Rossini C, González A, Eisner T
Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, General Flores 2124, CC 1157, Montevideo, Uruguay
J Insect Physiol. 2001 Jun;47(6):639-647. doi: 10.1016/s0022-1910(00)00154-2.
In the moth Utetheisa ornatrix defensive pyrrolizidine alkaloids are sequestered by both sexes as larvae from their foodplants. The adult male transmits some of this alkaloid to the female at mating for eventual incorporation into the eggs. We now show by chemical analyses that the female herself is the first beneficiary of the alkaloid she receives from the male. By the end of mating the male's alkaloid is found already to be generally distributed throughout the female's body (including even the wings), while it is still largely absent from the ovaries. This result is in line with our earlier finding that the male's alkaloidal gift can itself suffice to render a female fully protected against spiders from the moment she uncouples from the male.
在Utetheisa ornatrix蛾中，雌雄两性幼虫均从取食植物中摄取防御性吡咯里西啶生物碱。成年雄性在交配时将部分此类生物碱传递给雌性，最终融入卵中。我们现在通过化学分析表明，雌性自身是从雄性那里获得的生物碱的首要受益者。到交配结束时，已发现雄性的生物碱普遍分布于雌性的全身（甚至包括翅膀），而卵巢中却仍基本没有。这一结果与我们早期的发现相符，即雄性给予的生物碱本身足以使雌性从与雄性分开之时起就完全受到保护，免遭蜘蛛侵害。
