Journal of Comparative Physiology A

, Volume 192, Issue 3, pp 289–300 | Cite as

The chemosensory basis for behavioral divergence involved in sympatric host shifts II: olfactory receptor neuron sensitivity and temporal firing pattern to individual key host volatiles

  • Shannon B. Olsson
  • Charles E. Linn Jr
  • Wendell L. Roelofs
Original Paper
First Online:
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:

Abstract

The Rhagoletis species complex has been a key player in the sympatric speciation debate for much of the last 50 years. Studies indicate that differences in olfactory preference for host fruit volatiles could be important in reproductively isolating flies infesting each type of fruit via premating barriers to gene flow. Single sensillum electrophysiology was used to compare the response characteristics of olfactory receptor neurons from apple, hawthorn, and flowering dogwood-origin populations of R. pomonella, as well as from the blueberry maggot, R. mendax (an outgroup). Eleven volatiles were selected as stimuli from behavioral/electroantennographic studies of the three R. pomonella host populations. Previously, we reported that differences in preference for host fruit volatile blends are not a function of alterations in the general class of receptor neurons tuned to key host volatiles. In the present study, population comparisons involving dose–response trials with the key volatiles revealed significant variability in olfactory receptor neuron sensitivity and temporal firing pattern both within and among Rhagoletis populations. It is concluded that such variability in peripheral sensitivity and temporal firing pattern could influence host preference and contribute to host fidelity and sympatric host shifts in the Rhagoletis complex.

Keywords

Rhagoletis Speciation Discrimination Antagonism Single sensillum electrophysiology 

Abbreviations

GC-EAD

Gas chromatography coupled with electroantennographic detection

ORN

Olfactory receptor neuron

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Notes

Acknowledgements

We thank Stewart Berlocher, Jeff Feder, Hattie Dambroski, and Sridhar Polavarapu for shipments of flies from field locations. We thank Harvey Reissig for use of the Geneva colony flies, Karrie Catropia and Cindy Smith for maintaining the Geneva lab colony, and Karrie, Callie Musto, and Kathy Poole for taking care of the wild flies sent to the Geneva lab. Special thanks to Aijun Zhang for synthesis of the 4,8-dimethyl-1,3(E),7-nonatriene compound. We also thank Thomas Eisner, Christiane Linster, and Bruce Halpern for valuable contributions on the manuscript. These experiments comply with the “Principles of animal care”, publication no. 86-23, revised 1985 of the National Institute of Health, and also with the current laws of the United States of America. Research sponsored by NSF Grant DEB - 9977011, the Paul J. Chapman Award, and the CSIP/NSF GK-12 Program.

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 2005

Authors and Affiliations

  • Shannon B. Olsson
    • 1
    • 2
  • Charles E. Linn Jr
    • 2
  • Wendell L. Roelofs
    • 2
  1. 1.Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaUSA
  2. 2.Department of Entomology, NYS Agricultural Experiment StationCornell UniversityGenevaUSA

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