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Sources of Insect and Plant Volatiles Attractive to Cottonwood Leaf Beetles Feeding on Hybrid Poplar

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Abstract

The cottonwood leaf beetle, Chrysomela scripta, is the most damaging insect affecting the production of Populus, an important source of sustainable forest products and biomass. Currently, there is no simple method for monitoring C. scripta populations, and nothing is known about potential chemical attractants for trapping. We conducted laboratory assays on sources of attraction to C. scripta adults. In olfactometer trials, beetles were attracted to volatiles released from conspecifics feeding on foliage. There was also significant, but lesser, attraction to odor from unwounded foliage, C. scripta alone, and frass. The latter two results indicate the presence of a pheromone. Wounding of foliage by C. scripta, but not by artificial means, enhanced its attractiveness compared to unwounded foliage, even when C. scripta by-products were removed. In direct comparisons, responses to odor from beetle-wounded foliage were not different from responses to odor from beetles feeding on foliage. We tested the attractiveness of volatiles emitted by adults feeding on foliage in the field using modified boll weevil traps. Results confirm that these volatiles are sufficient to increase trap catches in the field. Color is also important, with yellow baited traps catching more beetles than black baited. We propose that original landing by C. scripta is mediated by host odors and visual cues and that subsequent aggregation is enhanced by chemical cues associated with feeding by conspecifics. This may partially explain clustering in the field and likewise be incorporated into sampling schemes needed for integrated pest management.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by funds from the USDA Forest Service North Central Research Station and International Paper Company, and we express our gratitude to Don Riemenshcneider, Mike Young, and Scott Cameron. Olfactometer design was improved based on the recommendations of Alonso Suazo and Yasmin Cardoza, and Mark Allington was instrumental in their construction. Brian Aukema provided statistics consultation. Thanks to Lynn Hummel and Isaac Kabera for greenhouse support. We also thank Wynee Lou, Megan Hyslop, and Jason Jones for technical assistance with insects and plants. Rick Lindroth, Claudio Gratton, and David Coyle (UW-Madison Dept. of Entomology), Jun Zhu (UW-Madison Dept. of Statistics), and two anonymous reviewers provided valuable critiques of this manuscript.

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  1. Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 345 Russell Laboratories, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Alexander P. Kendrick & Kenneth F. Raffa

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  1. Alexander P. Kendrick
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  2. Kenneth F. Raffa
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Correspondence to Alexander P. Kendrick.

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Kendrick, A.P., Raffa, K.F. Sources of Insect and Plant Volatiles Attractive to Cottonwood Leaf Beetles Feeding on Hybrid Poplar. J Chem Ecol 32, 2585–2594 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-006-9184-y

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