Stoekl, Johannes and Machacek, Zora and Ruther, Joachim (2015) Behavioural flexibility of the chemical defence in the parasitoid wasp Leptopilina heterotoma. SCIENCE OF NATURE, 102 (11-12): 67. ISSN 0028-1042, 1432-1904
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Many insects use chemical defence mechanisms to defend themselves against predators. However, defensive secretions are costly to produce and should thus only be used in cases of real danger. This would require that insects are able to discriminate between predators to adjust their chemical defence. Here, we show that females of the parasitoid wasp Leptopilina heterotoma adjust the intensity of their chemical defence to differently sized predators. If attacked by Myrmica ants, the females always released their defensive secretion, which consists mainly of (-)- iridomyrmecin. However, if attacked by smaller Cardiocondyla ants, most females did not release any defensive spray, irrespective of the duration of the ant's aggression. When in contact with non-aggressive Nasonia wasps, the females of L. heterotoma did not release any defensive secretion. Our data show that females of L. heterotoma are able to discriminate between two predators and suggest that a predator of a certain size or strength is necessary to trigger the chemical defence mechanism of L. heterotoma.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | SECRETIONS; ARTHROPODS; Iridomyrmecin; Allomone; Parasitoid wasp; Ant; Figitidae |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 570 Life sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Chemische Ökologie (Prof. Dr. Joachim Ruther) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 06 May 2019 07:08 |
| Last Modified: | 06 May 2019 07:08 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/4385 |
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