Bacterial phylogeny predicts volatile organic compound composition and olfactory response of an aphid parasitoid

There is increasing evidence that microorganisms emit a wide range of volatile compounds (mVOCs, microbial volatile organic compounds) that act as insect semiochemicals, and therefore play an important role in insect behaviour. Although it is generally believed that phylogenetically closely related...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oikos 2020-09, Vol.129 (9), p.1415-1428
Main Authors: Goelen, Tim, Sobhy, Islam S., Vanderaa, Christophe, Wäckers, Felix, Rediers, Hans, Wenseleers, Tom, Jacquemyn, Hans, Lievens, Bart
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetoin
Aphidius colemani
Bacillus
Benzaldehyde
Bio-assays
Bioassays
Butanediol
Chemical composition
Insects
Microbiological strains
Microorganisms
Olfaction
Organic compounds
phylogenetic signal
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Polymer blends
Ratios
rpoB
semiochemical
Semiochemicals
Strains (organisms)
VOCs
Volatile compounds
Volatile organic compounds
Volatiles
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Summary:There is increasing evidence that microorganisms emit a wide range of volatile compounds (mVOCs, microbial volatile organic compounds) that act as insect semiochemicals, and therefore play an important role in insect behaviour. Although it is generally believed that phylogenetically closely related microbes tend to have similar phenotypic characteristics and therefore may elicit similar responses in insects, currently little is known about whether the evolutionary history and phylogenetic relationships among microorganisms have an impact on insect–microbe interactions. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that phylogenetic relationships among 40 Bacillus strains isolated from diverse environmental sources predicted mVOC composition and the olfactory response of the generalist aphid parasitoid Aphidius colemani. Results revealed that phylogenetically closely related Bacillus strains emitted similar blends of mVOCs and elicited a comparable olfactory response of A. colemani in Y‐tube olfactometer bioassays, varying between attraction and repellence. Analysis of the chemical composition of the mVOC blends showed that all Bacillus strains produced a highly similar set of volatiles, but often in different concentrations and ratios. Benzaldehyde was produced in relatively high concentrations by strains that repel A. colemani, while attractive mVOC blends contained relatively higher amounts of acetoin, 2,3‐butanediol, 2,3‐butanedione, eucalyptol and isoamylamine. Overall, these results indicate that bacterial phylogeny had a strong impact on mVOC compositions and as a result on the olfactory responses of insects.
ISSN:0030-1299
1600-0706
DOI:10.1111/oik.07301