Variations on a Theme: Two Structural Motifs Create Species-Specific Pheromone Channels for Multiple Species of South American Cerambycid Beetles

We describe the identification, synthesis, and field-testing of aggregation-sex pheromones, or likely pheromone candidates, of seven species of South American cerambycid beetles in the subfamily Cerambycinae, of the tribes Eburiini and Neoibidionini. Analyses of extracts of volatiles released by adult males revealed that Eburodacrys dubitata White produce 11-methyltridecanal, whereas the males of Eburodacrys assimilis Gounelle, Eburodacrys flexuosa Gounelle, and Eburodacrys lenkoi Napp and Martins produce blends of this compound, along with its analog 10-methyldodecanal. In contrast, males of Compsibidion graphicum (Thomson) and Compsibidion sommeri (Thomson) produce blends of 10-methyldodecanal and its corresponding alcohol 10-methyldodecanol. The results from field bioassays with synthetic compounds showed that each species was specifically attracted to traps containing their reconstructed pheromone blend. However, E. assimilis was not trapped, possibly due to inhibition by non-natural enantiomers in the racemic test compounds. During the trials for the Compsibidion species, adults of another cerambycid species, Tetraopidion mucoriferum (Thomson), were captured in significant numbers in traps baited with 10-methyldodecanol, suggesting that this compound is a pheromone component for this species. This study demonstrates another case of conservation of pheromone structures within South American cerambycid species. It also highlights how blends of closely related structures, differing only in chain length or functional group, make the evolution of species-specific pheromone channels possible.

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Aggregation-Sex Pheromones and Likely Pheromones of 11 South American Cerambycid Beetles, and Partitioning of Pheromone Channels

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2017.00101 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Weliton D. Silva ◽

Yunfan Zou ◽

José M. S. Bento ◽

Lawrence M. Hanks ◽

Jocelyn G. Millar

Keyword(s):

Sex Pheromones ◽

South American ◽

Cerambycid Beetles

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2-Nonanone is a Critical Pheromone Component for Cerambycid Beetle Species Native to North and South America

Environmental Entomology ◽

10.1093/ee/nvab022 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Weliton D Silva ◽

Lawrence M Hanks ◽

Judith A Mongold-Diers ◽

Anna C Grommes ◽

José Maurício S Bento ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Field Testing ◽

South American ◽

The North ◽

The Family ◽

Pheromone Components ◽

Biogeographical Regions ◽

Cerambycid Beetles ◽

The Individual ◽

North And South America ◽

North And South

Abstract An increasing body of evidence indicates that cerambycid beetles native to different continents may share pheromone components, suggesting that these compounds arose as pheromone components early in the evolution of the family. Here, we describe the identification and field testing of the pheromone blends of two species in the subfamily Cerambycinae that share 2-nonanone as an important component of their male-produced aggregation-sex pheromones, the South American Stizocera consobrina Gounelle (tribe Elaphidiini) and the North American Heterachthes quadrimaculatus Haldeman (tribe Neoibidionini). Along with 2-nonanone, males of S. consobrina also produce 1-(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-1,2-propanedione, whereas males of H. quadrimaculatus produce 10-methyldodecanol. Field bioassays conducted in Brazil (targeting S. consobrina) and Illinois (targeting H. quadrimaculatus) demonstrated that adults of both species were attracted only by the blends of both their pheromone components, and not to the individual components. The use of the pyrrole as a critical component for the former species is further evidence that this compound is a common pheromone structure among cerambycines in different biogeographical regions of the world.

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Flight-call as species-specific signal in South American parrots and the effect of species relatedness in call similarity

Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia ◽

10.1007/bf03544392 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 143-151 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Carlos B. de Araújo ◽

Paulo A. M. Marques ◽

Jacques M. E. Vielliard

Keyword(s):

South American ◽

Specific Signal ◽

As Species ◽

Species Specific

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Multiple species‐specific molecular markers using nanofluidic array as a tool to detect prey DNA from carnivore scats

Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.1002/ece3.7918 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Cecilia Di Bernardi ◽

Camilla Wikenros ◽

Eva Hedmark ◽

Luigi Boitani ◽

Paolo Ciucci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Markers ◽

Multiple Species ◽

Species Specific

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Interacting effects of insect and ungulate herbivory on Scots pine growth

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-79346-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Michelle Nordkvist ◽

