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Zhong J, Fox EGP, Ling S, Yan Z, Xu J, Yang H, Hong Z, Qin C, Qiu H. Bioactivities of scent gland chemicals from Mictis fuscipes Hsiao (Hemiptera: Coreidae) on Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2024; 80:2892-2904. [PMID: 38411441 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Given the chemical diversity within stink bugs scent glands, they can be convenient models for bioprospecting novel pest control products. Preliminary behaviour observations indicated that adult Mictis fuscipes stink bugs secrete liquid droplets when defending against Solenopsis invicta fire ants, killing them within minutes. Hence, this study aimed to analyse the chemical composition of the metathoracic scent gland secretions of M. fuscipes adults, as well as assess their biological activities against fire ants. RESULTS Bioassaying fire ants against secretions of several local stink bugs confirmed that the defensive secretions of two Mictis species are significantly more lethal, where M. fuscipes was the most lethal. Volatiles chromatography analysis indicated the secretions of female and male M. fuscipes stink bugs contains 20 and 26 components, respectively, chiefly hexanoic acid and hexyl hexanoate. Five compounds were consistently present in the secretion of female adults: hexyl hexanoate, hexanoic acid, hexyl acetate, hexyl butyrate, and eugenol. These yielded a strong electrophysiological antennal (EAD) response from S. invicta workers, female alates and males, where hexyl acetate showed the strongest response. The combination of these five compounds proved strongly repellent to S. invicta. When tested singly, hexanoic acid, hexyl butyrate, hexyl hexanoate, and eugenol were repellent to S. invicta, but hexyl acetate seemed slightly attractive. Additionally, the same mixture of five components exhibited strong contact and fumigant toxicity towards S. invicta workers, eugenol being the strongest. CONCLUSION Defensive chemicals of M. fuscipes exhibit robust biological activity against S. invicta and could inspire the development of biopesticides. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiamei Zhong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization/Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, China
- College of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Eduardo G P Fox
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ambiente e Sociedade (PPGAS), Universidade Estadual de Goiás (UEG), Quirinópolis, Brazil
| | - Siquan Ling
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization/Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zheng Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems and College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jinzhu Xu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization/Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hua Yang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization/Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ziqiong Hong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization/Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, China
| | - Changsheng Qin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization/Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hualong Qiu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization/Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, China
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Shi L, Liu F, Peng L. Impact of Red Imported Fire Ant Nest-Building on Soil Properties and Bacterial Communities in Different Habitats. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2026. [PMID: 37370537 DOI: 10.3390/ani13122026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) is a highly adaptable invasive species that can nest and reproduce in different habitat soils. We aimed to explore the adaptability of red imported fire ants in different habitats by analyzing changes in the physicochemical properties of nest soils and bacterial communities. Five habitat types (forest, tea plantation, rice field, lawn, and brassica field) were selected. The results showed that the pH of the nest soils increased significantly in all five habitats compared to the control soils of the same habitat. A significant increase in nitrogen content was detected in the nests. The Cr, Pb, Cu, and Ni levels were significantly reduced in the soils of the five habitats, due to nesting activities. Analysis of the composition and diversity of the soil microbial community showed that, although the richness and diversity of bacteria in the nest soils of red imported fire ants in the five habitats varied, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria significantly increased and it emerged as the dominant bacterial group. These results indicate that red imported fire ants modify the physicochemical properties of nest soils and bacterial communities to create a suitable habitat for survival and reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longqing Shi
- Rice Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou 350018, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Fenghao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Lu Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
