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Insects
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Research in Chemical Ecology of Insects of Significance to Forestry...
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Research in Chemical Ecology of Insects of Significance to Forestry and Agriculture

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2024) | Viewed by 8007

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Peter Mayo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Natural Resources Canada-Canadian Forest Service, Atlantic Forestry Centre, 1350 Regent Street, P.O. Box 4000, Fredericton, NB E3B 5P7, Canada
Interests: chemical ecology; organic synthesis; pheromone production, forest insects, alien invasives

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Issue will pertain to the semiochemistry of any and all insect species, with an emphasis on forest insects, insect pests of agricultural significance, alien invasives to North America, and alien invasives present on other continents. The emphasis will be on the identification of novel pheromones or pheromone components, as well as on the potential use of pheromones as biorational control methods for insect pests.

We invite authors to submit studies of synthetic semiochemicals with characterization data using standard spectroscopic methods.

Dr. Peter Mayo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pheromones
  • forest insect pests
  • agricultural insect pests
  • synthesis
  • biorational control by semiochemicals
  • alien invasives

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1311 KiB  
Article
Pine Response to Sawfly Pheromones: Effects on Sawfly’s Oviposition and Larval Growth
by Asifur Rahman-Soad, Norbert Bittner and Monika Hilker
Insects 2024, 15(6), 458; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15060458 - 19 Jun 2024
Viewed by 690
Abstract
Insect pheromones have been intensively studied with respect to their role in insect communication. However, scarce knowledge is available on the impact of pheromones on plant responses, and how these in turn affect herbivorous insects. A previous study showed that exposure of pine [...] Read more.
Insect pheromones have been intensively studied with respect to their role in insect communication. However, scarce knowledge is available on the impact of pheromones on plant responses, and how these in turn affect herbivorous insects. A previous study showed that exposure of pine (Pinus sylvestris) to the sex pheromones of the pine sawfly Diprion pini results in enhanced defenses against the eggs of this sawfly; the egg survival rate on pheromone-exposed pine needles was lower than that on unexposed pine. The long-lasting common evolutionary history of D. pini and P. sylvestris suggests that D. pini has developed counter-adaptations to these pine responses. Here, we investigated by behavioral assays how D. pini copes with the defenses of pheromone-exposed pine. The sawfly females did not discriminate between the odor of pheromone-exposed and unexposed pine. However, when they had the chance to contact the trees, more unexposed than pheromone-exposed trees received eggs. The exposure of pine to the pheromones did not affect the performance of larvae and their pupation success. Our findings indicate that the effects that responses of pine to D. pini sex pheromones exert on the sawfly eggs and sawfly oviposition behavior do not extend to effects on the larvae. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research in Chemical Ecology of Insects of Significance to Forestry and Agriculture)
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14 pages, 3296 KiB  
Article
Behavioral and Transcriptomic Analyses in the Indoxacarb Response of a Non-Target Damselfly Species
by Bin Jiang, Wei Wang, Yu Yao, Haobo Zhang, Yongmei Zhang and Yang Sun
Insects 2024, 15(5), 367; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15050367 - 18 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 950
Abstract
Ischnura senegalensis, which widely spreads in paddy fields, has the potential to be used as a natural predator of insect pests. However, the application of insecticides in the field could pose a threat to the survival of I. senegalensis. Among these [...] Read more.
Ischnura senegalensis, which widely spreads in paddy fields, has the potential to be used as a natural predator of insect pests. However, the application of insecticides in the field could pose a threat to the survival of I. senegalensis. Among these pesticides, indoxacarb, an oxadiazine insecticide, is renowned for its broad-spectrum efficacy against numerous insect pests. In this study, we examined the toxicity of indoxacarb towards the larvae of I. senegalensis. Behavioral experiments and transcriptome analyses were conducted under indoxacarb treatments. Results revealed that indoxacarb induced abnormal body gestures and significant locomotory impairments, which could ultimately reduce the survival rate of the larvae in their natural habitat. Moreover, transcriptome analyses indicated that genes related to muscle function were significantly affected. Interestingly, at lower concentrations of indoxacarb (0.004 mg/L), the larvae seem to detoxify the indoxacarb with the aid of the cytochrome P450 gene. However, under higher concentrations (0.4 mg/L), the sensory abilities of the larvae were significantly diminished, and they were unable to degrade the toxicity of indoxacarb. Our study underscores the importance of carefully evaluating the impact of insecticides on non-target predatory insects before their widespread application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research in Chemical Ecology of Insects of Significance to Forestry and Agriculture)
