Chemical Ecology Group

Semiochemicals mediating interactions with natural enemies of pests (tritrophic interactions)

Semiochemicals influence the behaviour of the natural enemies of herbivorous insects. These volatiles are used as foraging cues by parasitoids and predators.

Volatiles released by insect damaged plants function as attractants for pest natural enemies. Female parasitoids respond both to aphid sex pheromones acting as kairomones, and to aphid-induced plant volatiles, acting as synomones.

A range of economically important parasitoid species respond to aphid sex pheromones (structures shown below), and their potential for enhancing parasitization of aphid populations has been demonstrated in the field.

(4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactone and (1R, 4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactol

Semiochemicals involved in interactions with natural enemies have been identified by us including the ladybird attractant, 2-isopropanyl-3-methoxy pyrazine, ladybird parasitoid attractant, precoccinelline and aphid parasitoid and predator (lacewing) attractant, nepetalactol.

Publications

Nakashima, Y., Birkett, M.A., Pye, B.J., Powell, W. Chemically mediated intraguild predator avoidance by aphid parasitoids: Interspecific variability in sensitivity to semiochemical trails of ladybird predators (2006) J. Chem. Ecol., 32: 1989-1998.

Pettersson, J., Ninkovic, V., Glinwood, R., Birkett, M.A., Pickett, J.A. Foraging in a complex environment - Semiochemicals support searching behaviour of the seven spot ladybird (2005) Eur. J. Entomol., 102: 365-370.

Gouinguené, S., Pickett, J.A., Wadhams, L.J., Birkett, M.A., Turlings, T.C.J. Antennal electrophysiological responses of three parasitic wasps to caterpillar-induced volatiles from maize (Zea mays mays), cotton (Gossypium herbaceum), and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) (2005) J. Chem. Ecol., 31: 1023-1038.

Ngumbi, E.N., Ngi-Song, A.J., Njagi, E.N.M., Torto, R., Wadhams, L.J., Birkett, M.A., Pickett, J.A., Overholt, W.A., Torto, B. Responses of the stem borer larval endoparasitoid Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) to plant derived synomones: Laboratory and field cage experiments (2005) Biocontrol Sci. Technol., 15: 271-279.

Zhu, J., Obrycki, J.J., Ochieng, S.A., Baker, T.C., Pickett, J.A., Smiley, D. Attraction of two lacewing species to volatiles produced by host plants and aphid prey (2005) Naturwissenschaften, 92: 277-281.

Powell, W., Pickett, J.A. Manipulation of parasitoids for aphid pest management: Progress and prospects (2003) Pest Manag. Sci., 59: 149-155.

Birkett, M.A., Chamberlaln, K., Guerrieri, E., Pickett, J.A., Wadhams, L.J., Yasuda, T. Volatiles from whitefly-infested plants elicit a host-locating response in the parasitoid, Encarsia Formosa (2003) J. Chem. Ecol., 29: 1589-1600.

Hooper, A.M., Donato, B., Woodcock, C.M., Park, J.H., Paul, R.L., Boo, K.S., Hardie, J., Pickett, J.A. Characterization of (1R,4S,4aR,7S,7aR)-dihydronepetalactol as a semiochemical for lacewings, including Chrysopa spp. and Peyerimhoffina gracilis (2002) J. Chem. Ecol., 28: 849-864.

Al Abassi, S., Birkett, M.A., Pettersson, J., Pickett, J.A., Wadhams, L.J., Woodcock, C.M. Response of the ladybird parasitoid Dinocampus coccinellae to toxic alkaloids from the seven-spot ladybird, Coccinella septempunctata (2001) J. Chem. Ecol., 27: 33-43.

Glinwood, R.T., Powell, W., Tripathi, C.P.M. Increased parasitization of aphids on trap plants alongside vials releasing synthetic aphid sex pheromone and effective range of the pheromone (1998) Biocontrol Sci. Technol., 8: 607-614.

Pickett, J.A., Wadhams, L.J., Woodcock, C.M. Developing sustainable pest control from chemical ecology (1997) Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 64: 149-156.