Monoterpenyl esters in juvenile mountain pine beetle and sex-specific release of the aggregation pheromone trans-verbenol.

ABSTRACT: A recent outbreak of mountain pine beetle (MPB) has spread over more than 25 million hectares of pine forests in western North America, affecting pine species of sensitive boreal and mountain ecosystems. During initial host colonization, female MPB produce and release the aggregation pheromone trans-verbenol to coordinate a mass attack of individual trees. trans-Verbenol is formed by hydroxylation of α-pinene, a monoterpene of the pine oleoresin defense. It is thought that adult females produce and immediately release trans-verbenol when encountering α-pinene on a new host tree. Here, we show that both sexes of MPB accumulate the monoterpenyl esters verbenyl oleate and verbenyl palmitate during their development in the brood tree. Verbenyl oleate and verbenyl palmitate

SUBMITTER: Chiu CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5889670 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature