Experimental evidence for interspecific directional selection on moth pheromone communication

Groot, Astrid T.; Horovitz, Joy; Hamilton, Jennifer; Santangelo, Richard G.; Schal, Coby

doi:10.1073/pnas.0508609103

Cited by 93 publications

(109 citation statements)

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“…The reason why the pit vipers have a special preference for moths is unknown. A possible assumption would be that they are attracted by the smell of pheromone given off by the moths for sex attraction (Groot et al, 2006). These questions need further investigation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new moth-preying alpine pit viper species from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (Viperidae, Crotalinae)

et al. 2017

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Abstract. The Sanjiangyuan region of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot of alpine mammals but a barren area in terms of amphibians and reptiles. Here, we describe a new pit viper species, Gloydius rubromaculatus sp. n. Shi, Li and Liu, 2017 that was discovered in this region, with a brief taxonomic revision of the genus Gloydius. The new species can be distinguished from the other congeneric species by the following characteristics: cardinal crossbands on the back, indistinct canthus rostralis, glossy dorsal scales, colubrid-like oval head shape, irregular small black spots on the head scales, black eyes and high altitude distribution (3300-4770 m above sea level). The mitochondrial phylogenetic reconstruction supported the validity of the new species and furthermore reaffirms that G. intermedius changdaoensis, G. halys cognatus, G. h. caraganus and G. h. stejnegeri should be elevated as full species. Gloydius rubromaculatus sp. n. was found to be insectivorous: preying on moths (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Sideridis sp.) in the wild. This unusual diet may be one of the key factors to the survival of this species in such a harsh alpine environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new moth-preying alpine pit viper species from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (Viperidae, Crotalinae)

et al. 2017

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“…Although previous studies (Gries et al, 2001;McElfresh and Millar, 2001) had only demonstrated the pattern of reproductive character displacement among moth species, Groot et al (2006) conducted experiments to determine whether communication interference from males of these closely related species could exert strong enough directional selection to cause evolution of chemical mating signals in the face of stabilizing selection by conspecifics. Specifically, they first tested whether interspecific communication interference could be a directional selection force: they introduced quantitative trait locus (QTL) for low production of the acetate compound (typical of Hv female pheromone blend) into an Hs genetic background and measured, in field and cage experiments, the capacity of modified Hs females to attract and mate with Hs and Hv males.…”

Section: Evolution Of Chemosensory Premating Isolationmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the scent of speciation: the chemosensory system and its role in premating isolation

2008

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Chemosensory speciation is characterized by the evolution of barriers to genetic exchange that involve chemosensory systems and chemical signals. Here, we review some representative studies documenting chemosensory speciation in an attempt to evaluate the importance and the different aspects of the process in nature and to gain insights into the genetic basis and the evolutionary mechanisms of chemosensory trait divergence. Although most studies of chemosensory speciation concern sexual isolation mediated by pheromone divergence, especially in Drosophila and moth species, other chemically based behaviours (habitat choice, pollinator attraction) can also play an important role in speciation and are likely to do so in a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate species. Adaptive divergence of chemosensory traits in response to factors such as pollinators, hosts and conspecifics commonly drives the evolution of chemical prezygotic barriers. Although the genetic basis of chemosensory speciation remains largely unknown, genomic approaches to chemosensory gene families and to enzymes involved in biosynthetic pathways of signal compounds now provide new opportunities to dissect the genetic basis of these complex traits and of their divergence among taxa.

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“…Heliothis virescens (hereafter referred to as Hv) is a generalist, feeding on plants in over 14 families, whereas Heliothis subflexa (Hs) specializes on plants within the genus Physalis (28,29). These two species are not attracted to each other in field locations where they cooccur because of differential response to pheromone blends (28), but they can be mated and backcrossed in the laboratory (28). Our previous quantitative trait locus (QTL) studies with backcross (BC) families demonstrated that genes on at least nine of the 31 Heliothis chromosomes contribute to the differences between the species in the volatile compounds produced by the pheromone gland and indicate that there can be epistatic interactions among the QTL (29,30).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…To further examine the role of genes within C27 in male response, Hs-C27 was introgressed into the Hv genomic background by repeatedly backcrossing females with Hs-C27 to Hv males (for general methods see refs. 28,48). This resulted in a BC line that was identical to Hv except that about 1/2 of the individuals inherited one copy of Hs-C27 (checked with AFLPs and HR14 sequences).…”

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Sexual isolation of male moths explained by a single pheromone response QTL containing four receptor genes

Estock

Hillier

Powell

et al. 2010

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

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Long distance sexual communication in moths has fascinated biologists because of the complex, precise female pheromone signals and the extreme sensitivity of males to specific pheromone molecules. Progress has been made in identifying some genes involved in female pheromone production and in male response. However, we have lacked information on the genetic changes involved in evolutionary diversification of these mate-finding mechanisms that is critical to understanding speciation in moths and other taxa. We used a combined quantitative trait locus (QTL) and candidate gene approach to determine the genetic architecture of sexual isolation in males of two congeneric moths, Heliothis subflexa and Heliothis virescens. We report behavioral and neurophysiological evidence that differential male responses to three female-produced chemicals (Z9-14:Ald, Z9-16:Ald, Z11-16:OAc) that maintain sexual isolation of these species are all controlled by a single QTL containing at least four odorant receptor genes. It is not surprising that pheromone receptor differences could control H. subflexa and H. virescens responses to Z9-16:Ald and Z9-14:Ald, respectively. However, central rather than peripheral level control over the positive and negative responses of H. subflexa and H. virescens to Z11-16:OAc had been expected. Tight linkage of these receptor genes indicates that mutations altering male response to complex blends could be maintained in linkage disequilibrium and could affect the speciation process.Other candidate genes such as those coding for pheromone binding proteins did not map to this QTL, but there was some genetic evidence of a QTL for response to Z11-16:OH associated with a sensory neuron membrane protein gene.mating | speciation | AFLP | odorant receptor | Heliothis E volutionary diversification of sexual communication traits remains paradoxical (1, 2) because signal production and signal reception are under independent genetic control, and a mutation causing an alteration in one component of the system is predicted to reduce efficiency of communication and to cause a loss of fitness. The resulting stabilizing selection is expected to promote evolutionary stasis, not diversification (3-5). Systems in which changes in signals and responses are governed by the same genetic alterations (i.e., pleiotropy) should be less evolutionarily constrained in many cases (6), and studies of mating communication have revealed a few systems that appear to have this property (7-9). However, no pleiotropy has been found between signal production and response in moths (e.g., 5, 10). Because female and male moths with divergent signals and responses appear to be selected against (11, 12), we have no simple explanation for the great diversity of moths (∼180,000 species) and moth pheromones (5,13,14).Beyond capturing the attention of evolutionary biologists, the diversity of long distance, pheromone-based sexual communication traits in moths has become a focus of some molecular biologists, biochemists, neurophysiologists, and communi...

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Experimental evidence for interspecific directional selection on moth pheromone communication

Cited by 93 publications

References 87 publications

A new moth-preying alpine pit viper species from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (Viperidae, Crotalinae)

A new moth-preying alpine pit viper species from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (Viperidae, Crotalinae)

On the scent of speciation: the chemosensory system and its role in premating isolation

Sexual isolation of male moths explained by a single pheromone response QTL containing four receptor genes

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