Flight Tunnel Research Articles

Volatiles from flowers ofPlatanthera bifolia(Orchidaceae) attractive to the silver Y moth,Autographa gamma(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

We examined the attractiveness of a natural headspace sample ofPlatanthera bifoliablossoms, synthetic blends and single compounds to the silver Y moth,Autographa gamma,in a flight tunnel. The synthetic blend consisted of previously identified electrophysiologically active compounds fromP. bifolia: benzyl benzoate, benzyl salicylate, cinnamyl alcohol, lilac aldehydes, methyl benzoate and methyl salicylate. This blend had a similar attractivity as the natural headspace sample. Subtraction of lilac aldehydes significantly decreased attractiveness of the synthetic blend. When a mixture of lilac aldehydes was tested alone, it showed attractiveness similar to that of the synthetic blend. One or a mixture of lilac aldehydes accounts for the attraction of moths toP. bifolia. All other compounds elicited significantly lower responses. Results are discussed in relation to the pollination biology ofP. bifolia.

Odour‐mediated nectar foraging in the silver Y moth,Autographa gamma(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): behavioural and electrophysiological responses to floral volatiles

Naive male and female silver Y moths,Autographa gamma(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), were attracted in a flight tunnel assay to potted creeping thistle,Cirsium arvense(Asteraceae), butterfly‐orchid,Platanthera bifolia(Orchidaceae), soapwort,Saponaria officinalis(Caryophyllaceae), greater knapweed,Centaurea scabiosa(Asteraceae), red clover,Trifolium pratense(Fabaceae), and catnip,Nepeta faasseni(Labiatae), plants with flowers. The most attractive plants wereC. arvense,P. bifoliaandS. officinalisthat elicited 87, 78 and 65% source contacts, respectively.C. scabiosawas less attractive eliciting 43% response.T. pratenseandN. faassenishowed the least attraction eliciting 28 and 26% source contacts, respectively. A cotton plant used as control, was not attractive. Floral volatiles from the investigated plant species were collected using headspace sampling technique. Samples were analysed using gas chromatography coupled with electroantennographic detection, and electrophysiologically active compounds were identified by coupled gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Consistent electrophysiological responses were elicited by twelve compounds from headspace ofC. arvense, thirteen compounds fromP. bifolia, eleven compounds fromS. officinalis, nine fromC. scabiosa, ten fromT. pratenseand two fromN. faasseni. Most of the active compounds were specific for one or two species, while benzyl benzoate was present in four and benzaldehyde and benzyl alcohol in three species. Floral scents ofC. arvense,P. bifoliaandS. officinalis, the most attractive flowers, were dominated by aromatic compounds that were not abundant in the scent of other flowers. To conclude, the results demonstrate the absence of a common denominator of odours present in flowers of different plants visited byA. gamma.

ATTRACTION OF MATED FEMALE CODLING MOTHS (LEPIDOPTERA: TORTRICIDAE) TO APPLES AND APPLE ODOR IN A FLIGHT TUNNEL

Abstract In a flight tunnel, mated female codling moths, Cydia pomonella L., were attracted (upwind flight with zigzagging flight patterns) to cold-stored thinning apples. Greater numbers of codling moths were attracted to apples infested with codling moth larvae than to uninfested apples. However, codling moth response to piped odor from cold-stored thinning apples infested with larvae was not significantly greater than that of moths to piped odor from uninfested apples. In a flight tunnel, significant numbers of mated female codling moths were captured in traps baited with fresh-picked immature apples or in traps through which odor from such apples was piped. Also, more codling moths were captured in traps baited with infested versus un-infested apples, and more were captured in traps with odor from infested apples compared to odor from un-infested apples. These studies demonstrate upwind attraction by flying female codling moths to apple fruit and odors from apple fruit and show increased response by m...

