Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.
J Chem Ecol. 2010 Aug;36(8):855-63. doi: 10.1007/s10886-010-9805-3. Epub 2010 May 28.
Semiochemicals influence many aspects of insect behavior, including interactions between parasites and their hosts. We studied the chemical recognition system of bumblebees (Bombus) by examining the cuticular hydrocarbon cues of 14 species, including five species of social parasites, known as cuckoo bees (subgenus Psithyrus). We found that bumblebees possess species-specific alkene positional isomer profiles that are stable over large geographical regions and are mimicked by three host-specific cuckoo parasites. In three host-cuckoo associations where mimicry is poor, possibly due to recent host shifts, these cuckoos produce dodecyl acetate a known chemical repellent that allows the cuckoos to invade their host colonies. Our findings indicate cuckoos use two chemical mechanisms, mimicry and repellents, to invade their hosts, and this may reflect different stages of an ongoing dynamic arms race.
信息素会影响昆虫行为的许多方面，包括寄生虫与其宿主之间的相互作用。我们通过研究 14 种物种的表皮碳氢化合物线索，包括 5 种社会性寄生虫，即杜鹃蜂（亚属 Psithyrus），来研究熊蜂的化学识别系统。我们发现，熊蜂具有种特异性的烯烃位置异构体谱，这种谱在较大的地理区域内是稳定的，并且被三种宿主特异性的杜鹃寄生虫所模拟。在三种宿主-杜鹃寄生虫的共生关系中，由于可能是最近的宿主转移，这种模拟作用较差，这些杜鹃寄生虫会产生一种已知的化学驱避剂十二烷酸乙酯，这使得杜鹃寄生虫能够入侵其宿主群体。我们的发现表明，杜鹃寄生虫使用两种化学机制，即模拟和驱避剂，来入侵其宿主，这可能反映了正在进行的动态军备竞赛的不同阶段。
