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Chemical footprints mediate habitat selection in co-occurring aphids

Habitat selection is a critical process that shapes the spatial distribution of species at local and regional scales. The mechanisms underlying habitat preference rely on environmental factors, species traits, and ecological interactions with other species. Here, we examined spatial segregation betw...

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Autores principales: Porras, Mitzy F, McCartney, Nathaniel, Raspotnig, Günther, Rajotte, Edwin G
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Oxford University Press 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9735235/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36518632
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arac076
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author Porras, Mitzy F
McCartney, Nathaniel
Raspotnig, Günther
Rajotte, Edwin G
author_facet Porras, Mitzy F
McCartney, Nathaniel
Raspotnig, Günther
Rajotte, Edwin G
author_sort Porras, Mitzy F
collection PubMed
description Habitat selection is a critical process that shapes the spatial distribution of species at local and regional scales. The mechanisms underlying habitat preference rely on environmental factors, species traits, and ecological interactions with other species. Here, we examined spatial segregation between two co-occurring aphid species (Rhopalosiphum maidis and R. padi) on wheat plants. We hypothesized that spatial segregation between these aphid species was mediated by aphid cuticular compounds left as chemical “footprints” on plant surfaces. Combining field and laboratory experiments, we first examined how plant microsites alter fitness by measuring the fecundity of each species. Next, we tested whether intra- and interspecific pre-inhabitation modified habitat selection in both aphid species. Both aphid species preferred and exhibited higher fecundity on wheat stems versus leaves. Laboratory trials showed that R. maidis pre-inhabitation altered R. padi spatial preference. By gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and bioassays testing the effects of aphid density and footprint extracts, we found a density-dependent response, with R. padi avoiding locations previously inhabited by R. maidis. The chemical analysis of footprint crude extracts revealed a highly abundant compound, 1-hexacosanol, and when presented in the synthetic form, also elicited R. padi displacement. Altogether, it indicated that R. maidis footprints altered R. padi habitat selection with cuticular compounds playing a relevant role in the habitat selection process in co-occurring aphid species.
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spelling pubmed-97352352022-12-13 Chemical footprints mediate habitat selection in co-occurring aphids Porras, Mitzy F McCartney, Nathaniel Raspotnig, Günther Rajotte, Edwin G Behav Ecol Original Articles Habitat selection is a critical process that shapes the spatial distribution of species at local and regional scales. The mechanisms underlying habitat preference rely on environmental factors, species traits, and ecological interactions with other species. Here, we examined spatial segregation between two co-occurring aphid species (Rhopalosiphum maidis and R. padi) on wheat plants. We hypothesized that spatial segregation between these aphid species was mediated by aphid cuticular compounds left as chemical “footprints” on plant surfaces. Combining field and laboratory experiments, we first examined how plant microsites alter fitness by measuring the fecundity of each species. Next, we tested whether intra- and interspecific pre-inhabitation modified habitat selection in both aphid species. Both aphid species preferred and exhibited higher fecundity on wheat stems versus leaves. Laboratory trials showed that R. maidis pre-inhabitation altered R. padi spatial preference. By gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and bioassays testing the effects of aphid density and footprint extracts, we found a density-dependent response, with R. padi avoiding locations previously inhabited by R. maidis. The chemical analysis of footprint crude extracts revealed a highly abundant compound, 1-hexacosanol, and when presented in the synthetic form, also elicited R. padi displacement. Altogether, it indicated that R. maidis footprints altered R. padi habitat selection with cuticular compounds playing a relevant role in the habitat selection process in co-occurring aphid species. Oxford University Press 2022-08-20 /pmc/articles/PMC9735235/ /pubmed/36518632 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arac076 Text en © The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Original Articles
Porras, Mitzy F
McCartney, Nathaniel
Raspotnig, Günther
Rajotte, Edwin G
Chemical footprints mediate habitat selection in co-occurring aphids
title Chemical footprints mediate habitat selection in co-occurring aphids
title_full Chemical footprints mediate habitat selection in co-occurring aphids
title_fullStr Chemical footprints mediate habitat selection in co-occurring aphids
title_full_unstemmed Chemical footprints mediate habitat selection in co-occurring aphids
title_short Chemical footprints mediate habitat selection in co-occurring aphids
title_sort chemical footprints mediate habitat selection in co-occurring aphids
topic Original Articles
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9735235/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36518632
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arac076
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