Olfactory behavior of convergent lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to alarm pheromone of green peach aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

AbstractA previous investigation from our laboratory showed that the odor of live green peach aphids, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), highly attracts the convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville. In this study, we isolated the odor and identified it as (E)-β-farnesene (an aphid alarm pheromone) using gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. The olfactory response of the convergent lady beetle to (E)-β-farnesene was investigated using an eight-arm air-flow olfactometer and tracing the pathways of the lady beetles. The results clearly indicate that H. convergens can perceive and orient to (E)-β-farnesene released by green peach aphids. These findings suggest that this species of lady beetle has evolved a sensory system for detecting the green peach aphid alarm pheromone as a means of finding its prey.

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Spatiotemporal expression profiling of the farnesyl diphosphate synthase genes in aphids and analysis of their associations with the biosynthesis of alarm pheromone

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485318000706 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 109 (3) ◽

pp. 398-407 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Y.-J. Cheng ◽

Z.-X. Li

Keyword(s):

Alarm Pheromone ◽

Acyrthosiphon Pisum ◽

Green Peach Aphid ◽

Farnesyl Diphosphate ◽

Expression Level ◽

Farnesyl Diphosphate Synthase ◽

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽

Spatiotemporal Expression ◽

The Mean ◽

Aphid Alarm Pheromone

AbstractThe alarm behavior plays a key role in the ecology of aphids, but the site and molecular mechanism for the biosynthesis of aphid alarm pheromone are largely unknown. Farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS) catalyzes the synthesis of FPP, providing the precursor for the alarm pheromone (E)-β-farnesene (EβF), and we speculate that FPPS is closely associated with the biosynthetic pathway of EβF. We firstly analyzed the spatiotemporal expression of FPPS genes by using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, showing that they were expressed uninterruptedly from the embryonic stage to adult stage, with an obvious increasing trend from embryo to 4th-instar in the green peach aphid Myzus persicae, but FPPS1 had an overall significantly higher expression level than FPPS2; both FPPS1 and FPPS2 exhibited the highest expression in the cornicle area. This expression pattern was verified in Acyrthosiphon pisum, suggesting that FPPS1 may play a more important role in aphids and the cornicle area is most likely the site for EβF biosynthesis. We thus conducted a quantitative measurement of EβF in M. persicae by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The data obtained were used to perform an association analysis with the expression data, revealing that the content of EβF per aphid was significantly correlated with the mean weight per aphid (r = 0.8534, P = 0.0307) and the expression level of FPPS1 (r = 0.9134, P = 0.0109), but not with that of FPPS2 (r = 0.4113, P = 0.4179); the concentration of EβF per milligram of aphid was not correlated with the mean weight per aphid or the expression level of FPPS genes. These data suggest that FPPS1 may play a key role in the biosynthesis of aphid alarm pheromone.

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Aphid Alarm Pheromone Component, (E)-β-farnesene, and Local Search by a Predatory Lady Beetle, Coccinella septempunctata bruckii MULSANT(Coleoptera:Coccinellidae)

Applied Entomology and Zoology ◽

10.1303/aez.26.1 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Kiyoshi NAKAMUTA

Keyword(s):

Local Search ◽

Alarm Pheromone ◽

Coccinella Septempunctata ◽

Lady Beetle ◽

Pheromone Component ◽

Aphid Alarm Pheromone

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Interactions of ants with native and invasive lady beetles and the role of chemical cues in intraguild interference

Chemoecology ◽

10.1007/s00049-021-00354-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Roman Bucher ◽

Laura M. Japke ◽

Ayse Gül Ünlü ◽

Florian Menzel

Keyword(s):

Chemical Cues ◽

Harmonia Axyridis ◽

Species Recognition ◽

Lady Beetle ◽

Lasius Niger ◽

Beetle Species ◽

Beetle Elytra ◽

Lady Beetles ◽

Ant Aggression

AbstractThe predator-predator naïveté hypothesis suggests that non-native predators benefit from being unknown to native predators, resulting in reduced intraguild interference with native predators. This novelty advantage should depend on the ability of native predators to recognize cues of non-native predators. Here, we compared ant aggression and lady beetle reaction in four native and the invasive lady beetle species Harmonia axyridis. In addition, we tested whether lady beetle cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are involved in species recognition, which might explain naïveté if the invasive species has a specific CHC profile. To this end, we conducted behavioral assays confronting two native ant species with both living lady beetles and lady beetle elytra bearing or lacking CHCs of different lady beetle species. Finally, we characterized CHC profiles of the lady beetles using GC–MS. In general, the aggression of Lasius niger was more frequent than that of Myrmica rubra and L. niger aggression was more frequent towards most native lady beetle species compared to H. axyridis. The removal of CHCs from lady beetle elytra reduced aggression of both ant species. If CHCs of respective lady beetle species were added on cue-free elytra, natural strength of L. niger aggression could be restored. CHC analyses revealed a distinct cue composition for each lady beetle species. Our experiments demonstrate that the presence of chemical cues on the surface of lady beetles contribute to the strength of ant aggression against lady beetles. Reduced aggression of L. niger towards H. axyridis and reduced avoidance behavior in H. axyridis compared to the equally voracious C. septempunctata might improve the invasive lady beetle’s access to ant-tended aphids.

