The scent of love: how important are semiochemicals in the sexual behavior of lady beetles?

Fassotte, Bérénice; Francis, Frédéric; Verheggen, François

doi:10.1007/s10340-016-0735-x

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…The higher abundance of predators, especially ladybeetles, in 2014 might be due to the early summer in that year, favouring greater insect occurrence in early spring compared to 2015. In addition, other studies conducted in the same region report a very low density of ladybeetles in 2015, indicating that their abundance was low that year in the region of Gembloux (Fassotte, 2016;. Similar annual variability in ladybeetle abundance is reported in Belgium (Vandereycken et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Do flower mixtures with high functional diversity enhance aphid predators in wildflower strips?

Hatt¹,

Uyttenbroeck²,

Lopes³

et al. 2017

Eur. J. Entomol.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Do flower mixtures with high functional diversity enhance aphid predators in wildflower strips?

Hatt¹,

Uyttenbroeck²,

Lopes³

et al. 2017

Eur. J. Entomol.

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“…Ladybird species exhibit a range of behavioral traits associated with reproduction, and chemical cues are usually involved (Fassotte et al, 2016). Like other ladybeetle species, freshly emerged H. axyridis adults pass through a pre-mating period during which their gonads mature (Obata and Hidaka, 1987).…”

Section: Mate Location Mating and Ovipositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A significant number of published reports highlight the role of cuticular chemicals (Fassotte et al, 2016). Indeed, the qualitative and quantitative profile of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) tend to be species and gender specific, making them good candidates for mate recognition .…”

Section: Mate Location Mating and Ovipositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral and Immunological Features Promoting the Invasive Performance of the Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis

2017

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The harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis is now established as a model to test hypotheses explaining why some species become successfully invasive, while others, even closely related ones, do not. In this review, we evaluate behavioral and immunological features that may play a role in the invasive performance of this model species. We discuss the behavioral traits and associated semiochemicals that promote the invasive success of H. axyridis. In particular, we consider (1) the aggregative behavior and the particular role of long-chain hydrocarbons; (2) the importance of sex pheromones and non-volatile chemicals in mate location and selection; (3) the use of allelochemicals for prey location; and (4) the nature of chemicals that protect against natural enemies. We also highlight the superior immune system of H. axyridis, which encompasses a broader spectrum of antimicrobial peptides (and higher inducible expression levels) compared with native ladybird beetles such as Adalia bipunctata and Coccinella septempunctata. The chemical defense compound harmonine and the antimicrobial peptides are thought to confer resistance against the abundant microsporidia carried by H. axyridis. These parasites can infect and kill native ladybird species feeding on H. axyridis eggs or larvae, supporting the hypothesis that intraguild predation plays a role in the ability of H. axyridis to outcompete native ladybird species in newly-colonized areas.

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“…Like phytogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), insect pheromones made of unsaturated terpenes may be decomposed by ozone [21][22][23]. Similar terpenes are constitutive of sexual, aggregation or alarm pheromones in several insect taxa, such as ladybirds [24,25], aphids 88 Global change biology Intraspecific chemical communication in insects may be subdivided into five steps that are probably impacted by modifications to atmospheric gas composition and associated raise in ambient temperature. Graphic art by Carolina Levicek.…”

Section: Signal Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Will climate change affect insect pheromonal communication?

Boullis

Detrain

Francis

et al. 2016

Current Opinion in Insect Science

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Understanding how climate change will affect species interactions is a challenge for all branches of ecology. We have only limited understanding of how increasing temperature and atmospheric CO 2 and O 3 levels will affect pheromonemediated communication among insects. Based on the existing literature, we suggest that the entire process of pheromonal communication, from production to behavioural response, is likely to be impacted by increases in temperature and modifications to atmospheric CO 2 and O 3 levels. We argue that insect species relying on long-range chemical signals will be most impacted, because these signals will likely suffer from longer exposure to oxidative gases during dispersal. We provide future directions for research programmes investigating the consequences of climate change on insect pheromonal communication. IntroductionSince the 19 th century, the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), have drastically increased causing changes to environmental parameters at a global scale, including temperature [1]. Recent studies now highlight the impact of such modifications on the whole dynamics of life [2]. Through cascade effects, entire ecosystems are being disturbed, impacting the population dynamics of inhabiting species and altering the ways that they interact with one another. This phenomenon has been well documented for insect-plant interactions mediated by plant secondary metabolites [3,4 ]. [12]. Although these insects can perceive a wide range of pheromone components, the activation of neurons in their macroglomerular complexes, and the elicitation of relevant behavioural responses, is combinatorial: it will happen only when the right combination and ratio of components is perceived at the same time [6].Developmental temperature has a strong influence on adult life history, morphology, and physiology. Furthermore, in some species, pheromone production and availability is dependent on larval, pupation, and/or adult developmental conditions [8,13,14], hence the effect of abiotic parameters on all the insect life stages is important. In the male beewolf, Philanthus triangulum, an increase of 5 8C in the larval rearing temperature led adult males to produce more pheromonal secretions [13]. Moreover, warmer rearing conditions led to higher relative amounts of compounds with high molecular weight. As a consequence, a shift in temperature could weaken intraspecific relationships of these insect species by reducing the efficiency (i.e. specificity, activity, timing of production, etc.) of their chemical communication.Increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentrations [1] could also affect the biosynthesis of insect pheromones. Changes in CO 2 concentrations affect plant biochemistry, including the synthesis of secondary metabolites [4 ]. Since some phytophagous insect species produce their pheromone components based on precursors taken from their host plant, we hypothesise that phytophagous insects could be among the most vulnerable to changes in atmospheric ...

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The scent of love: how important are semiochemicals in the sexual behavior of lady beetles?

Cited by 19 publications

References 79 publications

Do flower mixtures with high functional diversity enhance aphid predators in wildflower strips?

Do flower mixtures with high functional diversity enhance aphid predators in wildflower strips?

Behavioral and Immunological Features Promoting the Invasive Performance of the Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis

Will climate change affect insect pheromonal communication?

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