Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Quentin Rougemont, Barbara Huber, Simon H. Martin, Annabel Whibley, Catalina Estrada, Darha Solano, Robert Orpet, W. Owen McMillan, Brigitte Frerot, Mathieu Joron
Summary: By studying the speciation process of Heliconius butterflies, it is found that wing pattern divergence may play a role in speciation and be associated with hybridization and reproductive isolation.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Brogan A. Amos, Michael J. Furlong, Diana M. Leemon, Bronwen W. Cribb, R. Andrew Hayes
Summary: This study investigated the effect of rearing environment on the cuticular chemical profile of the small hive beetle, Aethina tumida. The findings showed that the rearing environment had significant qualitative and quantitative effects on the detected hydrocarbons in the beetle's cuticles.
Article
Ecology
Ruth Castillo, Mareike Wurdack, Thomas Pauli, Alexander Keller, Heike Feldhaar, Carlo Polidori, Oliver Niehuis, Thomas Schmitt
Summary: In this study, the researchers analyzed the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles of Cerceris and Philanthus wasps and their brood parasites, cuckoo wasps, which mimic the CHC profiles of their hosts. The results showed that hosts that do not preserve their prey have a lower CHC overlap with their parasites compared to prey-preserving hosts. Additionally, the CHC profiles in non-preserving host wasps showed more diversification in females than in males, the sex that is chemically mimicked by brood parasites.
BMC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Christoph von Beeren, Adrian Brueckner, Philipp O. Hoenle, Bryan Ospina-Jara, Daniel J. C. Kronauer, Nico Bluethgen
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of body size, morphological gestalt, and accuracy in chemical mimicry on host aggression towards ant symbionts. The results showed that CHC mimicry accuracy does not necessarily predict host aggression towards ant guests, and that the body size and morphological gestalt of guests may be important, yet underrated traits shaping the level of host hostility.
FRONTIERS IN ZOOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wolfgang Schuehly, Ulrike Riessberger-Galle, Javier Hernandez Lopez
Summary: The study found that bee larvae exposed to pesticides show reduced brood production and a high number of empty brood cells, along with increased numbers of oenocytes. These larvae also display altered CHC profiles and are actively removed by nurse bees via chemical cues.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Xiaoyu Wu, Su Wang, Xianguo Zhao, Jing Wen, Yahong Li, Zhangwu Zhao, Juan Du
Summary: Research shows that the pheromonal state of individual fruit flies can affect themselves, and cuticular hydrocarbons have a regulatory effect on the amount of sleep experienced by fruit flies.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hisashi Omura, Taro Noguchi, Shinji Ohta
Summary: The female swallowtail butterfly Papilio polytes exhibits polymorphic mimicry, and males can distinguish mimetic and non-mimetic females through differences in cuticular lipids. The composition of cuticular lipids also differs between mimetic females and their model species, suggesting that the females maintain consistent cuticular lipid profiles regardless of the mimicry type. This feature helps males recognize the correct mating partners.
CHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Marion Cordonnier, Bernard Kaufmann, Laurent Simon, Gilles Escarguel, Nathalie Mondy
Summary: Species and nestmate recognition in social insects mainly relies on cuticular hydrocarbons, which generate colony-specific odor profiles and regulate aggression. Hybrid zones between ant species show well-differentiated hydrocarbon profiles and high interspecific aggression, with hybrids displaying a mixture of parental and unique patterns. Interactions between heterospecific workers vary based on whether they come from sympatric or allopatric areas, emphasizing the complexity of recognition mechanisms and discrimination in hybrids.
Article
Biology
Weizhao Sun, Michelle Ina Lange, Juergen Gadau, Jan Buellesbach
Summary: This study addresses the knowledge gaps in understanding the genetic basis and encoding mechanism of sexual attractiveness. By studying two fatty acid synthase genes in parasitic wasps, the researchers discovered that knocking out these genes significantly reduces the sexual attractiveness of female wasps and decreases male courtship and copulation behavior. The study also reveals a shift in methyl-branching patterns in the female surface pheromonal compounds, which is found to be the main cause for the reduced male mating response. This suggests a potential coding mechanism for sexual attractiveness mediated by specific methyl-branching patterns in complex cuticular hydrocarbon profiles.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bosco B. Rusuwa, Henry Chung, Scott L. Allen, Francesca D. Frentiu, Stephen F. Chenoweth
Summary: Mutations with conflicting fitness effects in males and females can accumulate in sexual populations, reducing their adaptive capacity. This study focuses on a gene in fruit flies that generates sexual antagonism through its effects on certain traits. These traits, which function as both mate signals and protectors against abiotic stress, have opposing effects on fitness-related functions in different sexes. The study also suggests that balancing selection likely plays a role in maintaining this genetic variation.
Article
Biology
Luca Pietro Casacci, Francesca Barbero, Piotr Slipinski, Magdalena Witek
Summary: Social parasitism is a unique form of antagonistic interaction where a parasite exploits an entire society instead of an individual. Myrmica karavajevi exemplifies ultimate deception strategies in reaching the highest social status within an ant colony, requiring a combined molecular and behavioral approach for studying host-parasite interactions.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wei Dong, Wen-Jun Wu, Chen-Yang Song, Ting Li, Jian-Zhen Zhang
Summary: The effects of Jinggangmycin (JGM) on the physiological parameters of Drosophila melanogaster were investigated in this study. The results showed that exposure to 0.005 g/ml JGM increased female daily egg production and extended the oviposition period, while there was no significant effect on reproduction at 0.016 g/ml. Flies fed 0.005 g/ml JGM exhibited increased desiccation tolerance. The upregulated expression of FAS1 and FAS3, as well as the accumulation of CHCs on the cuticle surface, were observed in JGM treated flies at 0.005 g/ml. Moreover, knockdown of FAS3 decreased desiccation tolerance in JGM-treated flies.
PESTICIDE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Christopher Mitchell, Zachariah Wylde, Enrique Del Castillo, James Rapkin, Clarissa M. M. House, John Hunt
Summary: The study reveals the interaction between sexual selection and natural selection in regulating male traits in black field crickets. Natural selection favors an increase in the total abundance of lipids and long-chain hydrocarbons, while sexual selection improves mating success through specific lipid components that increase evaporative water loss. These findings suggest that the balance between natural and sexual selection plays a crucial role in the evolution of male traits in T. commodus.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Victoria C. Moris, Katharina Christmann, Aline Wirtgen, Sergey A. Belokobylskij, Alexander Berg, Wolf-Harald Liebig, Villu Soon, Hannes Baur, Thomas Schmitt, Oliver Niehuis
Summary: The mason wasp Odynerus spinipes exhibits an exceptional case of intrasexual cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile dimorphism, with two distinct chemotypes differing in quality and quantity. The frequency of these chemotypes varies considerably across different geographic regions, possibly due to differential selection regimes and colonization routes. The study provides essential information for future research on the evolutionary and geographic origin, as well as genetics, of the CHC profile dimorphism in O. spinipes females.
Article
Biology
Tian Xu, Li Chen
Summary: The text discusses the importance of chemical communication in ant-hemipteran mutualism and how invasive ants can quickly establish mutualistic relationships with hemipterans they have never coevolved with. Future research directions for a better understanding of the role of chemical communication in ant invasions are highlighted.
CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Mareike Wurdack, Carlo Polidori, Alexander Keller, Heike Feldhaar, Thomas Schmitt
Article
Ecology
Carlo Polidori, Mareike Wurdack
ARTHROPOD-PLANT INTERACTIONS
(2019)
Article
Ecology
Noora Poikela, Johanna Kinnunen, Mareike Wurdack, Hannele Kauranen, Thomas Schmitt, Maaria Kankare, Rhonda R. Snook, Anneli Hoikkala
Article
Entomology
Carlo Polidori, Yolanda Ballesteros, Mareike Wurdack, Josep Daniel Asis, Jose Tormos, Laura Banos-Picon, Thomas Schmitt