Krieger Gudrun M, Duchateau Marie-José, Van Doorn Adriaan, Ibarra Fernando, Francke Wittko, Ayasse Manfred
Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria.
J Chem Ecol. 2006 Feb;32(2):453-71. doi: 10.1007/s10886-005-9013-8. Epub 2006 Mar 23.
We investigated the origin and chemical composition of the queen sex pheromone of the primitively eusocial bumblebee, Bombus terrestris (Apidae). Physiologically and behaviorally active compounds were identified by coupled gas chromatography electro-antennography (GC-EAD), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and laboratory behavioral tests. In the behavioral assays, virgin queens frozen previously at -20 degrees C were highly attractive to males. Dummies impregnated with surface and cephalic extracts obtained from virgin queens that had been frozen at -50 degrees C were more attractive to males than odorless dummies. Male mating behavior was stimulated by components of cephalic secretions that are smeared onto the cuticle surface by the queen. Overall, 21 compounds present in surface and cephalic extracts evoked electroantennographic responses in male antennae. These included saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, ethyl- and methyl esters of the fatty acids, heptacosene, 2-nonanone, and geranyl geraniol. A blend of synthetic versions of these compounds elicited typical male mating behavior. Since solvent-impregnated dummies were approached by the males, but did not release copulatory behavior, visual cues may be important in the initial step of stimulating male mating behavior. Close-range olfactory signals are more important for releasing male mating behavior as well as for species recognition. In further behavioral assays, the attractiveness of a frozen virgin queen decreased as the storage time at -20 degrees C increased from 2 hr to 1 d. Therefore, the chemical composition of the sex pheromone may change during freezing as behaviorally active compounds may decompose.
我们研究了原始群居性大黄蜂（熊蜂属）女王性信息素的来源和化学成分。通过气相色谱 - 触角电位联用技术（GC - EAD）、气相色谱 - 质谱联用技术（GC - MS）以及实验室行为测试，鉴定出了具有生理活性和行为活性的化合物。在行为测定中，先前在 - 20℃冷冻的未交配女王对雄性极具吸引力。用从 - 50℃冷冻的未交配女王身上获取的体表和头部提取物浸渍的假虫对雄性的吸引力比无气味的假虫更大。雄性的交配行为受到女王涂抹在角质层表面的头部分泌物成分的刺激。总体而言，体表和头部提取物中存在的21种化合物在雄性触角上引发了触角电位反应。这些化合物包括饱和脂肪酸和不饱和脂肪酸、脂肪酸的乙酯和甲酯、二十七碳烯、2 - 壬酮以及香叶基香叶醇。这些化合物的合成版本混合物引发了典型的雄性交配行为。由于雄性会接近用溶剂浸渍的假虫，但不会引发交配行为，所以视觉线索在刺激雄性交配行为的初始步骤中可能很重要。近距离嗅觉信号对于引发雄性交配行为以及物种识别更为重要。在进一步的行为测定中，随着在 - 20℃下的储存时间从2小时增加到1天，冷冻未交配女王的吸引力下降。因此，性信息素的化学成分可能在冷冻过程中发生变化，因为具有行为活性的化合物可能会分解。
