Despite significant advances in chemical ecology, the biodistribution, temporal changes and ecological function of most marine secondary metabolites remain unknown. One such example is the association between choline esters and Tyrian purple precursors in muricid molluscs. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) on nano-structured surfaces has emerged as a sophisticated platform for spatial analysis of...

Insects that feed on the blood of vertebrates are difficult to control, and many previous efforts have been unsuccessful. This is becoming an ever increasing issue, not only in developing countries, but also in developed countries, as exemplified by the recent spread of West Nile virus by mosquitoes across the USA and recent dengue outbreaks in Singapore and Australia. Investigating the ways in...

OPINION article Front. Ecol. Evol., 26 September 2022Sec. Chemical Ecology Volume 10 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.960198

Hematophagous arthropods (ticks and insects, collectively hereafter referred to as vectors) transmit various life threatening diseases resulting in over one million human deaths annually. Exploiting vertebrates for blood demanded extensive sensory and behavioral adaptations that are apparent across the evolutionary range of vector species, from primitive ticks to advanced dipterans. Since anima...

The potato psyllid,Bactericera ( Paratrioza) cockerelli (Šulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae), is a major pest of potato. We examined the role of chemical signals in sex attraction, assessing male and female response to maleand female-produced volatile chemicals. In laboratory olfactometer assays, potato psyllid males were attracted to odorants emitted from live females and from solvent extractof femal...

Crustaceans use chemical cues to find and assess mates, signal dominance, recognize known conspecifics, find favored foods and appropriate habitats, and assess threats such as the presence of predators. The behavior demonstrating these cues is dramatic (e.g., males of some species will guard and try to copulate with sponges, rocks, or even other males treated with water holding receptive, consp...

Olfactometer experiments, in which arthropods are given the choice between two or more odor sources to test behavioral preferences, are commonly used in chemical ecology research. Results of such often lead to conclusions on behavior in an ecologically relevant setting. However, it is widely unknown how well these experiments reflect actual behavior in nature. Recently, we used natural insect h...

EDITORIAL article Front. Ecol. Evol., 19 June 2023Sec. Chemical Ecology Volume 11 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1227877

Thirty-five species of nearshore, benthic ascidians were collected in Bermuda and notes were made on their habitat, microhabitat, susceptibility to epizoic recruitment, morphology, and acidity. Twenty-four ascidian species were later analyzed for vanadium and iron contents. Ten species had vanadium concentrations of over 100 ppm d. W. (dry weight); three species had vanadium concentrations of o...