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17 pages, 2679 KiB  
Article
Natural Diversity of Cuticular Pheromones in a Local Population of Drosophila after Laboratory Acclimation
by Jean-François Ferveur, Jérôme Cortot, Matthew Cobb and Claude Everaerts
Insects 2024, 15(4), 273; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15040273 - 15 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1165
Abstract
Experimental studies of insects are often based on strains raised for many generations in constant laboratory conditions. However, laboratory acclimation could reduce species diversity reflecting adaptation to varied natural niches. Hydrocarbons covering the insect cuticle (cuticular hydrocarbons; CHCs) are reliable adaptation markers. They [...] Read more.
Experimental studies of insects are often based on strains raised for many generations in constant laboratory conditions. However, laboratory acclimation could reduce species diversity reflecting adaptation to varied natural niches. Hydrocarbons covering the insect cuticle (cuticular hydrocarbons; CHCs) are reliable adaptation markers. They are involved in dehydration reduction and protection against harmful factors. CHCs can also be involved in chemical communication principally related to reproduction. However, the diversity of CHC profiles in nature and their evolution in the laboratory have rarely been investigated. Here, we sampled CHC natural diversity in Drosophila melanogaster flies from a particular location in a temperate region. We also measured cis-Vaccenyl acetate, a male-specific volatile pheromone. After trapping flies using varied fruit baits, we set up 21 D. melanogaster lines and analysed their pheromones at capture and after 1 to 40 generations in the laboratory. Under laboratory conditions, the broad initial pheromonal diversity found in male and female flies rapidly changed and became more limited. In some females, we detected CHCs only reported in tropical populations: the presence of flies with a novel CHC profile may reflect the rapid adaptation of this cosmopolitan species to global warming in a temperate area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research in Chemical Ecology of Insects of Significance to Forestry and Agriculture)
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13 pages, 3804 KiB  
Article
Antennal Sensitivity of Spotted Lanternflies, Lycorma delicatula: Differential Electrophysiological Responses of Males and Females to Compounds Derived from Host Plants and Conspecifics
by Hajar Faal and Miriam F. Cooperband
Insects 2024, 15(3), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15030162 - 28 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1307
Abstract
In herbivorous insects, antennae play a crucial role in chemical communication and orientation when locating host plants and mates. To evaluate antennal sensitivity in response to odor stimuli, electroantennography (EAG) has been a practical technique. In the current study of the invasive spotted [...] Read more.
In herbivorous insects, antennae play a crucial role in chemical communication and orientation when locating host plants and mates. To evaluate antennal sensitivity in response to odor stimuli, electroantennography (EAG) has been a practical technique. In the current study of the invasive spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), we evaluated and compared their antennal sensitivity to a series of volatile chemicals collected from their bodies, honeydew, and host plants. To do this, we exposed the antennae of SLF fourth-instar and adult males and females to individual chemicals at a fixed dose of 50 ng. Further, a series of dose–response tests were carried out within a range of 0.5 to 100 ng. Although the amplitude of antennal responses varied among stages and sexes, adult males generated the strongest antennal responses in both experiments. In dose–response experiments, increased doses of chemicals up to 50 ng revealed the saturation points except in adult females which required a higher dose (100 ng) to reveal the saturation point. Although EAG does not provide any information on behavioral responses, our results are consistent with the olfactory bioassays in previous publications in which adult males, not females, were attracted to natural volatiles of their conspecifics. EAG indicated a higher sensitivity of adult male antennae to odor stimuli, particularly conspecific volatiles, than female antennae and highlighted sexual differences in the perception of chemical cues in SLF. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research in Chemical Ecology of Insects of Significance to Forestry and Agriculture)
