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Elevated Carbon Dioxide Concentration Reduces Alarm Signaling in Aphids

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Abstract

Insects often rely on olfaction to communicate with conspecifics. While the chemical language of insects has been deciphered in recent decades, few studies have assessed how changes in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations might impact pheromonal communication in insects. Here, we hypothesize that changes in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide affect the whole dynamics of alarm signaling in aphids, including: (1) the production of the active compound (E)-β-farnesene (Eβf), (2) emission behavior when under attack, (3) perception by the olfactory apparatus, and (4) the escape response. We reared two strains of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, under ambient and elevated CO2 concentrations over several generations. We found that an increase in CO2 concentration reduced the production (i.e., individual content) and emission (released under predation events) of Eβf. While no difference in Eβf neuronal perception was observed, we found that an increase in CO2 strongly reduced the escape behavior expressed by an aphid colony following exposure to natural doses of alarm pheromone. In conclusion, our results confirm that changes to greenhouse gases impact chemical communication in the pea aphid, and could potentially have a cascade effect on interactions with higher trophic levels.

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Acknowledgements

Antoine Boullis and Landry Sarles are financially supported by the Fund for Research Training in Industry and Agriculture (FRIA). Bérénice Fassotte is financially supported by a PhD grant from the “Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Agronomie et ingénierie biologique de Gembloux” (CURAGx), University of Liege. Maryse Vanderplanck is a postdoctoral researcher of the Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.- FNRS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Functional and Evolutionary Entomology, Gembloux Agro-bio Tech, University of Liege (ULg), Passage des Déportés, 2, Gembloux, Belgium

    Antoine Boullis, Bérénice Fassotte, Landry Sarles, Eric Haubruge, Frédéric Francis & François J. Verheggen

  2. Analytical Chemistry, Gembloux Agro-bio Tech, University of Liege (ULg), Passage des Déportés, 2, Gembloux, Belgium

    Georges Lognay & Stéphanie Heuskin

  3. Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons (UMONS), Place du Parc, 23, Mons, Belgium

    Maryse Vanderplanck

  4. Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Ammerbach, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, Jena, Germany

    Stefan Bartram

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  1. Antoine Boullis
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  2. Bérénice Fassotte
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  3. Landry Sarles
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  4. Georges Lognay
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  5. Stéphanie Heuskin
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  8. Eric Haubruge
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  9. Frédéric Francis
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  10. François J. Verheggen
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Correspondence to François J. Verheggen.

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Fig. S1

Calibration curve of (E)-β-farnesene obtained by the least squares fit analysis method. Peak area ratio is presented as the analyte peak area on an internal standard peak area (GIF 6 kb)

High Resolution Image (TIFF 592 kb)

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Boullis, A., Fassotte, B., Sarles, L. et al. Elevated Carbon Dioxide Concentration Reduces Alarm Signaling in Aphids. J Chem Ecol 43, 164–171 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-017-0818-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-017-0818-z

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