A Syrphid Fly Uses Olfactory Cues to Find a Non-Yellow Flower
| Autor: | Stefan Dötterl, Clara Primante |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2010 |
| Předmět: |
Arthropod Antennae
Male Chromatography Gas Scent gland Flowers Asteraceae Biochemistry Electroantennography Pollinator Botany Animals Nectar Cirsium arvense Sensory cue Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Behavior Animal biology Diptera fungi food and beverages General Medicine Phenylethyl Alcohol biology.organism_classification Attraction Salicylates Smell Episyrphus balteatus Female |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Chemical Ecology. 36:1207-1210 |
| ISSN: | 1573-1561 0098-0331 |
| Popis: | Syrphid flies are frequent flower visitors, but little is known about the cues they use to find flowers. We determined the importance of visual and olfactory cues in a flight cage bioassay using Cirsium arvense (Asteraceae) flower heads and experienced Episyrphus balteatus (Diptera, Syrphidae). We tested the response of antennae of the flies to headspace inflorescence scent samples by using gas chromatography coupled to electroantennography (GC-EAD). The bioassays revealed that both sexes of experienced flies rely on olfactory, not visual, cues to find C. arvense flower heads. The GC-EAD measurements demonstrated that male and female flies have olfactory receptors for several of the compounds emitted by the inflorescences. These electroantennographic-active compounds may be responsible for the attraction of flies to the C. arvense flower heads. Among the compounds eliciting an antennal response are methyl salicylate and 2-phenylethanol, which were previously described as syrphid attractants. Overall, our study demonstrates for the first time that a syrphid fly uses olfactory and not visual cues to find a pollen/nectar host-plant. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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