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Csata E, Casacci LP, Ruther J, Bernadou A, Heinze J, Markó B. Non-lethal fungal infection could reduce aggression towards strangers in ants. Commun Biol 2023; 6:183. [PMID: 36797462 PMCID: PMC9935638 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04541-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Many parasites interfere with the behaviour of their hosts. In social animals, such as ants, parasitic interference can cause changes on the level of the individual and also on the level of the society. The ant-parasitic fungus Rickia wasmannii influences the behaviour of Myrmica ants by expanding the host's nestmate recognition template, thereby increasing the chance of the colony accepting infected non-nestmates. Infected ants consistently show an increase of the alkane tricosane (n-C23) in their cuticular hydrocarbon profiles. Although experimental application of single compounds often elicits aggression towards manipulated ants, we hypothesized that the increase of n-C23 might underlie the facilitated acceptance of infected non-nestmates. To test this, we mimicked fungal infection in M. scabrinodis by applying synthetic n-C23 to fresh ant corpses and observed the reaction of infected and uninfected workers to control and manipulated corpses. Infected ants appeared to be more peaceful towards infected but not uninfected non-nestmates. Adding n-C23 to uninfected corpses resulted in reduced aggression in uninfected ants. This supports the hypothesis that n-C23 acts as a 'pacifying' signal. Our study indicates that parasitic interference with the nestmate discrimination of host ants might eventually change colony structure by increasing genetic heterogeneity in infected colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enikő Csata
- Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93040, Regensburg, Germany. .,Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Clinicilor 5-7, 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
| | - Luca Pietro Casacci
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Torino, Italy.
| | - Joachim Ruther
- grid.7727.50000 0001 2190 5763Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D‐93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Abel Bernadou
- grid.7727.50000 0001 2190 5763Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D‐93040 Regensburg, Germany ,grid.15781.3a0000 0001 0723 035XCentre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- grid.7727.50000 0001 2190 5763Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D‐93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Bálint Markó
- grid.7399.40000 0004 1937 1397Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Clinicilor 5-7, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania ,grid.7399.40000 0004 1937 13973B Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Clinicilor 5-7, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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Yang F, Shao R, Zhao J, Li L, Wang M, Zhou A. Cadmium exposure disrupts the olfactory sensitivity of fire ants to semiochemicals. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 287:117359. [PMID: 34020258 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Ants are eusocial insects and have evolved sensitive chemosensory systems for social communication. However, the effect of heavy metal contamination on the olfactory sensitivity of ants remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the survival and olfactory response of Solenopsis invicta under cadmium (Cd) exposure. As a result, exposure to dietary Cd at different concentrations (100, 300 and 500 mg/L) caused higher Cd accumulation and lower survival of the ants compared with the control (0 mg/L). Cd exposure induced diverse expression patterns of odor binding protein genes (SiOBPs) in S. invicta antenna. Specifically, the expression of SiOBP4, SiOBP11, SiOBP12 and SiOBP16 was increased by 1.84-, 1.14-, 0.83- and 1.76-fold, respectively, at 300 mg/L Cd, while SiOBP7 and SiOBP9 were suppressed as Cd concentration increased. Electroantennography (EAG) and behavioral bioassays were performed to further evaluate the effect of Cd contamination on the olfactory sensitivity of S. invicta workers to 2, 4, 6-trimethylpyridine (TMP) and 2-ethyl-3,6(5)-dimethylpyrazine (EDP), the two frequent functional semiochemicals for S. invicta. The results showed that under no Cd exposure, S. invicta workers exhibited strong EAG response and apparent residing repellence to TMP and EDP, but Cd exposure suppressed EAG response and deprived the behavioral repellence to TMP and EDP of the workers, suggesting that Cd exposure decreases the olfactory sensitivity of S. invicta to these two functional semiochemicals. Further fluorescence competitive binding assay revealed that SiOBP7 had strong binding affinity to TMP and EDP, suggesting that the decrease in olfactory sensitivity may be attributed to the inhibitory effect of Cd exposure on SiOBP7. Overall, our results suggest that Cd exposure may not only directly decrease the survival of ants, but also affect their olfactory recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuxiang Yang
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Rui Shao
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jing Zhao
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Lei Li
- Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China
| | - Manqun Wang
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Aiming Zhou
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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