Individual Variation in Male Pheromone Production in Xylocopa sonorina Correlates with size and Gland Color.

Autor: Goffinet AJ; Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA., Darragh K; Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA., Saleh N; Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.; School of Natural Sciences, Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, CA, 93702, USA., Ostwald MM; Cheadle Center for Biodiversity & Ecological Restoration, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA., Buchmann SL; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA., Ramirez SR; Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA. sanram@ucdavis.edu.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of chemical ecology [J Chem Ecol] 2024 Feb; Vol. 50 (1-2), pp. 1-10. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Dec 18.
DOI: 10.1007/s10886-023-01466-7
Abstrakt: Sex pheromones are species-specific chemical signals that facilitate the location, identification, and selection of mating partners. These pheromones can vary between individuals, and act as signals of mate quality. Here, we investigate the variation of male pheromones in the mesosomal glands of the large carpenter bee Xylocopa sonorina, within a Northern California population. We tested the hypothesis that morphological traits are correlated with the observed variation in chemical blend composition of these bees. We also conducted behavioral assays to test whether these male pheromones act as long-range attractants to conspecifics. We found that larger males with darker mesosomal glands have a higher pheromone amount in their glands. Our analysis also suggests that this pheromone blend functions as a long-range attractant to both males and females. We show that both male body size and sexual maturation are important factors influencing pheromone abundance, and that this pheromone blend acts as a long-range attractant. We hypothesize that this recorded variation in male pheromone could be important for female choice.
(© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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