Protection of a defensive symbiont does not constrain the composition of the multifunctional hydrocarbon profile in digger wasps.

ABSTRACT: Hydrocarbons (HCs) fulfil indispensable functions in insects, protecting against desiccation and serving chemical communication. However, the link between composition and function, and the selection pressures shaping HC profiles remain poorly understood. Beewolf digger wasps (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) use an antennal gland secretion rich in linear unsaturated HCs to form a hydrophobic barrier around their defensive bacterial symbiont, protecting it from brood cell fumigation by toxic egg-produced nitric oxide (NO). Virtually identical HC compositions mediate desiccation protection and prey preservation from moulding in underground beewolf brood cells. It is unknown whether this composition presents an optimized adaptation to all functions, or a compromise due to conflicting selection press

SUBMITTER: Ingham CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10618855 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature