Female insect pheromone blends induce robust tracking responses in males and direct them into traps. In vertebrates, pheromones that induce strong and precise tracking responses in natural habitats have rarely been described. Here, we show in the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), a vertebrate invader of the Laurential Great Lakes, that a synthesized component of the male mating pheromone, 7␣, 12␣, 24-trihydroxy-5␣-cholan-3-one 24-sulfate (3kPZS), when released into a stream to reach concentrations of 10 ؊14 , 10 ؊13 , 10 ؊12 ,10 ؊11 , or 10 ؊10 M, triggers robust upstream movement in ovulated females drawing Ϸ50% into baited traps. Experiments conducted in diverse stream segments demonstrate the level of behavioral response was not affected by habitat conditions and is effective over hundreds of meters. 3kPZS is equally effective at luring ovulated females as the whole pheromone blend released by males between 10 ؊14 and 10 ؊11 M. 3kPZS diverts ovulated females away from and disrupts orientation to male washings when applied at concentrations higher than washings. Indeed, a single pheromone compound is able to redirect female sea lampreys away from a natural pheromone source and lure them into traps, which should be more effective than targeting males when applied in population control. Our findings may spur the discovery of other potent and environmentally benign agents to combat biological invasion, a process accelerated by globalization, exacerbated by climate change, and costing the global economy US$ 1.4 trillion of damage annually.invasive species ͉ odorant tracking ͉ pest control ͉ odorant disruption ͉ jawless vertebrate
Previous studies of lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, spawning habitat in the Laurentian Great Lakes have used time-and labour-intensive survey methods and have focused on areas with historic observations of spawning aggregations and on habitats prejudged by researchers to be suitable for spawning. As an alternative, we used fine-scale acoustic telemetry to locate, describe and compare lake trout spawning habitats. Adult lake trout were implanted with acoustic transmitters and tracked during five consecutive spawning seasons in a 19-27 km 2 region of the Drummond Island Refuge, Lake Huron, using the VEMCO Positioning System. Acoustic telemetry revealed discrete areas of aggregation on at least five reefs in the study area, subsequently confirmed by divers to contain deposited eggs. Notably, several identified spawning sites would likely not have been discovered using traditional methods because either they were too small and obscure to stand out on a bathymetric map or because they did not conform to the conceptual model of spawning habitat held by many biologists. Our most unique observation was egg deposition in gravel and rubble substrates located at the base of and beneath overhanging edges of large boulders. Spawning sites typically comprised <10% of the reef area and were used consistently over the 5-year study. Evaluation of habitat selection from the perspective of fish behaviour through use of acoustic transmitters offers potential to expand current conceptual models of critical spawning habitat.
K E Y W O R D SLaurentian Great Lakes, positional acoustic telemetry, spawning habitat selection, spawning reefs, VEMCO positioning system
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