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Identification of Host Fruit Volatiles from Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), Attractive to Rhagoletis zephyria Flies from the Western United States

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Abstract

A mixture of behaviorally active volatiles was identified from the fruit of snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus laevigatus, for Rhagoletis zephyria flies reared from snowberry fruit. A nine-component blend containing 3-methylbutan-1-ol (3%), dimethyl trisulfide (1%), 1-octen-3-ol (40%), myrcene (8%), nonanal (9%), linalool (13%), (3E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene (DMNT, 6%), decanal (15%), and β-caryophyllene (5%) was identified that gave consistent electroantennogram activity and was behaviorally active in flight tunnel tests. In other flight tunnel assays, snowberry flies from two sites in Washington state, USA, displayed significantly greater levels of upwind oriented flight to sources with the snowberry volatile blend compared with previously identified volatile blends from domestic apple (Malus domestica) and downy hawthorn (Crataegus mollis) fruit from the eastern USA, and domestic apple, black hawthorn (C. douglasii) and ornamental hawthorn (C. monogyna) from Washington state. Selected subtraction assays showed that whereas removal of DMNT or 1-octen-3-ol significantly reduced the level of upwind flight, removal of myrcene and β-caryophyllene, or dimethyl trisulfide alone did not significantly affect the proportion of upwind flights. Our findings add to previous studies showing that populations of Rhagoletis flies infesting different host fruit are attracted to unique mixtures of volatile compounds specific to their respective host plants. Taken together, the results support the hypothesis that differences among flies in their behavioral responses to host fruit odors represent key adaptations involved in sympatric host plant shifts, contributing to host specific mating and generating prezygotic reproductive isolation among members of the R. pomonella sibling species complex.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Clark County Washington 78th street Heritage Farm, the Washington State University Research and Extension Unit, Vancouver, Blair Wolfley, Doug Stienbarger, Terry Porter, Kathleen Rogers, and Satoshi Nojima for their support and assistance on the project. We also thank Callie Musto, Kathy Poole, and Paula Fox for maintaining the flies received from Washington State and Notre Dame, and Harvey Reissig, Dave Combs, and Cynthia Smith for use of the Geneva, NY apple maggot colony. Special thanks also to Scott Egan, and Greg Ragland for helpful discussions, insight, advice, and constructive criticism of the paper. This work was supported in part by grants to JLF and CEL from NSF and the USDA, and to WLY by the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, Washington State Commission on Pesticide Registration, and the USDA-FAS.

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Author notes

  1. Dong H. Cha

    Present address: USDA-ARS, 64 Nowelo Street, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA

  2. Shannon B. Olsson

    Present address: Naturalist-Inspired Chemical Ecology, National Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK Campus, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bellary Road, Bangalore, 560 065, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, NYS Agricultural Experiment Station, Cornell University, Geneva, NY, 14456, USA

    Dong H. Cha, Shannon B. Olsson & Charles E. Linn Jr

  2. USDA-ARS Yakima Agricultural Research Laboratory, Wapato, WA, 98951, USA

    Dong H. Cha, Wee L. Yee & Robert B. Goughnour

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46656, USA

    Glen R. Hood & Jeffrey L. Feder

  4. Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Cworvallis, OR, 97201, USA

    Monte Mattsson

  5. Department of Biology, Western Washington University, 510 High Street, MS 9160, Washington, 98225, USA

    Dietmar Schwarz

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  1. Dong H. Cha
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Cha, D.H., Olsson, S.B., Yee, W.L. et al. Identification of Host Fruit Volatiles from Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), Attractive to Rhagoletis zephyria Flies from the Western United States. J Chem Ecol 43, 188–197 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-016-0814-8

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