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A Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) Sex Pheromone Mixture Increases Trap Catch Relative to a Single Synthesized Component in Specific Environments

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Abstract

Spermiating male sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) release a sex pheromone, of which a component, 7α, 12α, 24-trihydoxy-3-one-5α-cholan-24-sulfate (3kPZS), has been identified and shown to induce long distance preference responses in ovulated females. However, other pheromone components exist, and when 3kPZS alone was used to control invasive sea lamprey populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes, trap catch increase was significant, but gains were generally marginal. We hypothesized that free-ranging sea lamprey populations discriminate between a partial and complete pheromone while migrating to spawning grounds and searching for mates at spawning grounds. As a means to test our hypothesis, and to test two possible uses of sex pheromones for sea lamprey control, we asked whether the full sex pheromone mixture released by males (spermiating male washings; SMW) is more effective than 3kPZS in capturing animals in traditional traps (1) en route to spawning grounds and (2) at spawning grounds. At locations where traps target sea lampreys en route to spawning grounds, SMW-baited traps captured significantly more sea lampreys than paired 3kPZS-baited traps (~10 % increase). At spawning grounds, no difference in trap catch was observed between 3kPZS and SMW-baited traps. The lack of an observed difference at spawning grounds may be attributed to increased pheromone competition and possible involvement of other sensory modalities to locate mates. Because fishes often rely on multiple and sometimes redundant sensory modalities for critical life history events, the addition of sex pheromones to traditionally used traps is not likely to work in all circumstances. In the case of the sea lamprey, sex pheromone application may increase catch when applied to specifically designed traps deployed in streams with low adult density and limited spawning habitat.

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Acknowledgments

The Great Lakes Fishery Commission funded this project. U.S. Fish and Wildlife provided barrier-integrated traps at Miners and Rock rivers. Field assistance was provided by Katherine Borowicz, Linnea Brege, Hugh McMath, Hayley O’Meara, Trevor O’Meara, and Melissa Pomranke. Dr. Justin VanDehey provided comments on an early draft of this manuscript. The use of sea lamprey was approved by Michigan State University Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee and followed the guidelines of the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This manuscript is contribution 1,909 of the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. USGS, Great Lakes Science Center, Hammond Bay Biological Station, 11188 Ray Road, Millersburg, MI, 49759, USA

    Nicholas S. Johnson & Benjamin L. Hlina

  2. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    John A. Tix, C. Michael Wagner, Huiyong Wang & Weiming Li

  3. Great Lakes Fishery Commission, 2100 Commonwealth Blvd., Suite 100, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA

    Michael J. Siefkes

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  1. Nicholas S. Johnson
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  2. John A. Tix
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  3. Benjamin L. Hlina
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  4. C. Michael Wagner
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  5. Michael J. Siefkes
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  6. Huiyong Wang
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  7. Weiming Li
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Correspondence to Nicholas S. Johnson.

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Johnson, N.S., Tix, J.A., Hlina, B.L. et al. A Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) Sex Pheromone Mixture Increases Trap Catch Relative to a Single Synthesized Component in Specific Environments. J Chem Ecol 41, 311–321 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-015-0561-2

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