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Indirect effects of phytochemicals on offspring performance of Q ueensland fruit fly, B actrocera tryoni ( D iptera: T ephritidae)
Author(s) -
Kumaran N.,
Clarke A. R.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of applied entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1439-0418
pISSN - 0931-2048
DOI - 10.1111/jen.12082
Subject(s) - offspring , biology , fecundity , mating , methyl eugenol , longevity , reproductive success , zoology , tephritidae , botany , pest analysis , demography , genetics , pregnancy , population , sociology
Phytochemical lures such as methyl eugenol ( ME ) and cue‐lure are used in the management of B actrocera fruit flies for monitoring and control. These lures are not just attractants, but also trigger physiological changes in males that lead to enhanced mating success. Additionally, in the cue‐lure‐responsive B actrocera tryoni , females mated with lure‐fed males exhibit changes in fecundity, remating receptivity and longevity. While the lures show current generation effects, no research has been carried out on possible multigenerational effects, although such effects have been hypothesized within a ‘sexy‐son’ sexual selection model. In this study, we test for indirect, cross‐generational effects of lure exposure in F 1offspring of B . tryoni females mated with cue‐lure‐fed, zingerone‐fed and lure‐unfed (=control) males. The F 1 attributes we recorded were immature development time, immature survival, adult survival and adult male lure foraging. No significant differences were found between treatments for any of the three life‐history measurements, except that the offspring sired by zingerone‐fed males had a longer egg development time than cue‐lure and control offspring. However, indirect exposure to lures significantly enhanced the lure‐foraging ability of F 1 adult males. More offspring of cue‐lure‐fed males arrived at a lure source in both large flight cages and small laboratory cages over a 2‐h period than did control males. The offspring of zingerone‐fed males were generally intermediate between cue‐lure and control offspring. This study provides the first evidence of a next generation effect of fruit fly male lures. While the results of this study support a ‘sexy‐son’ sexual selection mechanism for the evolution of lure response in B actrocera fruit flies, our discussion urges caution in interpreting our results in this way.