Maartje J. Klapwijk ◽

La rs Edenius ◽

Christer Björkman

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Scots Pine ◽

Growth Response ◽

Insect Herbivory ◽

Additive Effects ◽

Significant Interaction Effect ◽

Ungulate Herbivory ◽

Pine Trees ◽

Multiple Species ◽

Species Specific

AbstractMost plants are subjected to damage from multiple species of herbivores, and the combined impact on plant growth can be non-additive. Since plant response to herbivores tends to be species specific, and change with repeated damage, the outcome likely depend on the sequence and number of attacks. There is a high likelihood of non-additive effects on plant growth by damage from mammals and insects, as mammalian herbivory can alter insect herbivore damage levels, yet few studies have explored this. We report the growth response of young Scots pine trees to sequential mammal and insect herbivory, varying the sequence and number of damage events, using an ungulate-pine-sawfly system. Combined sawfly and ungulate herbivory had both additive and non-additive effects on pine growth—the growth response depended on the combination of ungulate browsing and sawfly defoliation (significant interaction effect). Repeated sawfly herbivory reduced growth (compared to single defoliation) on un-browsed trees. However, on browsed trees, depending on when sawfly defoliation was combined with browsing, trees exposed to repeated sawfly herbivory had both higher, lower and the same growth as trees exposed to a single defoliation event. We conclude that the sequence of attacks by multiple herbivores determine plant growth response.

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Bark traits, decomposition and flammability of Australian forest trees

Australian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1071/bt16258 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 65 (4) ◽

pp. 327 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Saskia Grootemaat ◽

Ian J. Wright ◽

Peter M. van Bodegom ◽

Johannes H. C. Cornelissen ◽

Veronica Shaw

Keyword(s):

Forest Tree ◽

Remarkable Feature ◽

Interspecific Differences ◽

Eucalypt Plantations ◽

Physical Traits ◽

Key Driver ◽

Multiple Species ◽

Species Specific ◽

First Time ◽

Different Tissues

Bark shedding is a remarkable feature of Australian trees, yet relatively little is known about interspecific differences in bark decomposability and flammability, or what chemical or physical traits drive variation in these properties. We measured the decomposition rate and flammability (ignitibility, sustainability and combustibility) of bark from 10 common forest tree species, and quantified correlations with potentially important traits. We compared our findings to those for leaf litter, asking whether the same traits drive flammability and decomposition in different tissues, and whether process rates are correlated across tissue types. Considerable variation in bark decomposability and flammability was found both within and across species. Bark decomposed more slowly than leaves, but in both tissues lignin concentration was a key driver. Bark took longer to ignite than leaves, and had longer mass-specific flame durations. Variation in flammability parameters was driven by different traits in the different tissues. Decomposability and flammability were each unrelated, when comparing between the different tissue types. For example, species with fast-decomposing leaves did not necessarily have fast-decomposing bark. For the first time, we show how patterns of variation in decomposability and flammability of bark diverge across multiple species. By taking species-specific bark traits into consideration there is potential to make better estimates of wildfire risks and carbon loss dynamics. This can lead to better informed management decisions for Australian forests, and eucalypt plantations, worldwide.

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Using blends of cerambycid beetle pheromones and host plant volatiles to simultaneously attract a diversity of cerambycid species

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x2012-062 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 42 (6) ◽

pp. 1050-1059 ◽

Cited By ~ 62

Author(s):

