Jordan Alex T, Jones Tappey H, Conner William E
Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27106, USA.
J Insect Sci. 2005;5:1. doi: 10.1673/031.005.0101.
Plant-derived pyrrolizidine alkaloids play an important role in the biology of the salt marsh moth, Estigmene acrea (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). They are phagostimulants for larvae and they stimulate the growth and development of adult male androconial organs called coremata. In this study, we have shown that the pyrrolizidine alkaloid monocrotaline N-oxide (MNO) fed to larvae also affects the courtship behavior of adult males. Males fed a diet containing MNO display their coremata while males fed on the same diet without alkaloid rarely display. This explains why it has been difficult to replicate field observations of the "lekking" behavior of this species in the laboratory where animals are frequently raised on commercially available diets devoid of alkaloids. Corematal inflation was observed in isolated males and in laboratory leks. The effect of larvae feeding on pyrrolizidine alkaloid on the reproductive behavior of adults suggests that this substance may modify the development of the moth's nervous system and contribute to their unusual dual mating strategies. MNO was also shown to be an adequate precursor for the production of the courtship pheromone hydroxydanaidal.
植物源吡咯里西啶生物碱在盐沼蛾（Estigmene acrea，鳞翅目：灯蛾科）的生物学特性中发挥着重要作用。它们是幼虫的摄食兴奋剂，还能刺激成年雄性特化腺体（称为香鳞囊）的生长和发育。在本研究中，我们发现喂食幼虫的吡咯里西啶生物碱单甲氧基千里光碱 N - 氧化物（MNO）也会影响成年雄性的求偶行为。喂食含 MNO 食物的雄性会展示其香鳞囊，而喂食不含生物碱的相同食物的雄性很少展示。这就解释了为什么在实验室中很难重现该物种“求偶场”行为的野外观察结果，因为实验室中动物通常以不含生物碱的市售食物饲养。在单独的雄性个体和实验室求偶场中都观察到了香鳞囊膨胀现象。幼虫摄食吡咯里西啶生物碱对成虫繁殖行为的影响表明，这种物质可能会改变蛾类神经系统的发育，并促成它们不同寻常的双重交配策略。MNO 还被证明是求偶信息素羟基丹奈德产生的合适前体。
