Common Practice Solvent Extraction Does not Reflect Actual Emission of a Sex Pheromone During Butterfly Courtship
Olfactory communication can be of critical importance for mate choice decisions. Lepidoptera are key model systems for understanding olfactory communication, particularly considering sex pheromone signaling in the context of sexual selection. Solvent extraction or rinsing of pheromone-producing stru...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-10-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2018.00154/full |
| _version_ | 1811307281695899648 |
|---|---|
| author | Bertanne Visser Ian A. N. Dublon Stéphanie Heuskin Florent Laval Florent Laval Paul M. B. Bacquet Georges Lognay Caroline M. Nieberding |
| author_facet | Bertanne Visser Ian A. N. Dublon Stéphanie Heuskin Florent Laval Florent Laval Paul M. B. Bacquet Georges Lognay Caroline M. Nieberding |
| author_sort | Bertanne Visser |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Olfactory communication can be of critical importance for mate choice decisions. Lepidoptera are key model systems for understanding olfactory communication, particularly considering sex pheromone signaling in the context of sexual selection. Solvent extraction or rinsing of pheromone-producing structures is a widespread method for quantifying sex pheromones, but such measures reflect what is stored and may not represent what is actually emitted by an individual during courtship. Here, we address this point for the first time by quantifying the components of the male sex pheromone (MSP) of interacting Bicyclus anynana butterflies, a species for which much information is available onthe role played by MSPs in affecting mating success. Using headspace sampling during courtship and solvent extraction after completion of experiments using the same males, we were able to track individual traits. Our results show that solvent extracts do not reflect quantities of MSP components emitted by live butterflies. We further show that MSP amounts obtained using headspace sampling correlated with male mating success, but solvent extracts did not. Our results further strongly suggest that males actively control MSP emission when faced with increased male-male competition. Common practice solvent extracts may thus not serve as an adequate proxy for male sex pheromone signaling as they are perceived by choosy females. Our study serves as a proof of principle that quantification of male sex pheromone components depends on the method of collection, which could apply to many other insects using short-range chemical signals. This affects our understanding of how sexual selection shapes the evolution of sexually-selected chemical traits. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:01:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0de5716bba254b3d9d99e84d1babe857 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:01:46Z |
| publishDate | 2018-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-0de5716bba254b3d9d99e84d1babe8572022-12-22T02:53:06ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2018-10-01610.3389/fevo.2018.00154398064Common Practice Solvent Extraction Does not Reflect Actual Emission of a Sex Pheromone During Butterfly CourtshipBertanne Visser0Ian A. N. Dublon1Stéphanie Heuskin2Florent Laval3Florent Laval4Paul M. B. Bacquet5Georges Lognay6Caroline M. Nieberding7Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics Group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, BelgiumEvolutionary Ecology and Genetics Group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, BelgiumEvolutionary Ecology and Genetics Group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, BelgiumEvolutionary Ecology and Genetics Group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, BelgiumAnalytical Chemistry, AgroBioChem Department, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Université de Liège, Gembloux, BelgiumEvolutionary Ecology and Genetics Group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, BelgiumAnalytical Chemistry, AgroBioChem Department, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Université de Liège, Gembloux, BelgiumEvolutionary Ecology and Genetics Group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, BelgiumOlfactory communication can be of critical importance for mate choice decisions. Lepidoptera are key model systems for understanding olfactory communication, particularly considering sex pheromone signaling in the context of sexual selection. Solvent extraction or rinsing of pheromone-producing structures is a widespread method for quantifying sex pheromones, but such measures reflect what is stored and may not represent what is actually emitted by an individual during courtship. Here, we address this point for the first time by quantifying the components of the male sex pheromone (MSP) of interacting Bicyclus anynana butterflies, a species for which much information is available onthe role played by MSPs in affecting mating success. Using headspace sampling during courtship and solvent extraction after completion of experiments using the same males, we were able to track individual traits. Our results show that solvent extracts do not reflect quantities of MSP components emitted by live butterflies. We further show that MSP amounts obtained using headspace sampling correlated with male mating success, but solvent extracts did not. Our results further strongly suggest that males actively control MSP emission when faced with increased male-male competition. Common practice solvent extracts may thus not serve as an adequate proxy for male sex pheromone signaling as they are perceived by choosy females. Our study serves as a proof of principle that quantification of male sex pheromone components depends on the method of collection, which could apply to many other insects using short-range chemical signals. This affects our understanding of how sexual selection shapes the evolution of sexually-selected chemical traits.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2018.00154/fulltissue extractionheadspace extractionLepidopterachemical communicationfemale choice |
| spellingShingle | Bertanne Visser Ian A. N. Dublon Stéphanie Heuskin Florent Laval Florent Laval Paul M. B. Bacquet Georges Lognay Caroline M. Nieberding Common Practice Solvent Extraction Does not Reflect Actual Emission of a Sex Pheromone During Butterfly Courtship Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution tissue extraction headspace extraction Lepidoptera chemical communication female choice |
| title | Common Practice Solvent Extraction Does not Reflect Actual Emission of a Sex Pheromone During Butterfly Courtship |
| title_full | Common Practice Solvent Extraction Does not Reflect Actual Emission of a Sex Pheromone During Butterfly Courtship |
| title_fullStr | Common Practice Solvent Extraction Does not Reflect Actual Emission of a Sex Pheromone During Butterfly Courtship |
| title_full_unstemmed | Common Practice Solvent Extraction Does not Reflect Actual Emission of a Sex Pheromone During Butterfly Courtship |
| title_short | Common Practice Solvent Extraction Does not Reflect Actual Emission of a Sex Pheromone During Butterfly Courtship |
| title_sort | common practice solvent extraction does not reflect actual emission of a sex pheromone during butterfly courtship |
| topic | tissue extraction headspace extraction Lepidoptera chemical communication female choice |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2018.00154/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bertannevisser commonpracticesolventextractiondoesnotreflectactualemissionofasexpheromoneduringbutterflycourtship AT ianandublon commonpracticesolventextractiondoesnotreflectactualemissionofasexpheromoneduringbutterflycourtship AT stephanieheuskin commonpracticesolventextractiondoesnotreflectactualemissionofasexpheromoneduringbutterflycourtship AT florentlaval commonpracticesolventextractiondoesnotreflectactualemissionofasexpheromoneduringbutterflycourtship AT florentlaval commonpracticesolventextractiondoesnotreflectactualemissionofasexpheromoneduringbutterflycourtship AT paulmbbacquet commonpracticesolventextractiondoesnotreflectactualemissionofasexpheromoneduringbutterflycourtship AT georgeslognay commonpracticesolventextractiondoesnotreflectactualemissionofasexpheromoneduringbutterflycourtship AT carolinemnieberding commonpracticesolventextractiondoesnotreflectactualemissionofasexpheromoneduringbutterflycourtship |