Abstract
Pheromone communication systems have a reliable signal with a restricted window of amounts and ratios released and perceived. We propose a model based on a Gaussian response profile that allows a quantification of the response peak (location of optimum) and a measure of the peak width (response window). Interpreting the Gaussian curve, fitted by nonlinear regression (NLR), as a standard normal distribution, the peak location equals the mean (μ) and the window width equals 2× the standard deviation (2σ). The NLR procedure can provide an objective measure for both peak location and width for a wide range of data sets. Four empirical data sets as well as 10 literature data sets were analyzed. The double-spined spruce engraver, Ips duplicatus, was field tested in four populations to find the optimum proportion for attraction to the two male aggregation pheromone components, ipsdienol (Id) and (E)-myrcenol (EM), ranging from 0 to 100% of Id. Tests in Norway and the Czech Republic confirmed the preference of western populations for a blend between 50 and 90% Id. A population in Inner Mongolia showed a preference for traps with the 10 and 50% Id baits. The NLR fitted values for response peak and width (μ; 2σ) were: Norway 0.64, 0.73; Czech Republic 0.53, 0.73; NE China 0.77, 0.29; and Inner Mongolia 0.33, 0.50. The signal produced by Norwegian field-collected males had a narrower window width (2σ = 0.12). Males of the maize stem borer, Chilo partellus, were tested in a flight tunnel for their response to variation in the two major female sex pheromone gland components, (Z)-11-hexadecenal and the corresponding alcohol (OH). Variation of the alcohol in seven levels from 2 to 29% OH showed the highest male response for 17% OH. For all behavioral steps, the peak of male response was near μ = 0.14, while the window width fell from 2σ = 0.5 to 0.2 for eight sequential behavioral steps from take-off to copulation. Female production had a similar peak location (μ = 0.13) but a narrower width, 2σ = 0.14. Literature data from other moth species showed similar patterns, with a wider male response relative to the female production windows. Literature data on response to enantiomer ratios in a hymenopteran and to pheromone amounts in a dipteran were also described by our model. In a bark beetle population (Ips pini), with two hybridizing enantiomeric strains, the production peaks were narrower (0.1) than the response peaks (0.5). Thus, it in general, seems that in the pheromone systems analyzed, the width of the response window (2σ = 0.1 to 0.8) is larger than that of the production window (2σ = 0.03 to 0.14), irrespective of the sex of the sender.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
BAKKE, A. 1975. Aggregation pheromone in the bark beetle, Ips duplicatus (Sahlberg). Norw. J. Entomol. 22:67-69.
BEEVOR, P. S., DAVID, H., and JONES, O. T. 1990. Female sex pheromones of Chilo spp. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and their development in pest control applications. Insect Sci. Appl. 11:787-794.
BIRGERSSON, G., and BERGSTRöM, G. 1989. Volatiles released from individual spruce bark beetle entrance holes: Quantitative variations during the first week. J. Chem. Ecol. 15:2465-2483.
BIRGERSSON, G., and LEJFALK, C. 1997. Wick-baits-a novel delivery system for testing potential semiochemicals. Abstract, 14th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Chemical Ecology Vancouver, July 12-16, P-31.
BIRGERSSON, G., SCHLYTER, F., LöFQVIST, J., and BERGSTRöM, G. 1984. Quantitative variation of pheromone components in the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus from different attack phases. J. Chem. Ecol. 10:1029-1055.
BYERS, J. A. 1991. BASIC algorithms for random sampling and treatment randomization. Comp. Biol. Med. 21:69-77.
BYERS, J. A., SCHLYTER, F., BIRGERSSON, G., and FRANCKE, W. 1990. E-myrcenol in I. duplicatus: An aggregation pheromone component new for bark beetles. Experientia 46:1209-1211.
COLLINS, R. D., and CARDé, R. T. 1985. Variation in and heritability of aspects of pheromone in pink boll worm moth, Pectinophora gossypiella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). J. Chem. Ecol. 11:1583-1590.
EMLEN, S. T., and ORING, L.W. 1977. Ecology, sexual selection, and the evolution of mating systems. Science 197:215-223.
HANIOTAKIS, G. E., and PITTARA, I. S. 1994. Response of Bactrocera (Dacus) oleae Males (Diptera: Tephritidae) to pheromones as affected by concentration, insect age, time of day, and previous exposure. Environ. Entomol. 23:726-731.
IMS, R. A. 1988. The potential for sexual selection in males: Effect of sex ratio and spatiotemporal distribution of receptive females. Evol. Ecol. 2:338-352.
IVARSSON, P., and BIRGERSSON, G. 1995. Regulation and biosynthesis of pheromone components in the double spined bark beetle Ips duplicatus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). J. Insect Physiol. 41:843-849.
IVARSSON, P., SCHLYTER, F., and BIRGERSSON, G. 1993. Demonstration of de novo pheromone biosynthesis in Ips duplicatus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae): Inhibition of ipsdienol and E-myrcenol production by Compactin. Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 23:655-662.