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Hairy Nightshade as a Potential Potato leafroll virus (Luteoviridae: Polerovirus) Inoculum Source in Pacific Northwest Potato Ecosystems

Phytopathology ◽

10.1094/phyto-98-9-0985 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 98 (9) ◽

pp. 985-991 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

R. Srinivasan ◽

J. M. Alvarez

Keyword(s):

Pacific Northwest ◽

Green Peach Aphid ◽

Potato Leafroll Virus ◽

Inoculum Sources ◽

Inoculum Source ◽

Hairy Nightshade ◽

Aphid Density ◽

Temporal And Spatial ◽

Green Peach Aphids ◽

Leafroll Virus

Hairy nightshade, Solanum sarrachoides, is a solanaceous weed found abundantly in Pacific Northwest potato ecosystems. It serves as a reservoir for one of the important potato viruses, Potato leafroll virus (PLRV) (Luteoviridae: Polerovirus), and its most important vector, the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Homoptera: Aphididae). Laboratory research indicated an increased green peach aphid settling and performance on S. sarrachoides than on potato. It also revealed that green peach aphids transmitted PLRV more efficiently from S. sarrachoides to potato than from potato to potato. To test the efficiency of S. sarrachoides as an inoculum source in the field, a two season (2004 and 2005) trial was conducted at Kimberly, Idaho. Two inoculum sources, PLRV-infected potato and PLRV-infected S. sarrachoides, were compared in this trial. Green peach aphid density and temporal and spatial PLRV spread were monitored at weekly intervals. Higher densities of green peach aphids were observed on plots with S. sarrachoides and inoculum sources (PLRV-infected S. sarrachoides and potato) than on plots without S. sarrachoides and inoculum sources. PLRV infection in plots with PLRV-infected S. sarrachoides was similar to or slightly higher than in plots with PLRV-infected potato as an inoculum source. Temporal and spatial PLRV spread was similar in plots with either inoculum source. Thus, S. sarrachoides is as efficient as or a better PLRV inoculum source than potato.

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Review of lady beetles in the Cycloneda germainii species complex (Coleoptera; Coccinellidae: Coccinellinae: Coccinellini) with descriptions of new and unusual species from Chile and surrounding countries

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.1311.1.2 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 1311 (1) ◽

pp. 13 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

GUILLERMO GONZÁLEZ ◽

NATALIA J. VANDENBERG

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Species Complex ◽

Lady Beetle ◽

Valid Species ◽

Beetle Species ◽

Lady Beetles ◽

Three New Species

A complex of lady beetle species including Cycloneda germainii (Crotch) is reviewed and seven valid species recognized, including C. germainii, C. eryngii (Mulsant), C. sicardi (Brèthes), C. boliviana (Mulsant), and three new species, C. lacrimosa González & Vandenberg, n. sp., C. disconsolata Vandenberg & González, n. sp., and C. patagonica González & Vandenberg, n. sp.

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Production of alarm pheromone starts at embryo stage and is modulated by rearing conditions and farnesyl diphosphate synthase genes in the bird cherry-oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485319000154 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 109 (6) ◽

pp. 821-830 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

C.-X. Sun ◽

Z.-X. Li

Keyword(s):

Alarm Pheromone ◽

Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Rhopalosiphum Padi ◽

Farnesyl Diphosphate ◽

Farnesyl Diphosphate Synthase ◽

Nymphal Stage ◽

Rearing Conditions ◽

Old Adult ◽

Embryo Stage ◽

Aphid Alarm Pheromone

AbstractThe major component of aphid alarm pheromone is (E)-β-farnesene (EβF), but the molecular mechanisms of EβF synthesis are poorly understood. Here we established a biological model to study the modulation of EβF synthesis in the bird cherry-oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi by using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and RNA interference. Our results showed that the rearing conditions significantly affected the weight of adult and modulated EβF synthesis in a transgenerational manner. Specifically, the quantity of EβF per milligram of aphid was significantly reduced in the individually reared adult or 1st-instar nymphs derived from 1-day-old adult reared individually, but EβF in the nymph derived from 2-day-old adult that experienced collective conditions returned to normal. Further study revealed that the production of EβF started in embryo and was extended to early nymphal stage, which was modulated by farnesyl diphosphate synthase genes (RpFPPS1 and RpFPPS2) and rearing conditions. Knockdown of RpFPPS1 and RpFPPS2 confirmed the role played by FPPS in the biosynthesis of aphid alarm pheromone. Our results suggested that the production of EβF starts at the embryo stage and is modulated by FPPS and rearing conditions in R. padi, which sheds lights on the modulatory mechanisms of EβF in the aphid.

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