Abstract
In many species, chemical communication is a determining factor in mate choice. Some species use the composition of cuticular compounds to discriminate between potential mates. Moreover, the presence of parasites can also influence mate choice and alter the odor of an individual. In the current study, we tested the effect of the endosymbiont Wolbachia, which is naturally present in the terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare and can induce male feminization in the species. We compared male attraction to different types of females (Wolbachia-free, females naturally infected by Wolbachia, Wolbachia-injected females, and females injected with a bacteria-free suspension). Our behavioral assays revealed that males consistently preferred Wolbachia-free females and that this preference correlates to changes in cuticular compounds. Males also preferred naturally infected females over Wolbachia-injected females. The ability of males to discriminate between females could result in Wolbachia impacting its host phenotype, thus affecting the odor of the host. Female odor is the result of an honest signal that makes it possible for males to discriminate between Wolbachia-infected and non-infected females. The male preference for Wolbachia-free females is adaptive, and long-term studies have demonstrated that such choices confer improved fitness.
Highlights
Many insects use volatile or contact pheromones located on the surface of individual cuticles to exchange information and communicate (Ginzel et al, 2003; Howard and Blomquist, 2005; Richard and Hunt, 2013)
Armadillidium vulgare males spent significantly more time in the section close to the uninfected females compared to the natural Wolbachia-infected females when they were in pre-molt (Wilcoxon: N = 37, T = 89, p < 0.0001, Figure 2A) and when they were in early molt (Wilcoxon: N = 38, T = 111; p < 0.001, Figure 2A)
Armadillidium vulgare males spent significantly more time in the section close to the control-injected females compared to the Wolbachia-injected females in pre-molt (Wilcoxon: N = 23; T = 57; p = 0.013, Figure 2B), and they spent more time close to the natural Wolbachia-infected females compared to the Wolbachiainjected females in pre-molt
Summary
Many insects use volatile or contact pheromones (cues) located on the surface of individual cuticles to exchange information and communicate (Ginzel et al, 2003; Howard and Blomquist, 2005; Richard and Hunt, 2013). Cuticular compounds are cues that communicate status, recognition (caste, nestmate, or mate), health, parasite load, and immune system. Cuticular compounds can be directly involved in mate recognition and affect female attractiveness to males (in Coleoptera: Cerambycidae, Ginzel et al, 2003 and Chrysomelidae, Ali and Tallamy, 2010). Immune system activation via bacterial infection can alter cuticular compound patterns used for nestmate recognition (Richard et al, 2008, 2012); fly microbiota (commensal bacteria) can have consequences on mating preferences of Drosophila (Sharon et al, 2010). The use of chemical cues to evaluate mates, the health of a mate (bacterial infection), is addressed in the current study
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