Wind tunnel–flight correlation for laminar wings in adiabatic and heating flow conditions

The DoAL3 airfoil was designed for a laminar wing of a commuter aircraft with small leading edge sweep flying at moderate Mach numbers, M=0.45–0.6, and Reynolds numbers up to Re=14×10 6. Free transition measurements were executed in the Transonic Wind Tunnel Braunschweig (TWB) of the DLR, German Aerospace Center, at a Mach number of 0.48 and a Reynolds number of 3.2×10 6. To quantify the airfoil performance for flight Reynolds numbers a Navier–Stokes method coupled to e N transition prediction is applied. The limiting N factor for the TWB facility has been shown beforehand to achieve a value of six, in flight a mean value of twelve can be expected. The extrapolation to flight Reynolds numbers considers the aircraft flying in adiabatic and heating flow conditions. When exposed to extensive sunshine on the airfield the fuel contained in the wet wings will be heated and the aircraft is then flying a considerable time in climb and cruise with wings exposed to non negligible heat transfer. The effects of Reynolds number and heat transfer on the extent of laminar wing flow are investigated separately. The important findings of the numerical study are, firstly, that in adiabatic conditions the wing will fly with the same extent of the laminar bucket as observed in the wind tunnel. Secondly, in heating conditions laminarity is completely lost, the drag is almost doubled with respect to the minimum drag for adiabatic flows.

Behavioral responses of adult female tobacco hornworms, Manduca sexta, to hostplant volatiles change with age and mating status

We present evidence for two behaviors influenced by intact, vegetative plant odor — upwind flight and abdomen curling — in female Manduca sexta and demonstrate the influence of the age and mating status of the moths on these behaviors. We compared the behavioral responses of laboratory-reared M. sexta. of discrete ages and physiological states (2,3, and 4 day old for virgin; 2 and 3 day old for mated) as individual moths flew upwind in a flight tunnel to a source of hostplant volatiles. We monitored odor-modulated flight and abdomen curling in the presence of volatiles released by potted hostplants. Mated 3 day old females exhibited the highest incidence of odor-modulated flight and abdomen curling. Similarly, as virgin moths aged, a greater percentage of the individuals displayed odor-modulated flight patterns and abdomen curling. In contrast, younger virgin moths exhibited high levels of abdomen curling only after contact with the plant.

Effects of herbivore-induced rice volatiles on the host selec-tion behavior of brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens

It has been suggested that herbivore would react to volatiles produced by herbivore infested plant due to potential change, either positive or negative, in the acceptability of the host plant. This hypothesis was tested for the brown planthopper (BPH) in the laboratory. Sixteen components of the headspace volatiles from rice seedlings with different treatments were collected with SPME and Tenax-TA trap and analyzed with GC and GC-MS. Significant differences in volatile emissions were observed for rice plants with different treatments. Undamaged control plants, mechanically damaged plants and the plants infested by BPH for 1 or 2 d emitted much lower amounts of volatiles compared to the plants infested by BPH for 3 or 5 d. The plants infested by BPH for 3 or 5 d emitted several volatiles that were not detected in undamaged control plants, mechanically damaged plants or the plants infested by BPH for 1 or 2 d. Spodoptera litura infested plants released much higher amounts of volatiles than those in all other treatments, and the contents of several green leaf volatiles, methyl salicylate and terpenoids increased dramatically. In dual-choice flight tunnel experiments, adult BPH females showed no significant preference between the untreated healthy plants and mechanically damaged plants or the plants infested by BPH adult females. However, rice plants damaged by S. litura had a clearly repellent effects on BPH adult females compared to healthy undamaged plants, mechanically damaged plants or the plants infested by BPH.

Behavioral responses of adult female tobacco hornworms, Manduca sexta, to hostplant volatiles change with age and mating status

We present evidence for two behaviors influenced by intact, vegetative plant odor - upwind flight and abdomen curling - in female Manduca sexta and demonstrate the influence of the age and mating status of the moths on these behaviors. We compared the behavioral responses of laboratory-reared M. sexta. of discrete ages and physiological states (2,3, and 4 day old for virgin; 2 and 3 day old for mated) as individual moths flew upwind in a flight tunnel to a source of hostplant volatiles. We monitored odor-modulated flight and abdomen curling in the presence of volatiles released by potted hostplants. Mated 3 day old females exhibited the highest incidence of odor-modulated flight and abdomen curling. Similarly, as virgin moths aged, a greater percentage of the individuals displayed odor-modulated flight patterns and abdomen curling. In contrast, younger virgin moths exhibited high levels of abdomen curling only after contact with the plant.

