Cuticular hydrocarbon divergence in the jewel wasp <i><scp>N</scp>asonia</i>: evolutionary shifts in chemical communication channels?

Buellesbach, Jan; Gadau, Jürgen; Beukeboom, Leo W.; Echinger, Felix; Raychoudhury, Rhitoban; Werren, John H.; Schmitt, Thomas

doi:10.1111/jeb.12242

Cited by 51 publications

(101 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Extrapolating these findings on the entire Nasonia species complex, we recently were able to show that the highly sex‐ and species‐specific cuticular hydrocarbon profiles constitute female traits that the males can perceive and discriminate as sexual cues (Buellesbach et al. ). This is in accordance with the findings in this study, where frequent antennal contact with the female before mounting her (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…This strongly indicates the potential of mate preference and discrimination in Nasonia males as well, potentially mediated through the detection of species‐specific female cuticular hydrocarbon profiles as sexual cues (Buellesbach et al. ). Thus, male choice behaviour apparently also contributes to assortative mating, adding yet another layer to the complex interactions of pre‐zygotic hybridization barriers in the Nasonia species complex.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

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Asymmetric Assortative Mating Behaviour Reflects Incomplete Pre‐zygotic Isolation in the Nasonia Species Complex

et al. 2014

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Preference of con‐ over heterospecific mates leading to assortative mating can substantially contribute to pre‐zygotic reproductive isolation and prevent fitness losses if post‐zygotic hybridization barriers already exist. The jewel wasp genus Nasonia displays quite strong and well‐studied post‐zygotic reproductive isolation due to a ubiquitous Wolbachia infection causing cytoplasmic incompatibility between different species. Pre‐zygotic isolation, however, has received far less research attention in this model organism, especially concerning the mechanisms and criteria of mate choice. In the present study, we analysed mate rejection and mate acceptance rates in cross‐comparisons between all four Nasonia species. We put emphasis on observing which sex is more likely to interrupt interspecific matings and how discriminatory behaviour varies across the different species in all possible combinations. We found an asymmetric distribution of assortative mating among the four Nasonia species that appears to be highly influenced by the respective combinations of sex and species. Females appeared to be the main discriminators against heterospecific mating partners, but interestingly, we could also detect mate discrimination and rejection behaviour in males, a widely neglected factor in research on mating behaviour in general and on Nasonia in particular. Moreover, the asymmetry in the assortative mating behaviour was partially reflective of sym‐ or allopatric distributions of natural Nasonia populations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Asymmetric Assortative Mating Behaviour Reflects Incomplete Pre‐zygotic Isolation in the Nasonia Species Complex

et al. 2014

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“…In contrast to N. vitripennis , the chemical basis of mate recognition in the other three Nasonia species is not well understood yet. Two recent studies showed surprisingly that males of N. giraulti , confronted with dead females, preferred N. vitripennis females over conspecific ones (Buellesbach et al., ; Giesbers et al., ). The same preference was observed, when complete cuticular lipid extracts (hexane extracts) of female wasps were applied to washed wasp cadavers (so‐called dummies; Buellesbach et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two recent studies showed surprisingly that males of N. giraulti , confronted with dead females, preferred N. vitripennis females over conspecific ones (Buellesbach et al., ; Giesbers et al., ). The same preference was observed, when complete cuticular lipid extracts (hexane extracts) of female wasps were applied to washed wasp cadavers (so‐called dummies; Buellesbach et al., ). These results pointed to a seemingly non‐adaptive preference for heterospecific over conspecific mating partners in N. giraulti males, which is somewhat difficult to explain from an evolutionary perspective.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The chemical basis of mate recognition in two parasitoid wasp species of the genus Nasonia

Mair

Kmezic

Huber

et al. 2017

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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To recognize one's mate is essential for all sexually reproducing animals. In insects, mate recognition is often based on chemical cues such as hydrocarbons which are distributed over the insect's cuticle. In the parasitoid wasp genus Nasonia (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), interspecific mating possibly occurs in microsympatry between Nasonia vitripennis Walker and Nasonia giraulti Darling despite post‐zygotic isolation mechanisms preventing hybridization. Males of N. vitripennis are known to equally court con‐ and heterospecific females, which they recognize by means of cuticular hydrocarbons. A recent study surprisingly showed that this might not be the case in N. giraulti, leaving open how males of this species achieve the recognition of mating partners. In this study, we investigated chemical mate recognition in N. giraulti in more detail and compared observed behaviors with behaviors of N. vitripennis by conducting experiments with both species concurrently and under the same experimental conditions. We disentangled the role of female‐derived non‐polar cuticular lipids – i.e., cuticular hydrocarbons – and more polar cuticular lipids in the ability of males to recognize con‐ and heterospecific females. In addition, we tested whether females of the two species discriminate similarly between con‐ and heterospecific males. We demonstrate that, in contrast to N. vitripennis, males of N. giraulti prefer live conspecific females over heterospecific ones. Furthermore, in contrast to N. vitripennis, mate recognition in N. giraulti males is not based on cuticular hydrocarbons, but rather involves other chemical messengers, presumably more polar cuticular lipids. In both species, discrimination against heterospecific males decreases with female age.

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“…Chemical signalling is an important mode of communication in arthropods, contributing to species recognition (e.g. Buellesbach et al ., ), social cohesion (e.g. nestmate recognition, van Wilgenburg et al ., ), sex discrimination (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual dimorphism in epicuticular compounds despite similar sexual selection in sex role‐reversed seed beetles

Booksmythe

Rundle

Arnqvist

2017

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Sexual selection imposed by mating preferences is often implicated in the evolution of both sexual dimorphism and divergence between species in signalling traits. Epicuticular compounds (ECs) are important signalling traits in insects and show extensive variability among and within taxa. Here, we investigate whether variation in the multivariate EC profiles of two sex role-reversed beetle species, Megabruchidius dorsalis and Megabruchidius tonkineus, predicts mate attractiveness and mating success in males and females. The two species had highly distinct EC profiles and both showed significant sexual dimorphism in ECs. Age and mating status in both species were also distinguishable by EC profile. Males and females of both species showed significant association between their EC profile and attractiveness, measured both as latency to mating and as success in mate-choice trials. Remarkably, the major multivariate vector describing attractiveness was correlated in both species, both sexes, and in both choice and no-choice experiments such that increased attractiveness was in all cases associated with a similar multivariate modification of EC composition. Furthermore, in both sexes this vector of attractiveness was associated with more male-like EC profiles, as well as those characterizing younger and nonvirgin individuals, which might reflect a general preference for individuals of high condition in both sexes. Despite significant sexual selection on EC composition, however, we found no support for the proposition that sexual selection is responsible for divergence in ECs between these species.

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Cuticular hydrocarbon divergence in the jewel wasp Nasonia: evolutionary shifts in chemical communication channels?

Cited by 51 publications

References 64 publications

Asymmetric Assortative Mating Behaviour Reflects Incomplete Pre‐zygotic Isolation in the Nasonia Species Complex

Asymmetric Assortative Mating Behaviour Reflects Incomplete Pre‐zygotic Isolation in the Nasonia Species Complex

The chemical basis of mate recognition in two parasitoid wasp species of the genus Nasonia

Sexual dimorphism in epicuticular compounds despite similar sexual selection in sex role‐reversed seed beetles

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