Abstract
Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are organic compounds of the surface lipid layer, which function as a barrier against water loss and xenobiotic penetration, while also serving as chemical signals. Plasticity of CHC profiles can vary depending upon numerous biological and environmental factors. Here, we investigated potential sources of variation in CHC profiles of Nilaparvata lugens, Laodelphax striatellus and Sogatella furcifera, which are considered to be the most important rice pests in Asia. CHC profiles were quantified by GC/MS, and factors associated with variations were explored by conducting principal component analysis (PCA). Transcriptomes were further compared under different environmental conditions. The results demonstrated that CHC profiles differ among three species and change with different developmental stages, sexes, temperature, humidity and host plants. Genes involved in cuticular lipid biosynthesis pathways are modulated, which might explain why CHC profiles vary among species under different environments. Our study illustrates some biological and ecological variations in modifying CHC profiles, and the underlying molecular regulation mechanisms of the planthoppers in coping with changes of environmental conditions, which is of great importance for identifying potential vulnerabilities relating to pest ecology and developing novel pest management strategies.
Highlights
Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, Northwest AandF University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Both authors contributed to this work
Introduction with regard to jurisdictional claims in Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), which are composed of long, straight-chained, olefinic and methyl-branched hydrocarbons, act as a waxy coat that can adapt to environmental changes to prevent water loss and avoid the damage caused by chemical compounds [1,2,3]
By taking the opportunity of our understanding of the HC biosynthetic pathway, we investigated factors that might be associated with variation in CHC profiles in three planthopper species
Summary
Our study illustrates some biological and ecological variations in modifying CHC profiles, and the underlying molecular regulation mechanisms of the planthoppers in coping with changes of environmental conditions, which is of great importance for identifying potential vulnerabilities relating to pest ecology and developing novel pest management strategies. CHCs are used as sex pheromones, kairomones, primer pheromones, and colony-, caste-, species- and sex-recognition signals in a wide range of insects [4]. Due to their widespread importance in waterproofing and chemical communication, CHCs are indispensable for insects and shaped by two different selection pressures [5]. Existing research has mostly been limited to ants [5,7,12], wasps and bees [13,14,15], and fruit published maps and institutional affiliations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
