Pheromone Reception in Moths: From Molecules to Behaviors
In moths, sex pheromones are most often released by females and perceived by males, and this pheromone communication system has been extensively studied as a model for sexual attraction based...
Effects of DEHP on the ecdysteroid pathway, sexual behavior
Here, we investigated the effects of DEHP on the sexual behavior and physiology of a pest insect, the noctuid moth Spodoptera littoralis. In this nocturnal species, olfaction is crucial for sexual behavior, and ecdysteroids at the antennal level have been shown to modulate sex pheromone detection by males.
Mate recognition and reproductive isolation in the
Chemosensory-mediated sexual communication with pheromones is an essential component of mate recognition in moths. Confronted with sex pheromone stimuli released from conspecific and closely...
Modulation of reproductive behaviors by non-host volatiles
Calling, mating, and oviposition behaviors, as well as fecundity and longevity, of newly emerged Spodoptera littoralis (Bois.) moths were recorded in the presence of volatiles from leaves of a host plant, Gossypium hirsutum (cotton) and two non-host plants, Adhatoda vasica (Av) or Picea abies (spruce), either alone or in host/non-host combinations.
Modulation of the temporal pattern of calling behavior
We have examined the timing of calling behavior in the female Egyptian cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis and its modification by exposure to sex pheromone. The calling rhythm of the female moth was found to be circadian, persistent for at least 4 days once it has been entrained, and could be phase shifted by altering the light:dark regime.
- Do female Spodoptera moths synchronize and sustain behavioral rhythms?
- Using the sex-pheromone component Z9E11-14Ac, females synchronize and sustain the behavioral rhythms of male Spodoptera moths (A) Scheme of the cohabitation experiments. (B) Representative double-plotted actograms of S. littoralis males, monitored in DD in the presence or absence of a partner.
- Do pheromone-mediated chemical interactions synchronize male and female Spodoptera moths?
- We show here, using adult Spodoptera moths, that ongoing pheromone-mediated chemical conversation between the two sexes forms the basis of remote sociosexual interactions that reinforce the males’ rhythmic behavior, synchronize them to each other, and entrain their clock to follow the rhythmic activity of the females.
- Do ecdysteroids modulate sex pheromone detection in noctuid moths?
- Here, we investigated the effects of DEHP on the sexual behavior and physiology of a pest insect, the noctuid moth Spodoptera littoralis. In this nocturnal species, olfaction is crucial for sexual behavior, and ecdysteroids at the antennal level have been shown to modulate sex pheromone detection by males.
- Do solitary moths have sociosexual interactions with the opposite sex?
- Sociosexual interactions with the opposite sex are universal, prevalent even in the lives of solitary animals. The solitary adult life of the Spodoptera littoralis moth is singularly dedicated to sex, offering an ideal context for exploring the impact of sociosexual cues on circadian timekeeping.
- Does sex pheromone affect a moth's courtship efficacy?
- Even a single pulse of the sex pheromone altered clock gene expression in the male brain, surpassing the effect of light on the clock. Our finding of a daytime-dependent, lasting impact of pheromone on male’s courtship efficacy indicates that circadian timing in moths is a trait under sexual selection.
- How does moth sex pheromone affect mate search behavior?
- Hence, the male’s pheromone reception system must manage the needs to convey circadian information and, at the same time, guide mate search behavior, presumably by employing different modes of information transfer, e.g., sustained versus phasic signaling. 46 The effect of moth sex pheromone goes well beyond the act of mating.