Modification of the sex-pheromone communication system associated with organophosphorus-insecticide resistance in the obliquebanded leafroller (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

AbstractThe pheromone communication systems of azinphosmethyl-susceptible (susceptible) and azinphosmethyl-resistant (resistant) obliquebanded leafrollers, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris), from the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario, were compared in the laboratory and field. The pheromone glands of resistant females contained approximately one-half as much (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (Z11-14:Ac), (Z)-11-tetradecenol (Z11-14:OH), and (Z)-11-tetradecenal (Z11-14:Al) as the glands of susceptible females. A similar amount of (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (E11-14:Ac) was found in the glands of the two types of females. The pheromone effluvium from resistant females contained approximately one-half as much Z11-14:Ac, E11-14:Ac, Z11-14:OH, and Z11-14:Al as the effluvium from susceptible females. The onset and duration of female calling and the effect of age on calling were similar in susceptible and resistant C. rosaceana. In an apple orchard, traps baited with resistant females captured approximately one-half as many marked and released susceptible and resistant males as traps baited with susceptible females. There was no difference in the response of antennae from susceptible and resistant males to synthetic Z11-14:Ac and E11-14:Ac. The antennae of resistant males were less sensitive to Z11-14:OH and Z11-14:Al than the antennae of susceptible males. In a flight tunnel, pheromone-gland extracts from susceptible and resistant females, and calling susceptible and resistant females, were equally attractive to both susceptible and resistant males. In an apple orchard, the rate of capture of marked and released susceptible males was greater than that of resistant males in traps baited with susceptible females, but not in traps baited with resistant females or in traps baited with synthetic pheromone. The reduced ability to locate virgin females suggests that the presence of resistant males in an apple orchard may result in a reduction in the capture of moths in pheromone-baited traps. The reduction in trap catch was likely not caused by resistant females because they were less attractive to males than susceptible females and would therefore, in theory, compete less with traps for males than susceptible females. The differences observed in the pheromone communication systems of susceptible and resistant C. rosaceana are likely pleotropic effects associated with the selection for insecticide resistance.

Metabolic power, mechanical power and efficiency during wind tunnel flight by the European starling Sturnus vulgaris.

We trained two starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) to fly in a wind tunnel whilst wearing respirometry masks. We measured the metabolic power (P(met)) from the rates of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production and calculated the mechanical power (P(mech)) from two aerodynamic models using wingbeat kinematics measured by high-speed cinematography. P(met) increased from 10.4 to 14.9 W as flight speed was increased from 6.3 to 14.4 m s(-1) and was compatible with the U-shaped power/speed curve predicted by the aerodynamic models. Flight muscle efficiency varied between 0.13 and 0.23 depending upon the bird, the flight speed and the aerodynamic model used to calculate P(mech). P(met) during flight is often estimated by extrapolation from the mechanical power predicted by aerodynamic models by dividing P(mech) by a flight muscle efficiency of 0.23 and adding the costs of basal metabolism, circulation and respiration. This method would underestimate measured P(met) by 15-25 % in our birds. The mean discrepancy between measured and predicted P(met) could be reduced to 0.1+/-1.5 % if flight muscle efficiency was altered to a value of 0.18. A flight muscle efficiency of 0.18 rather than 0.23 should be used to calculate the flight costs of birds in the size range of starlings (approximately 0.1 kg) if P(met) is calculated from P(mech) derived from aerodynamic models.

Responses of Diadegma insulare (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) to Caterpillar Feeding in a Flight Tunnel

A flight tunnel bioassay was used to evaluate attraction responses of female Diadegma insulare (Cresson), a host-specific parasitoid of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), to collard plants (Brassica oleracea var. acephala L.) infested with host and nonhost caterpillars. Adult female wasps showed increased responses to odors of the plant-host complex after a brief contact experience with host-infested collard leaves. Such an increase shows evidence of associative learning in this parasitoid to the odor released from the larval-plant complex. The same experimental design was also used to determine responses of the parasitoid to plants infested with nonhost larvae-cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hübner), and imported cabbageworm, Pieris rapae (L.). The female wasps conditioned to the plants infested with host larvae also showed increased responses to plants infested with larvae of cabbage looper or imported cabbageworm. These results indicate that plants damaged by host and nonhost caterpillars may release general odors that are attractive to D. insulare. The general damage odors caused by host and nonhost larval feeding may enhance biological control of the diamondback moth. Host-search ability of the parasitoid increases after experiencing host damage. When host populations are low in fields, plant odors caused by generalist herbivore feeding may also attract D. insulare parasitoids to the vicinity, thereby improving encounter chances of the parasitoid encountering diamondback moth larvae.

