Submission Type

Oral Presentation

Abstract

The behavior of longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is strongly shaped by volatile compounds, which can dictate the selection of hosts and mates, segregate heterospecifics, and initiate oviposition. These compounds are primarily detected at the molecular level by the protein family of odorant receptors (ORs), which rapidly evolve in response to evolutionary changes such as diet or sociality. Thus, the OR gene family could provide great insight into the ecology and evolution of animals, especially when their chemical ecology is otherwise poorly understood. We are examining the ORs of the pole borer Neandra brunnea (Cerambycidae: Parandrinae), for which the specific role of chemical communication remains largely unknown, and no pheromones have been identified within the larger subfamily Parandrinae. The species feeds in rotting wood of most tree species and may complete its lifecycle without emerging from its host material, potentially indicating reduced reliance on long-range attractant pheromones and host cues. In this study, we are identifying ORs expressed in antennal transcriptomes of male and female N. brunnea to better understand the breadth of this species’ olfactory system, the extent to which ORs are expressed, and the relatedness of these ORs to described pheromone receptors of other cerambycid species.

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Richard H. Adams1, Stephanie Haddad2, Duane D. McKenna2 & Robert F. Mitchell3

1 Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701

2 Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152

3 Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI 54901

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Identifying olfactory receptors in the pole borer, Neandra brunnea (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

The behavior of longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is strongly shaped by volatile compounds, which can dictate the selection of hosts and mates, segregate heterospecifics, and initiate oviposition. These compounds are primarily detected at the molecular level by the protein family of odorant receptors (ORs), which rapidly evolve in response to evolutionary changes such as diet or sociality. Thus, the OR gene family could provide great insight into the ecology and evolution of animals, especially when their chemical ecology is otherwise poorly understood. We are examining the ORs of the pole borer Neandra brunnea (Cerambycidae: Parandrinae), for which the specific role of chemical communication remains largely unknown, and no pheromones have been identified within the larger subfamily Parandrinae. The species feeds in rotting wood of most tree species and may complete its lifecycle without emerging from its host material, potentially indicating reduced reliance on long-range attractant pheromones and host cues. In this study, we are identifying ORs expressed in antennal transcriptomes of male and female N. brunnea to better understand the breadth of this species’ olfactory system, the extent to which ORs are expressed, and the relatedness of these ORs to described pheromone receptors of other cerambycid species.