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The Effect of Pheromone Synthesis and Gland Retraction on Translocation and Dynamics of Pheromone Release in the Moth Chloridea virescens

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Abstract

Most species of moths use a female-produced sex pheromone to bring mates together. Typically, sex pheromone is synthesized in a specialized gland and released during the behavior of “calling”, in which the ovipositor and gland are extruded, allowing pheromone to evaporate. Although there has been much study on how a gland makes specific pheromone components, we know relatively little about how it actually functions with regard to synthesis, storage and release. In this paper, we investigated three aspects of gland function in the noctuid moth Chloridea virescens (Fabricius): (i) whether translocation of pheromone from site of synthesis to release is dependent on calling or ovipositor movement, (ii) whether pheromone synthesis rate limits release and (iii) how intermittent calling (observed in this and other species) might affect the dynamics of release rate. Firstly, by manipulating the gland to simulate calling (extruded) or non-calling (retracted), we showed that pheromone translocation occurred regardless of whether the gland was retracted or extruded. Secondly, by manipulating pheromone production, we found that females that produced more pheromone had higher release rates. It was especially noticeable that females had a higher release rate at the start of calling, which dropped rapidly and leveled off over time. Together, these data suggest that intermittent calling in C. virescens (and other species) may function to allow females to replenish pheromone stores on the gland surface between calling bouts, so that brief, high release rates occur at the start of a calling bout; thus, potentially increasing a female’s chances of attracting a mate.

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Acknowledgments

Funding supporting this work was provided by United States Department of Agriculture Hatch Project ND02388. We are grateful to the United States Department of Agriculture–National Institute of Food and Agriculture for an Instrument Grant, 2015-07238 contributing, in part, to the purchase of the GC/MS system.

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  1. Department of Entomology, North Dakota State University, NDSU Department 7650, PO Box 6050, Fargo, ND, 58108-6050, USA

    Stephen P. Foster & Karin G. Anderson

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  1. Stephen P. Foster
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  2. Karin G. Anderson
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Correspondence to Stephen P. Foster.

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Foster, S.P., Anderson, K.G. The Effect of Pheromone Synthesis and Gland Retraction on Translocation and Dynamics of Pheromone Release in the Moth Chloridea virescens. J Chem Ecol 46, 581–589 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-020-01198-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-020-01198-y

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