Moth Experience and Not Plant Injury Affected Female Cabbage Looper Moth (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Orientation to Potato Plants

Naive mated female cabbage looper moths, Trichoplusia ni Hubner, responded in a flight tunnel to potted potato plants (Solanum tuberosum). Percentages of moths attracted to uninjured potato plants, mechanically-damaged potato plants, and potato plants treated with regurgitant from larvae of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say, were similar, indicating no effect of plant treatment. Attraction of female cabbage looper moths to potato plants was increased following prior contact (experience) by the moth with a potato plant. This increase in responsiveness to potato plants with experienced moths occurred whether the plants were uninjured, mechanically damaged, or treated with Colorado potato beetle larval regurgitant. Moths preconditioned on potato plants treated with regurgitant exhibited similar rates of attraction to mechanically-damaged plants and to regurgitant-treated plants. However, moths preconditioned on mechanically-damaged plants were more responsive to mechanically damaged plants compared to regurgitant-treated plants.

Rapid Prediction of Configuration Aerodynamics in the ConceptualDesign Phase

Conceptual aircraft design is characterised by the requirement to analyse a large number of configurations rapidly and cost effectively. For unusual configurations such as those typified by unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) adequately predicting their aerodynamic characteristics through existing empirical methods is fraught with uncertainty. By utilising rapid and low cost experimental tools such as the water tunnel and subscale flight testing it is proposed that the required aerodynamic characteristics can rapidly be acquired with sufficient fidelity for the conceptual design phase. Furthermore, the initial design predictions can to some extent be validated using flight-derived aerodynamic data from subscale flight testing.

A model for peak and width of signaling windows: Ips duplicatus and Chilo partellus pheromone component proportions--does response have a wider window than production?

Pheromone communication systems have a reliable signal with a restricted window of amounts and ratios released and perceived. We propose a model based on a Gaussian response profile that allows a quantification of the response peak (location of optimum) and a measure of the peak width (response window). Interpreting the Gaussian curve, fitted by nonlinear regression (NLR), as a standard normal distribution, the peak location equals the mean (it) and the window width equals 2 x the standard deviation (2sigma). The NLR procedure can provide an objective measure for both peak location and width for a wide range of data sets. Four empirical data sets as well as 10 literature data sets were analyzed. The double-spined spruce engraver, Ips duplicatus, was field tested in four populations to find the optimum proportion for attraction to the two male aggregation pheromone components, ipsdienol (Id) and (E)-myrcenol(EM), ranging from 0 to 100% of Id. Tests in Norway and the Czech Republic confirmed the preference of western populations for a blend between 50 and 90% Id. A population in Inner Mongolia showed a preference for traps with the 10 and 50% Id baits. The NLR fitted values for response peak and width (mu; 2sigma) were: Norway 0.64, 0.73; Czech Republic 0.53, 0.73; NE China 0.77, 0.29; and Inner Mongolia 0.33, 0.50. The signal produced by Norwegian field-collected males had a narrower window width (2sigma = 0.12). Males of the maize stem borer, Chilo partellus, were tested in a flight tunnel for their response to variation in the two major female sex pheromone gland components, (Z)- l1-hexadecenal and the corresponding alcohol (OH). Variation of the alcohol in seven levels from 2 to 29% OH showed the highest male response for 17% OH. For all behavioral steps, the peak of male response was near mu = 0.14, while the window width fell from 2sigma = 0.5 to 0.2 for eight sequential behavioral steps from take-off to copulation. Female production had a similar peak location (mu = 0.13) but a narrower width, 2sigma = 0.14. Literature data from other moth species showed similar patterns, with a wider male response relative to the female production windows. Literature data on response to enantiomer ratios in a hymenopteran and to pheromone amounts in a dipteran were also described by our model. In a bark beetle population (Ips pini), with two hybridizing enantiomeric strains, the production peaks were narrower (0.1) than the response peaks (0.5). Thus, it in general, seems that in the pheromone systems analyzed, the width of the response window (2sigma = 0.1 to 0.8) is larger than that of the production window (2sigma = 0.03 to 0.14), irrespective of the sex of the sender.

