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Listening in pheromone plumes: Disruption of olfactory-guided mate attraction in a moth by a bat-like ultrasound

Svensson, Glenn LU ; Löfstedt, Christer LU and Skals, Niels (2007) In Journal of Insect Science 7(59). p.1-9
Abstract
Nocturnal moths often use sex pheromones to find mates and ultrasonic hearing to evade echolocating

bat predators. Male moths, when confronted with both pheromones and sound, thus have to trade off

reproduction and predator avoidance depending on the relative strengths of the perceived conflicting

stimuli. The ultrasonic hearing of Plodia interpunctella was investigated. A threshold curve for evasive

reaction to ultrasound of tethered moths was established, and the frequency of best hearing was found

to be between 40 and 70 kHz. Flight tunnel experiments were performed where males orienting in a sex

pheromone plume were stimulated with 50 kHz pulses of different intensities.... (More)
Nocturnal moths often use sex pheromones to find mates and ultrasonic hearing to evade echolocating

bat predators. Male moths, when confronted with both pheromones and sound, thus have to trade off

reproduction and predator avoidance depending on the relative strengths of the perceived conflicting

stimuli. The ultrasonic hearing of Plodia interpunctella was investigated. A threshold curve for evasive

reaction to ultrasound of tethered moths was established, and the frequency of best hearing was found

to be between 40 and 70 kHz. Flight tunnel experiments were performed where males orienting in a sex

pheromone plume were stimulated with 50 kHz pulses of different intensities. Pheromone-stimulated

males showed increased defensive response with increased intensity of the sound stimulus, and the

acoustic cue had long-lasting effects on their pheromone-mediated flight, revealing a cost associated

with vital evasive behaviours. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
ultrasonic hearing, Plodia interpunctella, sex pheromone, bat-moth interaction, Pyralidae
in
Journal of Insect Science
volume
7
issue
59
pages
1 - 9
publisher
University of Arizona Library
external identifiers
  • wos:000251260800002
  • scopus:36849084105
ISSN
1536-2442
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e82dfa8d-0d21-413c-8331-c14bacc11727 (old id 769298)
alternative location
http://www.insectscience.org/7.59
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:21:44
date last changed
2022-03-22 18:10:43
@article{e82dfa8d-0d21-413c-8331-c14bacc11727,
  abstract     = {{Nocturnal moths often use sex pheromones to find mates and ultrasonic hearing to evade echolocating<br/><br>
bat predators. Male moths, when confronted with both pheromones and sound, thus have to trade off<br/><br>
reproduction and predator avoidance depending on the relative strengths of the perceived conflicting<br/><br>
stimuli. The ultrasonic hearing of Plodia interpunctella was investigated. A threshold curve for evasive<br/><br>
reaction to ultrasound of tethered moths was established, and the frequency of best hearing was found<br/><br>
to be between 40 and 70 kHz. Flight tunnel experiments were performed where males orienting in a sex<br/><br>
pheromone plume were stimulated with 50 kHz pulses of different intensities. Pheromone-stimulated<br/><br>
males showed increased defensive response with increased intensity of the sound stimulus, and the<br/><br>
acoustic cue had long-lasting effects on their pheromone-mediated flight, revealing a cost associated<br/><br>
with vital evasive behaviours.}},
  author       = {{Svensson, Glenn and Löfstedt, Christer and Skals, Niels}},
  issn         = {{1536-2442}},
  keywords     = {{ultrasonic hearing; Plodia interpunctella; sex pheromone; bat-moth interaction; Pyralidae}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{59}},
  pages        = {{1--9}},
  publisher    = {{University of Arizona Library}},
  series       = {{Journal of Insect Science}},
  title        = {{Listening in pheromone plumes: Disruption of olfactory-guided mate attraction in a moth by a bat-like ultrasound}},
  url          = {{http://www.insectscience.org/7.59}},
  volume       = {{7}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}