Specificity of population-aggregating pheromones in Dendroctonus

Pitman, G. B.; Vité, J. P.; Kinzer, G.W.; Fentiman, Allison F.

doi:10.1016/0022-1910(69)90282-0

Cited by 111 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…When a female lands on a tree, she initiates a gallery within the phloem and begins to emit the aggregation pheromone frontalin, which is attractive to both sexes, and trans-verbenol, which synergises the attraction of frontalin (Payne et al 1978). The male joins his eventual mate within the gallery (probably within hours of the female's arrival) and begins to release endo-brevicomin (Pitman et al 1969), which further facilitates aggregation (Vité et al 1985) but might also promote the initiation of attacks on adjacent trees (Sullivan, unpublished data). A few days later in the attack progression on a tree, both sexes release the antiaggregation pheromones verbenone (predominantly males) and myrtenol, which tend to reduce the final density of beetle attacks (and intraspecific competition within the phloem; Payne et al 1978).…”

Section: Study Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

High individual variation in pheromone production by tree-killing bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Sullivan

Ayres

2007

Naturwissenschaften

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Aggregation via pheromone signalling is essential for tree-killing bark beetles to overcome tree defenses and reproduce within hosts. Pheromone production is a trait that is linked to fitness, so high individual variation is paradoxical. One explanation is that the technique of measuring static pheromone pools overestimates true variation among individuals. An alternative hypothesis is that aggregation behaviour dilutes the contribution of individuals to the trait under selection and reduces the efficacy of natural selection on pheromone production by individuals. We compared pheromone measurements from traditional hindgut extractions of female southern pine beetles with those obtained by aerating individuals till they died. Aerations showed greater total pheromone production than hindgut extractions, but coefficients of variation (CV) remained high (60-182%) regardless of collection technique. This leaves the puzzle of high variation unresolved. A novel but simple explanation emerges from considering bark beetle aggregation behaviour. The phenotype visible to natural selection is the collective pheromone plume from hundreds of colonisers. The influence of a single beetle on this plume is enhanced by high variation among individuals but constrained by large group sizes. We estimated the average contribution of an individual to the pheromone plume across a range of aggregation sizes and showed that large aggregation sizes typical in mass attacks limit the potential of natural selection because each individual has so little effect on the overall plume. Genetic variation in pheromone production could accumulate via mutation and recombination, despite strong effects of the pheromone plume on the fitness of individuals within the aggregation. Thus, aggregation behaviour, by limiting the efficacy of natural selection, can allow the persistence of extreme phenotypes in nature.

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Section: Study Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

High individual variation in pheromone production by tree-killing bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Sullivan

Ayres

2007

Naturwissenschaften

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“…trans-Verbenol is produced predominantly by females and synergises the attraction of frontalin (Payne et al 1978). Males pair with females and produce endo-brevicomin (Pitman et al 1969), which further facilitates aggregation at low concentrations, but acts as an antiaggregation pheromone at high concentrations (Vite´et al 1985;B.T. Sullivan, 2004, personal communication).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Fitness consequences of pheromone production and host selection strategies in a tree-killing bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

2006

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Timing of arrival at a resource often determines an individual's reproductive success. Tree-killing bark beetles can reproduce in healthy trees by attacking in adequate numbers to overcome host defences that could otherwise be lethal. This process is mediated by aggregation and antiaggregation pheromones. Beetles that arrive early in such a "mass attack" must contend with undiminished tree defences, and produce enough pheromones to attract more beetles, but have a head start on gallery construction and egg-laying. Beetles that arrive late may be impeded by competition and diminishing availability of phloem, but should experience fewer costs associated with pheromone production and battling tree defences. We investigated relationships between timing of arrival, body size, pheromone production and fitness in the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis. In field experiments, we captured beetles that arrived early (pioneers) and late on slash pine trees, Pinus elliottii, and measured pheromone amounts in their hindguts. We marked gallery entrances of beetles as they landed on a tree and measured their reproductive success after the attack terminated. We found no difference in body size or pheromone amounts between early and late arrivers. Most beetles arrived at the middle of the attack sequence, and excavated longer galleries per day than early arrivers. The number of offspring produced per day by beetles that established galleries midway through mass attack was higher than those that arrived early or very late in the sequence. Our results suggest that beetles do not exhibit adaptive phenotypic plasticity in pre-landing pheromone production, depending on the extent of previous colonisation of a host. Rather, it appears that stabilising selection favours beetles that attack in the middle of the sequence, and contributes to attack synchrony. Synchronous attack on trees is essential before population booms characteristic of tree-killing bark beetles can occur in nature.

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“…Verbenone, 4,6,6-trimethylbicyclo[3.1.1]-hept-3-en-2-one, was Þrst found associated with male Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann and Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte (Renwick 1967) and subsequently has been found in association with several additional species of bark beetles (Pitman et al 1969, Renwick and Vité 1970, Hughes et al 1976). Verbenone is thought to have a general inhibitory effect , especially with phloeophagous insects using fresh phloem (Lindgren and Miller 2002).…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

A Test of High-Dose Verbenone for Stand-Level Protection of Lodgepole and Whitebark Pine from Mountain Pine Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Attacks

Bentz

Kegley

Gibson

et al. 2005

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The efficacy of verbenone as a stand-level protectant against mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, attacks was tested in lodgepole and whitebark pine stands at five geographically separated sites, including three consecutive years at one site. Forty and 20 high-dose pouches, with a verbenone emission rate up to 50 mg/d per pouch, were spaced in a grid pattern throughout 0.40-ha plots, replicated up to six times at each site. Although the verbenone treatment did not prevent beetles from dispersing through treated stands, attacking large-diameter trees most frequently, the overall number of trees attacked was, on average, reduced significantly compared with nontreated stands. In a few blocks each year, verbenone-treated plots had more attacked trees than controls. These blocks tended to have a large emerging beetle population, exceeding 140 previously attacked trees within the hectare including and surrounding the treated area. Additional research is needed on the behavioral role of verbenone in mountain pine beetle population dynamics and quantification of the infestation level above which treatment efficacy tends to be reduced.

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Specificity of population-aggregating pheromones in Dendroctonus

Cited by 111 publications

References 6 publications

High individual variation in pheromone production by tree-killing bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

High individual variation in pheromone production by tree-killing bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Fitness consequences of pheromone production and host selection strategies in a tree-killing bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

A Test of High-Dose Verbenone for Stand-Level Protection of Lodgepole and Whitebark Pine from Mountain Pine Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Attacks

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