KNíZEK, M., and ZAHRADNíK, P. 1996. Mass outbreak of Ips duplicatus Sahlberg, (Coleoptera, Scolytidae). Proceedings of XXth International Congress of Entomology, Firenze, Italy, August 25-31, p. 527.
KROKENE, P., and SOLHEIM, H. 1996. Fungal associates of five bark beetle species colonizing Norway spruce. Can. J. For. Res. 26:2115-2122.
LEAL, W. S., HASEGAWA, M., SAWADA, M., ONO, M., and UEDA, Y. 1994. Identification and field evaluation of Anomala octiescostata (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) sex pheromone. J. Chem. Ecol. 20:1643-1655.
LEKANDER, B., BEJER-PEDERSEN, B., KANGAS, E., and BAKKE, A. 1977. The distribution of bark beetles in the Nordic countries. Acta Entomol. Fenn. 32:1-100.
LINN, C., JR., and ROELOFS, W. 1985. Response specificity of male pink boll worm moths to different blends and dosages of sex pheromone. J. Chem. Ecol. 11:1583-1590.
LINN, C., JR., and ROELOFS, W. 1994. Pheromone communication in moths, pp. 263-300, in D. M. Lambert and H. Spencer (eds.). Speciation and the Recognition Concept: Theory and Application, John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.
LINN, C., JR., CAMPBELL, M., and ROELOFS, W. 1991. The effects of different blend ratios and temperature of the Oriental fruit moth sex pheromone. Physiol. Entomol. 16:211-222.
LIU, T. 1994. Studies on the recovery and development of Picea mongolica forest on Hunshandake desert. Inner Mongolia Forestry University, MSc thesis. 52 pp. (in Chinese; English abstract).
LöFQVIST, J. 1986. Species specificity in response to pheromone substances in diprionid sawflies, pp. 123-129, in T. L. Payne, M. C. Birch, and C. E. J. Kennedy (eds.). Mechanisms in Insect Olfaction, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
LöFSTEDT, C. 1985. Behavioral responses of male turnip moths Agrotis segetum to sex pheromone in a flight tunnel and in the field. J. Chem. Ecol. 11:1209-1221.
LöFSTEDT, C. 1990. Population variation in moth pheromone communication systems and its genetic control. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 54:199-218.
LöFSTEDT, C. 1993. Moths pheromone genetics and evolution. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 340:167-177.
MILLER, J. R., and ROELOFS, W. L. 1980. Individual variation in sex pheromone component ratios in two populations of the redbanded leafroller moth Argyrotaenia velutinana. Environ. Entomol. 9:359-363.
MILLER, D. R., BORDEN, J. H., and SLESSOR, K. N. 1996. Enantiospecific pheromone production and response profiles for populations of pine engraver, Ips pini (Say) (Coleoptera: Colytidae), in British Columbia. J. Chem. Ecol. 22:2157-2172.
MOYHUDDIN, A. I. 1990. Biological control of Chilo spp. in maize, Sorghum, and millet. Insect Sci. Appl. 11:721-732.
MRKVA, R. 1994. Die geographische Verbreitung und Schädlichkeit des nordischen Fichtenborkenkäfers (Ips duplicatus Sahlberg) in der Tschechischen Republik, pp. 76-88, in Anonymous (ed.). Sborník referátu z Celostátní konference Kurovcová kalamita: príciny, rozsah, ochrana Faculta lesnická a drevarská, Brno (in Czech; German abstract).
NESBITT, B. F., BEEVOR, P. S., HALL, D. R., LESTEr, R., and DYCK, V. A. 1975. Identification of the female sex pheromones of the moth, Chilo suppressalis. J. Insect Physiol. 21:1883-1886.
NESBITT, B. F., BEEVOR, P. S., HALL, D. R., LESTER, R., DAVIES, J. C., and SESHU REDDY, K. V. 1979. Components of the sex pheromone of the female spotted stalk borer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae): Identification and preliminary field trials. J. Chem. Ecol. 5:153-163.
NORUSIS, M. J. 1994. SPSS Advanced Statistics 6.1. SPSS Inc., Chicago.
OHTA, K., TATSUKI, S., UCHIUMI, K., KURIHARA, M., and FUKAMI, J. 1976. Structures of sex pheromones of rice stem borer. Agric. Biol. Chem. 40:1887-1899.
PFEFFER, A. 1995. Zentral-und westpaläarktische Borken-und Kernkäfer (Coleoptera: Scolytidae, Platypodidae). Pro Entomologia, c/o Naturhistorische Museum Basel, Basel.
PHELAN, P. L. 1992. Evolution of sex pheromones and the role of asymmetric tracking, pp. 265-314, in B. D. Roitberg and M. B. Isman (eds.). Insect Chemical Ecology: An Evolutionary Approach, Chapman & Hall, New York.
POSTNER, M. 1974. Ips duplicatus, p. 455, in W. Schwenke (ed.). Die Forstschädlinge Europas 2, Paul-Parey, Hamburg.
