Response of the aphid parasitoid Aphidius funebris to volatiles from undamaged and aphid-infested Centaurea nigra

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Pareja, M., Moraes, M. C. B., Clark, S. J., Birkett, M. A. and Powell, W. 2007. Response of the aphid parasitoid Aphidius funebris to volatiles from undamaged and aphid-infested Centaurea nigra. Journal of Chemical Ecology. 33 (April), pp. 695-710. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-007-9260-y

AuthorsPareja, M., Moraes, M. C. B., Clark, S. J., Birkett, M. A. and Powell, W.
Abstract

Two issues have hindered the understanding of the ecology and evolution of volatile-mediated tritrophic interactions: few studies have addressed noncrop systems; and few statistical techniques have been applied that are suitable for the analysis of complex volatile blends. In this paper, we addressed both of these issues by studying the noncrop system involving the plant Centaurea nigra, the specialist aphid Uroleucon jaceae, and the parasitoid Aphidius funebris. In a Y-tube olfactometer, A. funebris was attracted to the odor from undamaged C. nigra, but preferred the plant–host complex (PHC) after 3 d of feeding by 200 U. jaceae over the undamaged plant, but not after three or 5 d of feeding by 50 U. jaceae. When aphids were removed, the initial preference for the damaged plant remained, but the final preference was not greater than for the undamaged plant. No qualitative differences were detected between the headspaces of C. nigra and the C. nigra–U. jaceae PHC. For quantitative analysis, we used a compositional approach, which treats each compound produced as part of a blend, and not as a compound released in isolation, thus allowing analysis of the relative contribution of each compound to the blend as a whole. With this approach, subtle increases and decreases of some green leaf volatiles and monoterpenoids on the third day of aphid infestation were detected. Mechanically damaged C. nigra had a volatile profile that differed from undamaged C. nigra and the PHC. One and 10 ng of (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, and 10 or 100 ng of 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one were attractive to the parasitoid when placed in solution on filter paper. A. funebris appears to be using a combination of chemical cues to locate host-infested plants. 

Year of Publication2007
JournalJournal of Chemical Ecology
Journal citation33 (April), pp. 695-710
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-007-9260-y
Open accessPublished as non-open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Funder project or codeCentre for Sustainable Pest and Disease Management (PDM)
Bio Nano Consult (Rocre Tenant)
PublisherSpringer Nature
Springer
ISSN0098-0331

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