Volatile Drosophila cuticular pheromones are affected by social but not sexual experience.
Recognition of conspecifics and mates is based on a variety of sensory cues that are specific to the species, sex and social status of each individual. The courtship and mating activity of Drosophila melanogaster flies is thought to depend on the olfactory perception of a male-specific volatile pheromone, cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), and the gustatory perception of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHs), some of which are sexually dimorphic. Using two complementary sampling methods (headspace Solid Phase Micro-Extraction [SPME] and solvent extraction) coupled with GC-MS analysis, we measured the dispersion of pheromonal CHs in the air and on the substrate around the fly. We also followed the variations in CHs that were induced by social and sexual interactions. We found that all CHs present on the fly body were deposited as a thin layer on the substrate, whereas only a few of these molecules were also detected in the air. Moreover, social experience during early adult development and in mature flies strongly affected male volatile CHs but not cVA, whereas sexual interaction only had a moderate influence on dispersed CHs. Our study suggests that, in addition to their role as contact cues, CHs can influence fly behavior at a distance and that volatile, deposited and body pheromonal CHs participate in a three-step recognition of the chemical identity and social status of insects.
Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Unité Mixte de Recherche 2572-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche1324-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France.
Jean-Pierre
JP
Farine
Jean-François
JF
Ferveur
Claude
C
Everaerts
D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D034582:Integumentary System / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010675:Pheromones / Q000378:metabolism*; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D012919:Social Behavior; D014020:Tissue Extracts; D014835:Volatilization
D010675:Pheromones; D014020:Tissue Extracts