ROELOFS, W. L. 1978. Threshold hypothesis for pheromone perception. J. Chem. Ecol. 4:685-700.
ROELOFS, W. L., HILL, A., and CARD´E, R. T. 1975. Sex pheromone components of the redbanded leafroller, Argyrotaenia velutinana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). J. Chem. Ecol. 1:83-89.
RYAN, J. A. 1960. Significance tests for multiple comparison of proportions, variances and other statistics. Psychol. Bull. 57:318-328.
SCHLYTER, F., and ANDERBRANT, O. 1993. Competition and niche separation between two bark beetles: Existence and mechanisms. Oikos 68:437-447.
SCHLYTER, F., and BIRGERSSON, G. 1989. Individual variation in bark beetle and moth pheromones-a comparison and an evolutionary background. Holarc. Ecol. 12:457-465.
SCHLYTER, F., LöFQVIST, J., and BYERS, J. A. 1987. Behavioral sequence in the attraction of the bark beetle Ips typographus to pheromone sources. Physiol. Entomol. 12:185-196.
SCHLYTER, F., BIRGERSSON, G., BYERS, J. A., and BAKKE, A. 1992. The aggregation pheromone of Ips duplicatus and its role in competitive interactions with I. typographus. Chemoecology 3:103-112.
SOKAL, R. R., and ROHLF, F. J. 1995. Biometry, The Principles and Practice of Statistics in Biological Research, 3rd ed. W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, p. 677.
SVENSSON, M. 1996a. Pheromone-mediated mating system in a moth species. PhD thesis no. 116. Department of Ecology, Animal Ecology, Lund University, 128 pp.
SVENSSON, M. 1996b. Sexual selection in moths: The role of chemical communication. Biol. Rev. 71:113-135.
TAMAKI, Y. 1977. Complexity, diversity, and specificity of behavioral-modifying chemicals in Lepidoptera and Diptera, pp. 253-285, in H. H. Shorey and J. J. McKelvey, Jr. (eds.). Chemical Control of Insect Behavior, John Wiley & Sons, New York.
TATSUKI, S., KURIHARA, M., USUI, K., OHGUCHI, Y., UCHIUMI, K., FUKAMI, J., ARAI, K., YABUKI, S., and TANAKA, F. 1983. Sex pheromone of the rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae): The third component, Z-9-hexadecenal. Appl. Entomol. Zool. 18:443-446.
TEALE, S. A., HAGER, J. H., and WEBSTER, F. X. 1994. Pheromone-based assortative mating in a bark beetle. Anim. Behav. 48:569-578.
TÓTH, M., LöFSTEDT, C., BLAIR, B. W., CABELLO, T., FARAG, A. I., HANSSON, B. S., KOVALEV, B. G., MAINI, S., NESTEROV, E. A., PAJOR, I., SAZONOV, P., SHAMSHEV, I. V., SUBCHEV, M., and SZöCS, G. 1992. Attraction of male turnip moths Agrotis segetum (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to sex pheromone components and their mixtures at 11 sites in Europe, Asia, and Africa. J. Chem. Ecol. 18:1337-1347.
UNNITHAN, G. C., and SAXENA, K. N. 1990. Population monitoring of Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) using pheromone traps. Insect Sci. Appl. 11:795-800.
UNNITHAN, G. C., and SAXENA, K. N. 1991. Pheromonal trapping of Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) moths in relation to male population density and competition with females. Appl. Entomol. Zool. 26:17-28.
WU, D.-M., YAN, Y.-H., WANG, B.-H., and HUANG, H.-L. 1984. The chemical structure and field attractant effect of the sex pheromone of sugar-cane stem borer Chilo infuscatellus (Snellen). Acta Entomol. Sin. 27:367-368.
XU, W.-D. 1981. Community characteristics of the spruce forest in Baiyinaobao, Inner Mongolia. J. Northeast For. Inst. 2:61-68 (in Chinese; English abstract).
XU, W.-D. 1994. Study on the taxonomy of the spruce in Baiyinaobao, Inner Mongolia. Res. Plants 14:59-67 (in Chinese; English abstract).
ZHANG, Q.-H., SCHLYTER, F., and LIU, G.-T. 1995. Distribution, mortality, and sex-ratio of overwintering Ips duplicatus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in the soil of a Picea koraiensis reserve in Inner Mongolia, China, with a model of diffusion, pp. 109-122, in F. P. Hain, S. S. Salom, W. F. Ravlin, T. L. Payne and K. F. Raffa (eds.). Behavior, Population Dynamics, and Control of Forest Insects. Ohio State University OARDC, Wooster, Ohio.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schlyter, F., Svensson, M., Zhang, QH. et al. A Model for Peak and Width of Signaling Windows: Ips duplicatus and Chilo partellus Pheromone Component Proportions--Does Response have a Wider Window than Production?. J Chem Ecol 27, 1481–1511 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010377528683
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010377528683