Size-dependent behavioral and antennal responses to doses of (+)-isopinocamphone and 1,8-cineole mixed with pheromone: a potential host selection strategy in female Ips typographus L.
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Context
Ips typographus , a major pest of Norway spruce ( Picea abies ) in Europe, is experiencing more frequent outbreaks due to climate change. These outbreaks involve shifts in population dynamics and phenotypic traits, influencing beetle responses to olfactory cues from stressed host trees.
Aims
The study examines the size-dependent behavioral and antennal responses of female I. typographus to two host selection–deciding volatiles with contrasting ecological roles: 1,8-cineole, which inhibits attraction to unsuitable trees, and (+)-isopinocamphone, a pheromone synergist. Size-linked morphological and olfactory adaptations may influence females’ ability to select suitable host trees for reproduction.
Methods
In field trap experiments conducted in 2019 and 2022, the body size of I. typographus females caught in response to different doses of (+)-isopinocamphone or 1,8-cineole in combination with pheromone was compared. Female Ips typographus were sorted based on body length, the size of the antennal club was measured, and size-dependent antennal responses to these volatiles were analyzed using electroantennography.
Results
Larger females were more attracted to (+)-isopinocamphone in combination with pheromone in the field, showed stronger antennal detection, and had proportionally larger antennal clubs than smaller females. In contrast, smaller females were less repelled by 1,8-cineole added to pheromone but, in contradiction, antennally detected it more strongly than larger females despite having smaller antennal clubs.
Conclusion
The total body length significantly influences semiochemical detection in I. typographus females. (+)-isopinocamphone was detected more effectively by larger females, implying an advantage in the selection of suitable host trees. In contrast, the discrepancy between behavioral and antennal responses to 1,8-cineole in smaller females suggests the involvement of not only peripheral detection but also central nervous processing of olfactory signals driving behavior. This adaptation may enable smaller females to reduce competition with large ones by selecting less suitable trees. These findings provide new insights into the ecological relationship between beetle morphology and olfactory cues, with implications for tree–bark beetle interactions.
Key message
This study revealed differing behavioral and antennal responses between large and small female I. typographus to two bioactive oxygenated monoterpenes, (+)-isopinocamphone and 1,8-cineole, which serve contrasting ecological roles as aggregation pheromone synergist and inhibitor. Larger females were more attracted to (+)-isopinocamphone and had larger antennal clubs leading to enhanced antennal sensitivity, potentially improving their ability to select suitable host trees. In contrast, smaller females were less repelled by 1,8-cineole but had higher antennal sensitivity despite having smaller antennae. This discrepancy can be explained by behavioral decisions made after downstream olfactory signal processing in the central nervous system (CNS) and by the co-localization of 1,8-cineole with pheromone-sensitive neurons. Ecologically, small females may avoid competition with larger females by selecting less suitable trees. In conclusion, females’ body size influences olfactory-driven response to potential host selection decisive volatiles, which can impact reproductive success and bark beetle population dynamics.
