TY - JOUR
T1 - Parasitic wasps avoid ant-protected hemipteran hosts via the detection of ant cuticular hydrocarbons
AU - Mouratidis, Angelos
AU - Vacas, Sandra
AU - Herrero, Julieta
AU - Navarro-Llopis, Vicente
AU - Dicke, Marcel
AU - Tena, Alejandro
PY - 2021/1/13
Y1 - 2021/1/13
N2 - One of the most studied and best-known mutualistic relationships between insects is that between ants and phloem-feeding insects. Ants feed on honeydew excreted by phloem-feeding insects and, in exchange, attack the phloem feeders' natural enemies, including parasitic wasps. However, parasitic wasps are under selection to exploit information on hazards and avoid them. Here, we tested whether parasitic wasps detect the previous presence of ants attending colonies of phloem feeders. Behavioural assays demonstrate that wasps left colonies previously attended by ants more frequently than control colonies. This behaviour has a potential cost for the parasitic wasp as females inserted their ovipositor in fewer hosts per colony. In a further bioassay, wasps spent less time on papers impregnated with extracts of the ant cues than on control papers. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry analyses demonstrated that ants left a blend of cuticular hydrocarbons when they attended colonies of phloem feeders. These cuticular hydrocarbons are deposited passively when ants search for food. Overall, these results suggest, for the first time, that parasitic wasps of honeydew producers detect the previous presence of mutualistic ants through contact infochemicals. We anticipate such interactions to be widespread and to have implications in numerous ecosystems, as phloem feeders are usually tended by ants.
AB - One of the most studied and best-known mutualistic relationships between insects is that between ants and phloem-feeding insects. Ants feed on honeydew excreted by phloem-feeding insects and, in exchange, attack the phloem feeders' natural enemies, including parasitic wasps. However, parasitic wasps are under selection to exploit information on hazards and avoid them. Here, we tested whether parasitic wasps detect the previous presence of ants attending colonies of phloem feeders. Behavioural assays demonstrate that wasps left colonies previously attended by ants more frequently than control colonies. This behaviour has a potential cost for the parasitic wasp as females inserted their ovipositor in fewer hosts per colony. In a further bioassay, wasps spent less time on papers impregnated with extracts of the ant cues than on control papers. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry analyses demonstrated that ants left a blend of cuticular hydrocarbons when they attended colonies of phloem feeders. These cuticular hydrocarbons are deposited passively when ants search for food. Overall, these results suggest, for the first time, that parasitic wasps of honeydew producers detect the previous presence of mutualistic ants through contact infochemicals. We anticipate such interactions to be widespread and to have implications in numerous ecosystems, as phloem feeders are usually tended by ants.
KW - cuticular hydrocarbons
KW - enemy avoidance
KW - hazard cues
KW - infochemicals
KW - phloem-feeding insects
UR - https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.stqjq2c1n
UR - https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5238536
U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2020.1684
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2020.1684
M3 - Article
C2 - 33402070
AN - SCOPUS:85099411924
SN - 0962-8452
VL - 288
JO - Proceedings. Biological sciences
JF - Proceedings. Biological sciences
IS - 1942
M1 - 20201684
ER -