Schoefer, Nils and Ratschmann, Gabriel and Ruther, Joachim (2024) Effects of sub-nanogram doses of acetamiprid, dimethoate, flupyradifurone, and sulfoxaflor on courtship, mating, and olfactory host finding of the parasitic wasp Lariophagus distinguendus. ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, 172 (8). pp. 666-678. ISSN 0013-8703, 1570-7458
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Continued use and development of new insecticides are seen as a necessary part of modern agriculture, but insecticides, even at sublethal levels, may also affect beneficial non-target species, such as pollinators, predators, and parasitic wasps. Here, we studied sublethal effects of four insecticides - acetamiprid, dimethoate, flupyradifurone, and sulfoxaflor - all targeting cholinergic neurons in insects, on sexual communication and olfactory host finding in the parasitic wasp Lariophagus distinguendus (Forster) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). We found that all four insecticides reduced, at least at one of the tested sublethal doses, pheromone-mediated courtship behaviour (wing fanning) in males and the mating frequency of treated wasps. Treated females no longer preferred host-associated kairomones. This suggests that the olfactory sense of the wasps is hampered by sublethal insecticide doses. The lowest bioactive doses tested in the bioassays were 0.021 ng for sulfoxaflor and 0.105 ng for acetamiprid, dimethoate, and flupyradifurone. These low amounts are field realistic and might be taken up by the wasps, e.g., by feeding contaminated plant nectar. Exposure to these compounds likely compromises the important ecosystem service provided by parasitic wasps as natural enemies in terrestrial ecosystems.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | SUBLETHAL INSECTICIDE EXPOSURE; CONTACT SEX-PHEROMONE; FORSTER HYMENOPTERA; EXTRAFLORAL NECTAR; COLEOPTERA-CURCULIONIDAE; BIOLOGICAL-CONTROL; FOOD SOURCE; HONEY-BEES; RECEPTOR; BEHAVIOR; chemical communication; ecosystem service; host finding; Hymenoptera; insecticides; natural enemies; non-target species; olfaction; Pteromalidae; sexual communication; sublethal effects; wing fanning |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 500 Natural sciences & mathematics 500 Science > 590 Zoological 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: | 25 Jul 2025 07:42 |
| Last Modified: | 25 Jul 2025 07:42 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/63734 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