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11 pages, 847 KiB  
Article
Field Test of the Propheromones of the Whitemarked Tussock Moth (WMTM) Orgyia leucostigma (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)
by Peter Mayo, Sumudu Deepa Abeysekera, Peter J. Silk, David I. MaGee, Gaetan Leclair, Jon Sweeney and Jeffrey Ogden
Insects 2023, 14(11), 880; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14110880 - 15 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1059
Abstract
The whitemarked tussock moth (WMTM), Orgyia leucostigma (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), is an economic pest in Nova Scotia, Canada, where it undergoes periodic outbreaks defoliating several tree species of economic value, including balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Miller (Pinaceae). Herein is described a [...] Read more.
The whitemarked tussock moth (WMTM), Orgyia leucostigma (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), is an economic pest in Nova Scotia, Canada, where it undergoes periodic outbreaks defoliating several tree species of economic value, including balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Miller (Pinaceae). Herein is described a releasing device for the WMTM sex pheromone (Z,Z)-6, 9-heneicosadien-11-one based on a rubber septum, which converts pheromone precursors, such as acetals, namely (Z,Z)-11,11-dimethoxy-6,9-heneicosadiene and (Z,Z)-6,9-heneicosadien-11-one ethylene ketal, to the pheromone itself by the action of acetic acid and releases it over time. The pheromone is unstable in nature and, consequently, lures made with this compound will only attract WMTM for a day or two. The two pheromone precursors, however, are more stable, and are converted slowly into the pheromone by acetic acid impregnated in the releasing device, or by acidic conditions in the environment. The two pheromone precursors were synthesized in 2019 using a modified, previously published approach. Field trapping studies conducted from 2019–22 showed that traps baited with rubber septa loaded with either (Z,Z)-11,11-dimethoxy-6,9-heneicosadiene by itself or (Z,Z)-6,9-heneicosadien-11-one ethylene ketal plus acetic acid consistently caught significantly more WMTM than traps baited with blank septa in most experiments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research in Chemical Ecology of Insects of Significance to Forestry and Agriculture)
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10 pages, 2835 KiB  
Article
Early Season Monitoring of Tarnished Plant Bug, Lygus lineolaris, in Wild Hosts Using Pheromone Traps
by Justin George, James P. Glover, Gadi V. P. Reddy, Chris Johnson and David R. Hall
Insects 2023, 14(10), 805; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14100805 - 7 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1802
Abstract
The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Hemiptera: Miridae), has a wide host range of over 700 plant species, including 130 crops of economic importance. During early spring, managing the field edges with weeds and other wild hosts is important in preventing early-season infestations [...] Read more.
The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Hemiptera: Miridae), has a wide host range of over 700 plant species, including 130 crops of economic importance. During early spring, managing the field edges with weeds and other wild hosts is important in preventing early-season infestations of L. lineolaris in cotton to prevent damage to the squares and other fruiting structures. Scouting fields for L. lineolaris is time- and labor-intensive, and end-user variability associated with field sampling can lead to inaccuracies. Insect traps that combine visual cues and pheromones are more accurate, sustainable, and economically feasible in contrast to traditional insect detection methods. In this study, we investigated the application of red or white sticky cards baited with the female-produced sex pheromone to monitor overwintering L. lineolaris populations in early spring. Field experiments demonstrated that the red sticky cards baited with a pheromone blend containing hexyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate, and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal in 4:10:7 ratio are highly effective in trapping L. lineolaris adults in early spring before the row crops are planted, and in monitoring their movement into a cotton crop. The monitoring of L. lineolaris should help growers to make judicious decisions on insecticide applications to control early pest infestations, thereby reducing economic damage to cotton. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research in Chemical Ecology of Insects of Significance to Forestry and Agriculture)
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