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Volatile Organic Compounds of Decaying Piglet Cadavers Perceived by Nicrophorus vespilloides

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Abstract

In the necrophagous burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides (Coleoptera: Silphidae), cadaver preference appears to depend on cadaver size and on the maturity of the beetle. We previously showed that newly emerged females with immature ovaries prefer later stages of decomposition of large cadavers. Our present aim is the determination of specific chemical compounds involved in the discrimination of cadaveric odor bouquets and the recognition of specific stages of decomposition. We used headspace samples of maggot-infested piglet cadavers at various decomposition stages and performed gas chromatography coupled with electroantennography (GC-EAD) to record 45 EAD-active compounds. Using GC coupled with mass spectrometry, we identified 13 of the EAD-active compounds. The headspace of the fresh decomposition stage was characterized mainly by high relative amounts of trimethylpyrazine. High relative amounts of dimethyl trisulfide were characteristic of bloated, post-bloating, and advanced decay stages. The advanced decay and dry remains stages were dominated by high relative amounts of phenol. Statistically, this compound had the highest impact on discrimination between the fresh decomposition stage, which is important for mature burying beetles for reproduction, and the advanced decay stage, which is nutritionally more attractive for newly emerged beetles. Phenol might, therefore, function as a key substance for newly emerged female burying beetles, so that they can locate suitable cadavers for feeding to maturation.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Evangelisches Studienwerk Villigst (Protestant Academic Foundation) for financial support of our study. We are grateful to Gerhard Birling for assistance with fieldwork. We thank Gabriele Wiest-Danner for supporting us with chemical analyses. We cordially thank Ann-Marie Rottler-Hoermann for assistance in statistical analysis and manuscript writing. Finally, we are grateful to Theresa Jones for linguistic advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Helmholtzstraße 10-1 Containerstadt, 89081, Ulm, Germany

    Christian von Hoermann & Manfred Ayasse

  2. Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany

    Joachim Ruther

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  1. Christian von Hoermann
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  2. Joachim Ruther
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  3. Manfred Ayasse
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Correspondence to Christian von Hoermann.

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All necessary permits were obtained for the described field studies. No animals were killed for this study. Experiments were conducted with stillborn piglets obtained from a local pig farm (Josef Möst, Jedesheim, Germany).

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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von Hoermann, C., Ruther, J. & Ayasse, M. Volatile Organic Compounds of Decaying Piglet Cadavers Perceived by Nicrophorus vespilloides . J Chem Ecol 42, 756–767 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-016-0719-6

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