Lawrence M. Hanks ◽

Jocelyn G. Millar ◽

Judith A. Mongold-Diers ◽

Joseph C.H. Wong ◽

Linnea R. Meier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Host Plant ◽

Native Species ◽

Plant Volatiles ◽

Strong Inhibition ◽

Host Plant Volatiles ◽

East Central ◽

Pheromone Components ◽

Cerambycid Beetles ◽

Multiple Species ◽

Central Illinois

We evaluated the attraction of native species of cerambycid beetles to blends of cerambycid pheromones and the host plant volatiles ethanol and α-pinene to determine whether such blends could be effective lures for detecting and monitoring multiple species. The complete six-component blend of pheromones included racemic 3-hydroxy-2-hexanone, 2,3-hexanediol isomers, (E)-6,10-dimethyl-5,9-undecadien-2-ol and the corresponding acetate, 2-(undecyloxy)-ethanol, and racemic 2-methyl-1-butanol. Bioassays in east-central Illinois captured 3070 cerambycid beetles of 10 species, including four species in the subfamily Cerambycinae ( Neoclytus acuminatus (Fabricius, 1775), Neoclytus mucronatus (Fabricius, 1775), Phymatodes lengi Joutel, 1911, and Xylotrechus colonus (Fabricius, 1775)) and six species in the subfamily Laminiae ( Aegomorphus modestus (Gyllenhal in Schoenherr, 1817), Astyleiopus variegatus (Haldeman, 1847), Astylidius parvus (LeConte, 1873), Graphisurus fasciatus (DeGeer, 1775), Lepturges angulatus (LeConte, 1852), and Monochamus carolinensis (Olivier, 1792)). Beetles were attracted to their pheromone components within the blend, with inhibition only evident in one species. Host plant volatiles synergized attraction for some species, and synergism usually was attributed to ethanol, with α-pinene enhancing attraction only for the pine specialist M. carolinensis. The optimal strategy for targeting a broad range of cerambycid species would be to bait traps with a blend of several pheromones plus ethanol and α-pinene because synergism by these plant volatiles is critical for some species, whereas strong inhibition is uncommon.

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Wing Morphology and Flight Behavior of Some North American Hummingbird Species

The Auk ◽

10.1093/auk/122.3.872 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 122 (3) ◽

pp. 872-886 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

F. Gary Stiles ◽

Douglas L. Altshuler ◽

Robert Dudley

Keyword(s):

Breeding Season ◽

North American ◽

Theoretical Models ◽

Wing Disc ◽

Territorial Behavior ◽

Flight Behavior ◽

Adult Males ◽

Wing Morphology ◽

Reversed Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽

Species Specific

Abstract We explored the relationship between wing morphology and flight behavior with respect to sex and age in five species of North American hummingbirds. We first measured the length, chord or “width,“ and area of entire hummingbird wing planforms. We then calculated additional parameters of wing shape and size, including aspect and shape ratios, degree of taper or “pointedness,“ wing loading, and wing disc loading (WDL). Wings of adult males are not only shorter but also more narrow and tapered than those of adult or immature females; immature males have larger wings and lower WDL, more like those of females. A proposed relationship between WDL and territorial behavior and dominance is not supported, given that adult and immature males show similar feeding territoriality outside the breeding season but females rarely do. The more extreme and divergent wings of adult males probably reflect sexual selection in connection with aerial displays that include species-specific sound effects given during the breeding season. North American species are unusual among hummingbirds in showing reversed sexual size-dimorphism (males smaller, with relatively shorter wings), a feature shared with some other small hummingbirds, notably the “Pygmornis“ hermits. Attempts to explain hummingbird foraging and territorial behavior on the basis of differences in WDL have failed because many aspects of wing morphology, physiology, and flight behavior were not taken into account. Several wing parameters appear more related to other modes of flight than to strategies of nectar exploitation, and the morphology of any given wing represents a compromise between the often conflicting aerodynamic demands of different flight modes. Understanding hummingbird flight will require broad comparative studies of wing morphology and wingbeat kinematics in relation to flight behavior, and new theoretical models and experimental data will be needed to elucidate physiological and aerodynamic mechanisms underlying forward flight and maneuvering. Morfología Alar y Comportamiento de Vuelo de Unas Especies de Colibríes de Norteamérica

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Long-Distance Movement of mRNAs in Plants

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants9060731 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 731 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Chao Xia ◽

Cankui Zhang

Keyword(s):

Vascular System ◽

Physiological Characteristic ◽

Small Peptides ◽

Long Distance ◽

Systemic Signaling ◽

Long Distance Transport ◽

Specific Mrnas ◽

Multiple Species ◽

Species Specific ◽

Long Distance Movement

Long-distance transport of information molecules in the vascular tissues could play an important role in regulating plant growth and enabling plants to cope with adverse environments. Various molecules, including hormones, proteins, small peptides and small RNAs have been detected in the vascular system and proved to have systemic signaling functions. Sporadic studies have shown that a number of mRNAs produced in the mature leaves leave their origin cells and move to distal tissues to exert important physiological functions. In the last 3–5 years, multiple heterograft systems have been developed to demonstrate that a large quantity of mRNAs are mobile in plants. Further comparison of the mobile mRNAs identified from these systems showed that the identities of these mRNAs are very diverse. Although species-specific mRNAs may regulate the unique physiological characteristic of the plant, mRNAs with conserved functions across multiple species are worth more effort in identifying universal physiological mechanisms existing in the plant kingdom.

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