Composition of aphid alarm pheromones

Pickett, John A.; Griffiths, D. C.

doi:10.1007/bf01402913

Cited by 185 publications

(127 citation statements)

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“…Alarm pheromone, which for most aphid species consists predominantly of EBF, is a central component of this intraspecies communication (1,2). Other alarm pheromone components have been studied less extensively, and it remains to be determined whether aphids can become habituated to these compounds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Aphid avoidance of predators involves the production of an alarm pheromone. Across a remarkable diversity of aphids, the alarm pheromone contains a mixture of compounds with (E)-β-Farnesene (EBF) as the predominant component (1)(2)(3). Detection of EBF results in an array of aphid escape behaviors that, depending on the species and developmental stage, can include flying, walking away, and dropping off the plant.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…this species uses EBF as the major constituent of its alarm pheromone (2). M. persicae that detect EBF rapidly withdraw their stylets from the plant sieve elements and move away from the emitting source.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Alarm pheromone habituation in Myzus persicae has fitness consequences and causes extensive gene expression changes

Vos

Cheng

Summers

et al. 2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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In most aphid species, facultative parthenogenetic reproduction allows rapid growth and formation of large single-genotype colonies. Upon predator attack, individual aphids emit an alarm pheromone to warn the colony of this danger. (E)-β-farnesene (EBF) is the predominant constituent of the alarm pheromone in Myzus persicae (green peach aphid) and many other aphid species. Continuous exposure to alarm pheromone in aphid colonies raised on transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants that produce EBF leads to habituation within three generations. Whereas naive aphids are repelled by EBF, habituated aphids show no avoidance response. Similarly, individual aphids from the habituated colony can revert back to being EBF-sensitive in three generations, indicating that this behavioral change is not caused by a genetic mutation. Instead, DNA microarray experiments comparing gene expression in naive and habituated aphids treated with EBF demonstrate an almost complete desensitization in the transcriptional response to EBF. Furthermore, EBF-habituated aphids show increased progeny production relative to EBF-responsive aphids, with or without EBF treatment. Although both naive and habituated aphids emit EBF upon damage, EBF-responsive aphids have a higher survival rate in the presence of a coccinellid predator (Hippodamia convergens), and thus outperform habituated aphids that do not show an avoidance response. These results provide evidence that aphid perception of conspecific alarm pheromone aids in predator avoidance and thereby bestows fitness benefits in survivorship and fecundity. Therefore, although habituated M. persicae produce more progeny, EBF-emitting transgenic plants may have practical applications in agriculture as a result of increased predation of habituated aphids.aphid | (E)-beta-farnesene | Hippodamia convergens | microarray | sesquiterpene R apid population growth of aphids is facilitated by their parthenogenetic lifestyle, which often results in the establishment of large single-genotype colonies in the field. In agricultural settings, aphid populations can be controlled with natural enemies such as coccinellid beetles and parasitoid wasps. Despite the effectiveness of biological control, behavioral responses to the threat of predation may allow aphids to persist as pests. Aphid avoidance of predators involves the production of an alarm pheromone. Across a remarkable diversity of aphids, the alarm pheromone contains a mixture of compounds with (E)-β-Farnesene (EBF) as the predominant component (1-3). Detection of EBF results in an array of aphid escape behaviors that, depending on the species and developmental stage, can include flying, walking away, and dropping off the plant.EBF is a volatile sesquiterpene released from cornicles on the aphid's abdomen (4). When an aphid is attacked, it can release EBF in a range of concentrations, depending on the stress that is encountered, as well as the specific species, lineage, and developmental stage of the aphid itself (5-10). EBF-treated Acyrthosiphon pisum do no...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Alarm pheromone habituation in Myzus persicae has fitness consequences and causes extensive gene expression changes

Vos

Cheng

Summers

et al. 2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…This fact suggests that an effective way to employ E␤f in plant protection would be to modify crop plants genetically to produce E␤f (15) as an aphid repellent. However, many plants producing E␤f naturally also emit a wide range of other sesquiterpenes, beyond the traces of E␤f isomers produced by some aphids (16), particularly ␤-caryophyllene and (Ϫ)-germacrene D, which are inhibitory to the alarm activity (17,13). This finding demonstrates the adaptation of aphids to discriminate between the extremely pure E␤f produced by conspecifics and the mixture of related compounds produced naturally by plants.…”

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confidence: 97%

Aphid alarm pheromone produced by transgenic plants affects aphid and parasitoid behavior

Beale

Birkett

Bruce

et al. 2006

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

279

221

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The alarm pheromone for many species of aphids, which causes dispersion in response to attack by predators or parasitoids, consists of the sesquiterpene (E)-␤-farnesene (E␤f). We used high levels of expression in Arabidopsis thaliana plants of an E␤f synthase gene cloned from Mentha ؋ piperita to cause emission of pure E␤f. These plants elicited potent effects on behavior of the aphid Myzus persicae (alarm and repellent responses) and its parasitoid Diaeretiella rapae (an arrestant response). Here, we report the transformation of a plant to produce an insect pheromone and demonstrate that the resulting emission affects behavioral responses at two trophic levels.Diaeretiella rapae ͉ Myzus persicae ͉ semiochemical ͉ volatile ͉ farnesene

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“…Germacrene D, considered a backbone molecule for synthesizing other sesquiterpenes, occurs widely in over 40 plant families (He & Cane 2004;Dudareva et al 2006), but has not been found in Brassica spp with the exception of the report by Shiojiri et al (2001). Similarly, (E)-β-farnesene, which has been reported to act either as an allomone, an attractant or a kairomone in various insects (Francis et al 2004), as well as a pheromone, not only in insects (Pickett & Griffiths 1980) but also in African elephants and brown rats (Goodwin et al 2006;Zhang et al 2008), is not present in Brassica spp. The ability of the specialized ORNs to detect such non-host-plant species-specific volatiles may be used by the diamondback moth to discriminate between host and non-host plants as suggested previously by Park et al (2013).…”

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confidence: 99%

Enhanced Attraction of <I>Plutella xylostella</I> (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) to Pheromone-Baited Traps With the Addition of Green Leaf Volatiles

Li¹,

Zhu²,

Qin³

2012

jnl. econ. entom.

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Composition of aphid alarm pheromones

Cited by 185 publications

References 12 publications

Alarm pheromone habituation in Myzus persicae has fitness consequences and causes extensive gene expression changes

Alarm pheromone habituation in Myzus persicae has fitness consequences and causes extensive gene expression changes

Aphid alarm pheromone produced by transgenic plants affects aphid and parasitoid behavior

Enhanced Attraction of <I>Plutella xylostella</I> (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) to Pheromone-Baited Traps With the Addition of Green Leaf Volatiles

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