Effect of a Probiotic-Enriched Diet on Sexual Competitiveness, Pheromone Emission, and Cuticular Hydrocarbons of Sterile and Fertile Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract

The sterile insect technique has been used for the eradication or control of numerous tephritid fruit flies. However, mass-rearing and sterilization can affect the microbiota and sexual performance of male tephritid fruit flies. Despite the addition of postteneral protein food which contributes to the enhancement of the sexual performance of mass-reared males, in some cases, they are less competitive than their wild counterparts. Alternatively, the addition of probiotics may improve the sexual performance of mass-reared sterile males. In this study, we evaluated the effect of a postteneral Lactobacillus casei-enriched diet on the sexual competitivity, pheromone emission, and cuticular hydrocarbons of mass-reared sterile and fertile Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae) males. Flies were fed either with sugar, standard diet (sugar and protein, 3:1), sugar + probiotic, or standard diet + probiotic. The addition of the probiotic improved the sexual competitivity of fertile and sterile males that were devoid of protein but led to a negative effect on males fed with a standard diet. As compared to males that were fed with the standard diet + probiotic/only sugar, the males fed with the standard diet or those fed on sugar + probiotic displayed a higher number of mating instances. Sterile males that fed on sugar + probiotic had a higher relative amount of anastrephine, epianastrephine, n-methyl octacosane, and 2-methyl triacontane than those fed on sugar only. Overall, these compounds were common in the treatments where males had the best sexual performance. Our results suggest that the probiotics offer nutritional advantages to males whose food lacks protein.

Reproductive behavior of fruit flies: courtship, mating, and oviposition

“…83 A lack of protein will reduce the sexual competitiveness of fruit flies, but probiotic addition will compensate for this, as observed in A. ludens. 228 In addition to protein, sugar is an essential nutrient for fruit fly survival and plays a role in sex pheromone synthesis. As in B. dorsalis, glucose serves as an important substrate for TMP and TTMP synthesis in Bacillus.…”

“…Protein intake also makes A. obliqua more sensitive to sex pheromones 83 . A lack of protein will reduce the sexual competitiveness of fruit flies, but probiotic addition will compensate for this, as observed in A. ludens 228 . In addition to protein, sugar is an essential nutrient for fruit fly survival and plays a role in sex pheromone synthesis.…”

Genetic variation for rectal gland volatiles among recently collected isofemale lines and a domesticated strain of Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Diptera: Tephritidae)

“…Several of the key genera are highly speciose [13,14], and some now-sympatric sibling species pairs have been shown to be effectively isolated by differences in mating behaviours [15,16]. Moreover many are important horticultural pests [17,18], and there has been considerable research into biologically based control methods such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and Male Annihilation Technique (MAT) which exploit and/or intervene in aspects of mating or more general sex-specific behaviours [19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. There is also increasing interest in the biochemistries underpinning those behaviours, which are often found to involve semiochemicals [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34].…”