Abstract
Juvenile hormone (JH) has important functions that regulate insect life. In adult individuals, it induces gonadotropic and behavioral changes. Manipulating JH levels helps to understand how it influences insect physiology. The effects of JH on Epiponini swarm-founding wasps have shown contrasting results, affecting reproduction, chemical compound expression, behavior, and age polyethism. In this study, we investigated whether JH affects reproductive physiology and production of fertility cues in a swarm-founding wasp species Polybia occidentalis in an age-controlled experimental setup. We treated newly emerged females with methoprene (JH analogue) and precocene-I (JH inhibitor) to determine their effects on ovary activation and cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) expression. Furthermore, we compared the chemical profiles of treated workers with those of queens. Our results show that methoprene and precocene-I affected the CHC production in P. occidentalis. Additionally, females treated with methoprene were chemically more similar to queens than precocene- and acetone-treated females. Methoprene affected ovarian status (increasing ovary activation). These results suggest that different levels of JH reflect changes in chemical and reproductive traits in P. occidentalis females. Furthermore, we point out the existence of fertility cues in this Epiponini wasp.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers, Dr Sidnei Mateus for helping to collect the nests, Dr Ayrton Vollet Neto for helping with the hormone dilutions, and Iona Cunningham-Eurich and Dr Emeline Favreau for proofing the manuscript. This study was funded by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq—Process: 142285/2018-8, 405082/2018-5, and 307702/2018-9), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001 (RCS) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (Fapesp) under Grant APS [proc. nº 2016/11887-4], RCS [proc. nº 2018/22461-3], and FSN [proc. nº 2018/10996-0]. Funding was provided from Research Foundation Flanders to CAO (postdoctoral fellowship FWO-12V6318N, GOF8319N, and research grant FWO-1513219N).
Funding
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, 142285/2018-8, Amanda Prato, 307702/2018-9, Fabio Santos do Nascimento, 405082/2018-5, Fabio Santos do Nascimento, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, 01, Rafael Carvalho da Silva, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, 2016/11887-4, Amanda Prato, 2018/10996-0, Fabio Santos do Nascimento, 2018/22461-3, Rafael Carvalho da Silva, Research Foundation Flanders to CAO, FWO-12V6318N, Cintia Akemi Oi, GOF8319N, Cintia Akemi Oi, FWO-1513219 N, Cintia Akemi Oi.
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Conceptualization [Amanda Prato and Fabio S. Nascimento]; methodology [Amanda Prato and Fabio S. Nascimento]; formal analysis and investigation [Amanda Prato, Rafael Carvalho da Silva, Cintia Akemi Oi, and Izabel Cristina C. Turatti]; writing—original draft preparation [Amanda Prato and Fabio S. Nascimento]; writing—review and editing [Amanda Prato, Rafael Carvalho da Silva, Cintia Akemi Oi, and Fabio S. Nascimento].
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Communicated by Thomas Schmitt.
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Prato, A., da Silva, R.C., Oi, C.A. et al. Juvenile hormone regulates reproductive physiology and the production of fertility cues in the swarm-founding wasp Polybia occidentalis. Chemoecology 32, 171–180 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00049-022-00376-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00049-022-00376-6