Patterns of mating for the European corn borer (
Geographic variation in male response to sex pheromone lures has been studied in the field in a number of moth species. However, only a few studies have investigated geographic variation in female calling and sex pheromone under field conditions. For an effective field implementation of sex pheromone lures, it is essential to know the local sex pheromone blend and local timing of sexual communication. We investigated the level and extent of geographic variation in the sexual communication of the important agricultural pest
We found there is no genetic variation in the calling behavior of
Finding geographic variation in both the female sexual signal and the male response in this pest calls for region‐specific pheromone lures. Our study shows that the analysis of geographic variation in moth female sex pheromones as well as male responses is important for effectively monitoring pest species that occur around the globe. © 2020 The Authors.
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10456864
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Pest Management Science
- Volume:
- 76
- Issue:
- 11
- ISSN:
- 1526-498X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 3596-3605
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Ostrinia nubilalis ) moth depend in part on variation in sex‐pheromone blend. The ratio of (E )‐11‐ and (Z )‐11‐tetradecenyl acetate (E11‐ and Z11‐14:OAc) in the pheromone blend that females produce and males respond to differs between strains ofO. nubilalis . Populations also vary in female oviposition preference for and larval performance on maize (C4) and nonmaize (C3) host plants. The relative contributions of sexual and ecological trait variation to the genetic structure ofO. nubilalis remains unknown. Host‐plant use (13C/14C ratios) and genetic differentiation were estimated among sympatric E and Z pheromone strainO. nubilalis males collected in sex‐pheromone baited traps at 12 locations in Pennsylvania and New York between 2007 and 2010. Among genotypes at 65 single nucleotide polymorphism marker loci, variance at a position in the pheromone gland fatty acyl‐reductase (pgfar ) gene at the locus responsible for determining female pheromone ratio (Pher ) explained 64% of the total genetic differentiation between males attracted to different pheromones (male response,Resp ), providing evidence of sexual inter‐selection at these unlinked loci. Principal coordinate, Bayesian clustering, and distance‐based redundancy analysis (dbRDA) demonstrate that host plant history or geography does not significantly contribute to population variation or differentiation among males. In contrast, these analyses indicate that pheromone response andpgfar ‐defined strain contribute significantly to population genetic differentiation. This study suggests that behavioural divergence probably plays a larger role in driving genetic variation compared to host plant‐defined ecological adaptation. -
Abstract The sex pheromone system of ~160,000 moth species acts as a powerful form of assortative mating whereby females attract conspecific males with a species-specific blend of volatile compounds. Understanding how female pheromone production and male preference coevolve to produce this diversity requires knowledge of the genes underlying change in both traits. In the European corn borer moth, pheromone blend variation is controlled by two alleles of an autosomal fatty-acyl reductase gene expressed in the female pheromone gland (
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Abstract Background The fall armyworm (FAW),
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