced in the CHCs, although the changes due to immune stimulation were overall similar in both sexes. We suggest that CHCs are potential candidates for the transfer of information related to individual immunological experience into the group.

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The Power of Infochemicals in Mediating Individualized Niches

Cited by 62 publications

References 62 publications

Fighting over defence chemicals disrupts mating behaviour

Fighting over defence chemicals disrupts mating behaviour

Consequences of pharmacophagous uptake from plants and conspecifics in a sawfly elucidated using chemical and molecular techniques

Immune StimulationviaWounding Alters Chemical Profiles of AdultTribolium castaneum

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