Stability of shock wave reflections in nonequilibrium steady flows and hysteresis

In the present work we have addressed the issue of the stability of shock wave reflection in the presence of vibrational and chemical relaxation phenomena and its relation with the occurrence of the hysteresis. In order to better understand the physics of the shock wave reflections we have first formulated an evolution equation for the entropy of a mixture of gases in thermal and chemical nonequilibrium by invoking the shifting equilibrium assumption and the concepts of irreversible thermodynamics, and assuming (i) that all diatomic molecules behave as harmonic oscillators; and (ii) finite rate chemistry. A perturbation analysis of the total entropy evolution equation has then been carried out to analyze the stability of shock wave configurations (either regular or Mach) both for ideal and real gases. The analysis shows that a Mach reflection is more stable than a regular one; furthermore, its stability is enhanced by nonequilibrium effects. In order to clarify the occurrence of the hysteresis phenomenon in light of the conclusions reached through the stability analysis, we have also carried out multidimensional simulations (both at flight and wind tunnel conditions) by developing a pseudotransient procedure to span a (hysteresis) loop dual solution domain → Mach reflection domain → dual solution domain. The simulations show that the total entropy of the system exhibits an abrupt change along the path dual solution domain → Mach reflection domain, while it is continuous along the reverse path. An argument is then developed to prove that hysteresis is the natural consequence of the different stability properties of regular and Mach reflections and the Prigogine minimum total entropy production principle.

A computer-controlled video system for real-time recording of insect flight in three dimensions.

A computer-controlled video system for real-time recording of insect flight in three dimensions is described. The flight paths of moths were recorded in a flight tunnel using two CCD cameras placed adjacent to each other at angles of 45 and 135° to the flight tunnel axis and separated by a distance of 120 cm. They were connected to two 28-level gray-scale frame grabbers via two external synchronizers. The two-dimensional coordinates of the flying insect were obtained from the two cameras at 40-ms intervals and transferred to host computer for processing and monitor for real-time display. Due to speed limitation in the image acquisition hardware, construction of the three-dimensional file was carried off-line. The flying insect was rendered as a dark spot in a bright background using a homogeneous light source. As the insect enters into the field of view of the two cameras, the light distribution changes, and the frame grabber detects only those variation in the light distribution which results from a flying insect. The target insect can be as small as 3 pixels and can be tracked in a stereoscopic field of view 60 cm long and 50 cm high. A method was developed that allowed for scalar scoring of various pheromone sources to assess their attractiveness using vector flight parameters. This method was applied successfully for optimization of pheromone blend of the grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana.

Reidentification of the female sex pheromone of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella: evidence for a four‐component pheromone blend

AbstractPheromone gland extracts from calling female Plodia interpunctella contained at least seven compounds that consistently elicited electroantennographic responses from male antennae upon gas chromatographic analysis. Three of these compounds were found to be the previously identified gland constituents, i.e., (Z,E)‐9,12‐tetradecadienyl acetate (Z9,E12‐14:OAc), (Z,E)‐9,12‐tetradecadienal (Z9,E12‐14:Ald) and (Z,E)‐9,12‐tetradecadienol (Z9,E12‐14:OH). A fourth EAD‐active compound was identified as (Z)‐9‐tetradecenyl acetate (Z9‐14:OAc). The homologue (Z)‐11‐hexadecenyl acetate (Z11‐16:OAc) was also identified in the extracts, but showed no EAD activity. The identity of all five compounds was confirmed by comparison of GC retention times and mass spectra with those of synthetic standards. In flight tunnel tests there were no significant differences in response of male P. interpunctella to the bait containing all four EAD‐active compounds and the responses to female gland extacts. A behavioural assay of different two‐compound blends in the flight tunnel showed that only addition of the corresponding aldehyde to the major pheromone component Z9,E12‐14:OAc raised the male response. A subtractive assay, however, revealed that the exclusion of any of the compounds from the complete four‐compound blend reduced its activity significantly. We thus conclude that the female‐produced sex pheromone of P. interpunctella consists of at least four components, i.e., Z9,E12‐14:OAc, Z9,E12‐14:Ald, Z9,E12‐14:OH and Z9‐14:OAc.In a field trapping test performed in a storage facility, the four‐component blend attracted significantly more males of P. interpunctella than traps baited with Z9,E12‐14:OAc alone. In contrast, the highest number of Ephestia kuehniella males was found in the traps baited with this major component, suggesting that the secondary pheromone components contribute to the species specificity of the blend.

