A field test verifies that pheromones can be useful for sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control in the Great Lakes

Pheromone-baited traps have proven highly effective for managing insect pests by selectively removing reproductively active adults prior to mating. Here, we report a field test of two pheromones produced by the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, which may be useful for controlling pest populations in...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences 2006-03, Vol.63 (3), p.475-479
Main Authors: Wagner, C Michael, Jones, Michael L, Twohey, Michael B, Sorensen, Peter W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Animal populations
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Attractants
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Chemicals
Control
Environmental aspects
Exploitation and management of natural biological resources (hunting, fishing and exploited populations survey, etc.)
Fish
Freshwater
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Lakes
Mass spectrometry
Pest control
Pests
Petromyzon marinus
Petromyzontidae
Pheromones
Sea lamprey
Spatial distribution
Streams
Trapping
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Pheromone-baited traps have proven highly effective for managing insect pests by selectively removing reproductively active adults prior to mating. Here, we report a field test of two pheromones produced by the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, which may be useful for controlling pest populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In the Trout River, Michigan, we demonstrated that (i) 90% of actively migrating sea lampreys could be drawn into streams treated with a migratory pheromone and (ii) lampreys were three times more likely to enter a barrier-integrated trap in a treated stream when pheromone was discharged directly through that trap (vs. an adjacent, unbaited trap). In a second experiment, we baited three traps with spermiating males (that are known to release a sex pheromone) to investigate how the quantity and spatial distribution of multiple pheromone signals would affect our ability to trap ovulating females. We found that mature females showed a strong tendency to select traps with multiple males over a trap with a single male when the signals were encountered simultaneously, but not when encountered sequentially. Our results strongly suggest pheromones may prove highly effective as attractants in trap-based management tactics for sea lamprey in the Great Lakes.
ISSN:0706-652X
1205-7533
DOI:10.1139/f06-008