Sex-Pairing Pheromones in Three Sympatric Neotropical Termite Species (Termitidae: Syntermitinae)
Language English Country United States Media print-electronic
Document type Journal Article
Grant support
RVO: 61388963
Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, CAS
FNRS-17-02
Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS (BE)
PubMed
29752680
DOI
10.1007/s10886-018-0965-x
PII: 10.1007/s10886-018-0965-x
Knihovny.cz E-resources
- Keywords
- Embiratermes neotenicus, Sex-pairing pheromones, Silvestritermes heyeri, Silvestritermes minutus, Syntermitinae, Tergal glands,
- MeSH
- Alcohols chemistry isolation & purification MeSH
- Species Specificity MeSH
- Exocrine Glands metabolism pathology MeSH
- Isoptera physiology MeSH
- Solid Phase Microextraction MeSH
- Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry methods MeSH
- Sexual Behavior, Animal physiology MeSH
- Sex Attractants analysis chemistry isolation & purification MeSH
- Stereoisomerism MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Alcohols MeSH
- Sex Attractants MeSH
Termite colonies are almost always founded by a pair of winged dispersers, in spite of the high costs and low success rates inherent in independent colony foundation. The dispersal flights of imagoes from natal colonies are followed by mate search, mediated by sex-pairing pheromones. Here, we studied the chemistry of sex-pairing pheromones and the related aspects of mate search in winged imagoes of two facultatively parthenogenetic species, Embiratermes neotenicus and Silvestritermes minutus, and an additional species from the same subfamily, Silvestritermes heyeri. All three species are widespread in the Neotropics, including the rainforests of French Guiana. After the dispersal flight and spontaneous loss of wings, females expose their hypertrophied tergal glands situated under abdominal tergites VIII - X. The females are attractive to males and, upon direct contact, the two sexes form characteristic tandems. Chemical analyses indicated that the females secrete species-specific combinations of unbranched, unsaturated C12 primary alcohols from the tergal glands, (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol (approx. 200 pg per female) and (3Z)-dodec-3-enol (185 pg) in E. neotenicus, (3Z,6Z)-dodeca-3,6-dien-1-ol (3500 pg) in S. heyeri, and (3Z,6Z)-dodeca-3,6-dien-1-ol (300 pg) and (3Z)-dodec-3-enol (50 pg) in S. minutus. (3Z,6Z,8E)-Dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol and (3Z,6Z)-dodeca-3,6-dien-1-ol act as major pheromone components in the respective species and mimic the function of female tergal gland extracts in electrophysiological and behavioral experiments. Biologically relevant amounts of the third compound, (3Z)-dodec-3-enol, elicited non-significant reactions in males of E. neotenicus and S. minutus, and slight synergistic effects in males of S. minutus when tested in combination with the major component.
Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Czech Republic
Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Prague Czech Republic
Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry The Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech Republic
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