Flight speed and body mass of nectar-feeding bats (Glossophaginae) during foraging.

Aerodynamic theory predicts that minimum power (Vmp) and maximum range (Vmr) flight speeds increase when the body mass of an individual animal increases. To evaluate whether foraging bats regulate their flight speed within a fixed speed category relative to Vmp or Vmr, I investigated how the natural daily changes in body mass caused by feeding affected the flight speed of neotropical nectar-feeding bats (Phyllostomidae: Glossophaginae) within a strictly defined, stereotyped behavioural context. Individual bats were maintained in a flight tunnel (lengths of five different types 14-50 m) with a fully automated feeding, weighing (using an electronic balance at the roost) and flight speed measuring system. Flight speeds were measured during normal nocturnal foraging activity by an undisturbed bat while it flew between the two ends of the flight tunnel to obtain food from two computer-controlled nectar-feeders. For a comparison of flight enclosure measurements with field data, flight speeds were also obtained from unrestrained bats foraging in their natural environment (Costa Rica). Foraging flight speeds spanned a range of at least a factor 3 within a single species, which demonstrates the wide range of speeds possible to these animals. Significant, positive correlations between flight speed and the natural individual variability in body mass were found in nearly all cases, with body mass exponents ranging between 0.44 and 2.1. Bats flying at normal speeds were therefore not near their upper limit of muscle power. The most reliable measurements of speed increase with mass (with individual mass changes of up to 30%) were close to the increase theoretically predicted for Vmp and Vmr for an individual bat (with constant wing span and area), which should vary as M0.42, where M is mass. This provides evidence that the glossophagine bats attemped to maintain their flight speed within a fixed speed category relative to Vmp or Vmr during foraging. Among differently sized species of glossophagine bat (N=4), flight speeds V varied with V=20M0.23, in agreement with the mass exponent of 0.21 expected from aerodynamic models for interspecific variation. In addition to the mass effect, at least five other variables significantly influenced flight speed. (1) Both mean and maximum flight speeds increased with the length and the cross-sectional area of the flight tunnel. Mean (maximum) flight speeds of 11-12 g Glossophaga soricina bats (in m s-1) were 4.6 (5.3) over a 7 m and 7. 3 (10.5) over a 50 m flight path. (2) The flight speed range adopted by a bat during one night could vary significantly between nights, independently of body mass and the effect of the size of the flight enclosure. (3) Bats flew significantly faster under illumination than in darkness. This effect was shown (i) by bats kept under natural ambient illumination that initiated foraging during the twilight phase of the evening, (ii) when bats continued to feed into the light phase directly after the dark-light transition in the laboratory and (iii) during foraging under constant, artificial illumination. (4) After a period of rest, the initial flight speed during a foraging bout was significantly increased by 25%, but declined to the mean level within 20 s of activity. (5) Flight speed could differ significantly between foraging (flight from feeder to feeder) versus non-foraging (flight from end to end of the enclosure without visiting the feeders) flights. The results of this study demonstrate a clear ability of bats to regulate their flight speed in response to small natural changes in body mass as predicted by aerodynamic theory for Vmp and Vmr. The set point in flight speed regulation, however, was influenced by multiple additional variables.

