Editorial Chemical Ecology of Parasitic Hymenopteradownloads.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2016/4298150.pdf · 2019-07-30 · Editorial Chemical Ecology of Parasitic Hymenoptera GiovanniBenelli,

EditorialChemical Ecology of Parasitic Hymenoptera

Giovanni Benelli,1 Kent M. Daane,2 Roxina Soler,3 and Johannes Stökl4

1Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy2Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3114, USA3Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10,6708 PB Wageningen, Netherlands4Institute for Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitatsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany

Correspondence should be addressed to Giovanni Benelli; [email protected]

Received 18 January 2016; Accepted 19 January 2016

Copyright © 2016 Giovanni Benelli et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionLicense, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properlycited.

Over the past one hundred years, the evolutionary chemicalecology of arthropods has been deeply investigated by a widerange of scientists, including chemists, ecologists, neurobi-ologists, entomologists, and behavioural and evolutionarybiologists. Among insects, a substantial number of studiesfocused on the ecology of parasitic Hymenoptera, particu-larly wasp species that have evolved to utilize insect herbi-vores. Parasitoids are therefore considered key organisms inboth natural and agricultural systems, for their role in ecosys-tem services and biological pest control. These fascinatinganimals rely on a range of communication channels duringtheir life, including visual, auditory, and olfactory channels.

A full understanding of the chemical ecology and evolu-tion of Hymenoptera parasitoids can help develop novel orimprove current biological control programs. At an opera-tional level, behavioural knowledge would help to improvemass-rearing techniques, evaluate release rates in a givenhabitat, and predict parasitoid effectiveness against a varietyof hosts. Although extensive research has been carried outon these topics in recent years, there are still significant gapsin our knowledge of the chemical ecology of many parasiticwasps. In this scenario, this special issue presents reviewand original research papers covering different facets of thechemical ecology of parasitic wasps.

The effects of abiotic factors on biotic interactions medi-ated by herbivore-induced plant volatiles have received onlylimited attention. In the review article “Effects of AbioticFactors on HIPV-Mediated Interactions between Plants andParasitoids,” C. Becker et al. highlighted that HIPV can be

influenced by the plant growing conditions, which could havemajor implications for pest management. Indeed, quantita-tive and qualitative changes in HIPV blends can improveor impair biocontrol. Enhanced emission of HIPV mayattract a larger number of natural enemies. Reduced emissionrates or altered compositions, however, may render blendsimperceptible to parasitoids and predators. Predicting theoutcome of these changes is important for food productionand for ecosystems affected by global climate change.

Even though Braconidae wasps are employed as bio-logical control agents against Tephritidae flies, their use isstill limited in olive groves against the olive fruit fly, due tolow parasitisation efficiency. Besides visual cues, olfactorystimuli can provide key information driving parasitoid hostlocation processes. In “VOCs-Mediated Location of OliveFly Larvae by the Braconid Parasitoid Psyttalia concolor:A Multivariate Comparison among VOC Bouquets fromThree Olive Cultivars,” G. Giunti et al. investigated the effectof Bactrocera oleae infestation on olive fruits of differentcultivars. Particular emphasis was given to the impact ofinfestation on volatile organic compound emissions, in orderto evaluate the occurrence of putative HIPV, which may beuseful to enhance the parasitoid efficacy in control programsagainst the olive fruit fly.

In “Electrophysiological and Behavioral Responses ofTheocolax elegans (Westwood) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)to Cereal Grain Volatiles,” G. Germinara et al. studied theolfactory responses of T. elegans, a pteromalid wasp thatparasitises immature stages of stored-product insect pests,

Hindawi Publishing CorporationBioMed Research InternationalVolume 2016, Article ID 4298150, 2 pageshttp://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/4298150

2 BioMed Research International

to volatiles emitted by healthy wheat grains, their hexaneextracts, and different doses of three individual compoundspreviously identified in cereal grain odours. In Y-tube olfac-tometer bioassays, odours from healthy wheat grains andtheir hexane extracts were attractive to both sexes of T.elegans. Hexane extracts elicited arresting effects in Petridish arena. The three synthetic compounds valeraldehyde,maltol, and vanillin elicited dose-dependent responses inboth male and female adult wasps confirming the capabilityof the peripheral olfactory systems to perceive cereal volatiles.In behavioural bioassays, different doses of vanillin weresignificantly attractive to both sexes.

The cues routing the host-searching behaviour ofMymaridae wasps have been scarcely studied. In the researcharticle “Anagrus breviphragma Soyka Short Distance SearchStimuli,” A. Berzolla et al. pointed out that chemicals solublein polar solvents are more important than host-bornephysical cues, when Anagrus breviphragma females searchfor Cicadella viridis eggs. Notably, the stimuli that elicitprobing and oviposition are not subjected to learning.

Furthermore, two original research articles present infor-mation on the identity and behavioural role of some com-pounds involved in the courtship and mating behaviourof two parasitoids of economic importance. The study“Sexy Mouth Odour? Male Oral Gland Pheromone in theGrain Beetle Parasitoid Lariophagus distinguendus (Forster)(Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)” by K. Konig et al. analysedthe courtship and mating behaviour of L. distinguendusfrom two different lineages, which are sexually isolatedbecause males fail to elicit receptivity in foreign females.They showed that in L. distinguendus a nonvolatile maleoral pheromone is essential to release the female receptivitysignal. In contrast, male wing fanning and antennal contactplay a minor role. Additionally, the composition of theoral pheromone depends on the developmental host andfemales learn the composition upon emergence from the hostsubstrate. In the study “Species Specificity of the PutativeMale Antennal Aphrodisiac Pheromone in Leptopilina het-erotoma, Leptopilina boulardi, and Leptopilina victoriae,” I.Weiss et al. focus on male antennal aphrodisiac pheromoneseliciting female receptiveness in Leptopilina parasitoids.Theystudied the species specificity of the putativemale aphrodisiacpheromone of L. heterotoma, L. boulardi, and L. victoriae.Males elicited receptiveness only in conspecific females,never in the manipulated heterospecific females. Chemicalanalyses showed the presence of species-specific unsaturatedhydrocarbons on the antennae of males. Only trace amountsof these hydrocarbonswere found on the antennae of females.These results are of importance for a full understanding andidentification of antennal pheromones in parasitic wasps.

Overall, we are grateful to this journal for hosting thisspecial issue, and we hope that the knowledge presented herewill be helpful to researchers in chemoecology, behaviouralecology, and biological control, to boost ecofriendly pestmanagement strategies.

Giovanni BenelliKent M. Daane

Roxina SolerJohannes Stokl

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Editorial Chemical Ecology of Parasitic Hymenopteradownloads.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2016/4298150.pdf · 2019-07-30 · Editorial Chemical Ecology of Parasitic Hymenoptera GiovanniBenelli,