Parasitic wasps avoid ant-protected hemipteran hosts via detection of ant cuticular hydrocarbons
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Mouratidis, Angelos; Vacas, Sandra; Herrero-Schell, Julieta; Navarro-Llopis, Vicente; Marcel, Dicke; Tena, AlejandroDate
2021Cita bibliográfica
Mouratidis, A, Vacas, S, Herrero, J, Navarro-Llopis, V., Dicke, M. & Tena, A. (2021) Parasitic wasps avoid ant-protected hemipteran hosts via the detection of ant cuticular hydrocarbons. Proc. R. Soc. B 288: 20201684.Abstract
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
thatwasps 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 withmass 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.