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First published online June 11, 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology 210, 2163-2169 (2007)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2007
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02789

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A male sex pheromone in a parasitic wasp and control of the behavioral response by the female's mating status

Joachim Ruther^1,*, Lina M. Stahl¹, Sven Steiner¹, Leif A. Garbe² and Till Tolasch³

¹ Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Haderslebener Str. 9, D-12163 Berlin, Germany
² Institut für Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Berlin, Seestraße 13, D-13353 Berlin, Germany
³ Tierökologie 220c, Universität Hohenheim, D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany

View larger version (6K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Total ion current chromatograms of dichloromethane extracts from (A) male and (B) female N. vitripennis using a non-polar DB-5 ms capillary column. The arrow indicates the male-specific double peak of diastereomers of 5-hydroxy-4-decanolide. IS, internal standard (50 ng methyl undecanoate).

View larger version (10K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 2. Separation of synthetic threo- and erythro-enantiomers of 5-hydroxy-4-decanolide (HDL) on a chiral ß-DEX 225 GC column. Extracts from N. vitripennis males contained (4R,5R)- and (4R,5S)-HDL.

View larger version (6K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 3. Amounts (mean ± s.e.m.) of 5-hydroxy-4-decanolide in whole body extracts from N. vitripennis males of various age (different lower- and uppercase letters indicate significant differences for each diastereomer at P<0.05, one-way ANOVA and LSD test).

View larger version (10K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 4. Release dynamics of 5-hydroxy-4-decanolide (total amounts) by N. vitripennis males during a 5-h sampling period (N=10). Each bar diagram represents the results from one individual male. Amounts released per hour are presented as the percentage of the total amount released in 5 h. Volatile sampling was performed during the photophase between 10:00 h and 18:00 h.

View larger version (12K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 5. Residence time (mean ± s.e.m.) of N. vitripennis females and males in odor and control fields of a two-choice olfactometer. Females were either virgin or mated and tested 5 min, 24 h or 6 days after copulation. The 6-day ones had the opportunity to oviposit. Tested males had no copulation experience. Odor fields were treated with (A) one male equivalent (eq.) of natural 5-hydroxy-4-decanolide (HDL; experiment 1), or (B) synthetic (4R,5R)- and (4R,5S)-HDL (ratio 1:1.3) at doses of 80 or 160 ng (experiment 2). Control fields were treated with the pure solvent. Asterisks indicate significant differences (*P<0.05, ***P<0.001); NS, not significant (t-test for dependent samples, N=20).

View larger version (4K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 6. Mean residence time of virgin females in test and control fields of a two-choice olfactometer. Test fields were treated with (4R,5R)- or (4S,5S)-5-hydroxy-4-decanolide (HDL) at doses of 80 ng (experiment 3). Control fields were treated with the pure solvent. ***Significant differences at P<0.001 (t-test for dependent samples, N=20).