Pheromone-blend discrimination by European corn borer moths with inter-race and inter-sex antennal transplants

Transplantation of larval antennal imaginal disks between the pheromone races of the European corn borer moth produced males and females of one race with male antennal phenotypes of the race using the opposite pheromone blend. All of the adults with transplanted antennal disks that exhibited a pheromone-mediated response in the flight tunnel did so with the pheromone blend of the recipient's race, even though the respective males and females possessed male antennae of the opposite race. Our results support the conclusion that male antennal response type is not a determining factor in pheromone-blend discrimination in male moths.

Comparative Study of Pheromone Production and Response in Swedish and Zimbabwean Populations of Turnip Moth, Agrotis segetum

Analysis of female sex pheromone gland extracts of the turnip moth (or common cutworm), Agrotis segetum, from Zimbabwe revealed three compounds previously identified as sex pheromone components in the Swedish population, namely (Z)-5-decenyl acetate (Z5–10:OAc), (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate (Z7–12:OAc), and (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (Z9–14:OAc). However, the proportions from the Zimbabwean population (1:0.25:0.03) differ from those in the Swedish population (1:5:2.5). In addition, gas chromatography–mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis of the Zimbabwean female gland extracts revealed a trace of (Z)-5-dodecenyl acetate (Z5–12:OAc). This compound has recently been identified as a fourth sex pheromone component for the Swedish population. Single-sensillum recordings from both Zimbabwean and Swedish populations showed the presence of two types of antennal receptors responding to either Z5–10:OAc or Z7–12:OAc. In Zimbabwean males the Z7–12:OAc receptor neuron appeared to be confined to the basal and medial thirds of the antennal branches, while in Swedish males it was distributed along the entire antennal branch. Dose–response curves of Z5–10:OAc or Z7–12:OAc specific receptor neurons from males of both populations showed similar response profiles, but the neurons of the Zimbabwean population showed higher maximal responses. In flight tunnel tests with Zimbabwean males, the three-component Zimbabwean blend of Z5–10:OAc, Z7–12:OAc and Z9–14:OAc elicited significantly greater responses than the Swedish blend, but not significantly greater than pheromone glands from calling Zimbabwean females. (Z)-5-decenol (Z5–10:OH), a constituent of gland extracts, exerted an antagonistic effect in the flight tunnel. In field tests conducted in Sweden, local males were preferentially attracted to local females, while in Zimbabwe preferential attraction to local females was less pronounced. Local response to the Swedish and Zimbabwean synthetic four-component blends mirrored the responses to the local females. Zimbabwean males are much more strongly attracted to Z5–10:OAc alone than are Swedish males and the high concentrations of Z7–12:OAc and/or Z9–14:OAc present in the Swedish blend reduced attraction of Zimbabwean males. This reduced attraction appears to be counteracted by the trace amounts of Z5–12:OAc found in the Swedish four-component blend. Addition of Z5–12:OAc to the three-component Zimbabwean blend did not, however, significantly increase the trap catches of Zimbabwean males.

SPECIFICITY OF SYSTEMICALLY RELEASED COTTON VOLATILES AS ATTRACTANTS FOR SPECIALIST AND GENERALIST PARASITIC WASPS

Cotton plants under herbivore attack release volatile semiochemicals that attract natural enemies of the herbivores to the damaged plant. The volatiles released in response to herbivory are not only released from the damaged leaves but from the entire cotton plant. We found that cotton plants that released myrcene, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, (E)-β-ocimene, linalool, (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene, (E)-β-farnesene, and (E, E)-4,8,12-trimethyl-1,3,7,11-tridecatetraene systemically from undamaged leaves of caterpillar damaged plants were attractive to the generalist parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris and the specialist parasitoid Microplitis croceipes. Plants from which the caterpillar damaged leaves were removed and that released those compounds systemically were significantly preferred over undamaged control plants in two-choice experiments in a flight tunnel. Artificially damaged cotton plants that released green leafy volatiles and constitutive terpenoids were less attractive for M. croceipes and C. marginiventris. Only C. marginiventris preferred artificially damaged plants over undamaged control plants, whereas M. croceipes showed no preference. The apparent lack of specificity of systemically released compounds in response to different herbivores feeding on the lower leaves is discussed.