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Host strain specific sex pheromone variation in Spodoptera frugiperda

BACKGROUND: The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera; Noctuidae) consists of two distinct strains with different host plant preferences for corn and rice. To assess whether pheromonal-mediated behavioral isolation accompanies the habitat isolation on different host plants, we compared th...

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Autores principales: Groot, Astrid T, Marr, Melanie, Schöfl, Gerhard, Lorenz, Sybille, Svatos, Ales, Heckel, David G
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: BioMed Central 2008
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628650/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19109878
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1742-9994-5-20
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author Groot, Astrid T
Marr, Melanie
Schöfl, Gerhard
Lorenz, Sybille
Svatos, Ales
Heckel, David G
author_facet Groot, Astrid T
Marr, Melanie
Schöfl, Gerhard
Lorenz, Sybille
Svatos, Ales
Heckel, David G
author_sort Groot, Astrid T
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera; Noctuidae) consists of two distinct strains with different host plant preferences for corn and rice. To assess whether pheromonal-mediated behavioral isolation accompanies the habitat isolation on different host plants, we compared the sex pheromone composition among females of the two strains. Pheromone glands were extracted with or without injection of pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN). To assess the mode of inheritance of this variation, we also analyzed the pheromone composition of F(1 )hybrid females. RESULTS: Relative to intra-strain variation, the pheromone composition of the two strains differed significantly. Corn strain females contained significantly more of the second most abundant pheromone compound Z11-16:Ac (m), and significantly less of most other compounds, than rice strain females. When females were injected with PBAN before their glands were extracted, the differences between the strains were less pronounced but still statistically significant. The pheromone composition of hybrid females showed a maternal inheritance of the major component Z9-14:Ac (M) as well as of Z11-16:Ac (m). Most other compounds showed an inheritance indicating genetic dominance of the corn strain. The within-strain phenotypic correlations among the various components were consistent with their hypothesized biosynthetic pathway, and between-strain differences in the correlation structure suggested candidate genes that may explain the pheromone differences between the two strains. These include Δ9- and Δ11 desaturases, and possibly also a Δ7-desaturase, although the latter has not been identified in insects so far. CONCLUSION: The two host strains of S. frugiperda produce systematically differing female sex pheromone blends. Previously-documented geographic variation in the sexual communication of this species did not take strain identity into account, and thus may be partly explained by different strain occurrence in different regions. The finding of pheromone differences reinforces the possibility of incipient reproductive isolation among these strains, previously shown to differ in the timing of nocturnal mating activity and host plant use. Finding the genetic basis of the pheromone differences, as well as these other biological traits, will help to elucidate the role of premating isolation in the continuing differentiation of these two strains that may eventually lead to speciation.
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spelling pubmed-26286502009-01-20 Host strain specific sex pheromone variation in Spodoptera frugiperda Groot, Astrid T Marr, Melanie Schöfl, Gerhard Lorenz, Sybille Svatos, Ales Heckel, David G Front Zool Research BACKGROUND: The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera; Noctuidae) consists of two distinct strains with different host plant preferences for corn and rice. To assess whether pheromonal-mediated behavioral isolation accompanies the habitat isolation on different host plants, we compared the sex pheromone composition among females of the two strains. Pheromone glands were extracted with or without injection of pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN). To assess the mode of inheritance of this variation, we also analyzed the pheromone composition of F(1 )hybrid females. RESULTS: Relative to intra-strain variation, the pheromone composition of the two strains differed significantly. Corn strain females contained significantly more of the second most abundant pheromone compound Z11-16:Ac (m), and significantly less of most other compounds, than rice strain females. When females were injected with PBAN before their glands were extracted, the differences between the strains were less pronounced but still statistically significant. The pheromone composition of hybrid females showed a maternal inheritance of the major component Z9-14:Ac (M) as well as of Z11-16:Ac (m). Most other compounds showed an inheritance indicating genetic dominance of the corn strain. The within-strain phenotypic correlations among the various components were consistent with their hypothesized biosynthetic pathway, and between-strain differences in the correlation structure suggested candidate genes that may explain the pheromone differences between the two strains. These include Δ9- and Δ11 desaturases, and possibly also a Δ7-desaturase, although the latter has not been identified in insects so far. CONCLUSION: The two host strains of S. frugiperda produce systematically differing female sex pheromone blends. Previously-documented geographic variation in the sexual communication of this species did not take strain identity into account, and thus may be partly explained by different strain occurrence in different regions. The finding of pheromone differences reinforces the possibility of incipient reproductive isolation among these strains, previously shown to differ in the timing of nocturnal mating activity and host plant use. Finding the genetic basis of the pheromone differences, as well as these other biological traits, will help to elucidate the role of premating isolation in the continuing differentiation of these two strains that may eventually lead to speciation. BioMed Central 2008-12-25 /pmc/articles/PMC2628650/ /pubmed/19109878 http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1742-9994-5-20 Text en Copyright © 2008 Groot et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Research
Groot, Astrid T
Marr, Melanie
Schöfl, Gerhard
Lorenz, Sybille
Svatos, Ales
Heckel, David G
Host strain specific sex pheromone variation in Spodoptera frugiperda
title Host strain specific sex pheromone variation in Spodoptera frugiperda
title_full Host strain specific sex pheromone variation in Spodoptera frugiperda
title_fullStr Host strain specific sex pheromone variation in Spodoptera frugiperda
title_full_unstemmed Host strain specific sex pheromone variation in Spodoptera frugiperda
title_short Host strain specific sex pheromone variation in Spodoptera frugiperda
title_sort host strain specific sex pheromone variation in spodoptera frugiperda
topic Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628650/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19109878
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1742-9994-5-20
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