Chemical Senses vol. 30 no. 2 © Oxford University Press 2005; all rights reserved.
Five Types of Olfactory Receptor Neurons in the Strawberry Blossom Weevil Anthonomus rubi: Selective Responses to Inducible Host-plant Volatiles
1 Chemical Ecology Unit, Centre for applied Ecology, University of Évora, Apartado 94, PT-7001-Evora codex, Portugal, 2 Neuroscience Unit, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7489 Trondheim, Norway and 3 Ecological Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
Correspondence to be sent to: Helena Bichão, Neuroscience Unit, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7489 Trondheim, Norway. e-mail: Helena.Bichao{at}bio.ntnu.no
Plants release hundreds of volatiles that are important in the interaction with herbivorous animals, but which odorants are detected by which species? In this study, single receptor neurons on the antenna of the oligophagous strawberry blossom weevil Anthonomus rubi were screened for sensitivity to naturally produced plant compounds by the use of gas chromatography linked to electrophysiological recordings from single cells. The narrow tuning of the neurons was demonstrated by responses solely to a few structurally related sesquiterpenes, aromatics or monoterpene hydrocarbons out of hundreds of plant constituents tested. We present five olfactory receptor neuron types, identified according to one primary odorant i.e. the compound to which the neurons are most sensitive. These odorants, (–)-germacrene D, (–)-ß-caryophyllene, methyl salicylate, E-ß-ocimene and (3E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene, present in the intact strawberry plant, are induced in higher amounts by weevil feeding. This suggests that these compounds can provide information about the presence of conspecifics. We used protocols especially designed to allow comparison with previously investigated species. Striking similarities, but also differences, are demonstrated between receptor neuron specificity in the strawberry weevil and moths.
Key words: GC-MS, GC-SCR, insect olfaction, plant odours, terpenes, aromatics
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