Center Agriculture Food Environment, University of Trento, Via E. Mach 1, 38010, San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy.
Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010, San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2021 Mar 22;11(1):6543. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-85904-0.
The greenhouse whitefly (GW), Trialeurodes vaporariorum is considered one of the most harmful insect pests in greenhouses worldwide. The GW mating behavior has been partially investigated and its vibrational communication is only in part known. A deeper knowledge of its intraspecific communication is required to evaluate the applicability of control methods based on techniques of behavioral manipulation. In this study, for the first time, we provided a detailed ethogram of the GW mating behavior and we characterized the vibrational signals emitted during the process of pair formation. We characterized two types of male vibrational emissions ("chirp" and "pulses"), differently arranged according to the behavioral stage to form stage-specific signals, and a previously undescribed Male Rivalry Signal. We recorded and characterized two new female signals: The Female Responding Signal and the Female Rejective Signal. The mating behavior of GW can be divided into six different stages that we named "call", "alternated duet", "courtship", "overlapped duet", "mating", "failed mating attempt". The analysis performed with the Markovian behavioral transition matrix showed that the "courtship" is the key stage in which male exhibits its quality and can lead to the "overlapped duet" stage. The latter is strictly associated to the female acceptance and therefore it plays a crucial role to achieve mating success. Based on our findings, we consider the use of vibrational playbacks interfering with GW mating communication a promising option for pest control in greenhouses. We discuss the possibility to start a research program of behavioral manipulation to control the populations of GW.
温室粉虱（Trialeurodes vaporariorum）被认为是全球温室中最具危害性的害虫之一。温室粉虱的交配行为已得到部分研究，但它的振动通讯仅部分为人所知。为了评估基于行为操纵技术的控制方法的适用性，需要更深入地了解其种内通讯。在这项研究中，我们首次提供了温室粉虱交配行为的详细行为谱，并描述了在配对形成过程中发出的振动信号。我们描述了两种类型的雄性振动排放（“啁啾”和“脉冲”），它们根据行为阶段以不同的方式排列，形成特定于阶段的信号，以及以前未描述的雄性竞争信号。我们记录并描述了两种新的雌性信号：雌性反应信号和雌性拒绝信号。温室粉虱的交配行为可分为六个不同的阶段，我们将其命名为“呼叫”、“交替二重奏”、“求爱”、“重叠二重奏”、“交配”和“交配尝试失败”。使用马尔可夫行为转换矩阵进行的分析表明，“求爱”是雄性展示其品质的关键阶段，并且可以导致“重叠二重奏”阶段。后者与雌性的接受密切相关，因此对于实现交配成功至关重要。基于我们的发现，我们认为使用振动回放干扰温室粉虱交配通讯是温室害虫控制的一种有前途的选择。我们讨论了启动行为操纵研究计划以控制温室粉虱种群的可能性。
