Pureswaran DS, Hofstetter RW, Sullivan BT, Grady AM, Brownie C

Journal of Chemical Ecology

Published date April 28, 2016

Western Pine Beetle Populations in Arizona and California Differ in the Composition of Their Aggregation Pheromones

  • Compares pheromone production and response for populations of western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte, from sites in northern Arizona and northern California
  • Provides compelling evidence that endo-brevicomin is an aggregation pheromone component for D. brevicomis in central Arizona and may replace or duplicate exo-brevicomin as the major female-produced bicyclic acetal pheromone component in this region
  • Observes significant attraction enhancement by endo-brevicomin lures in the California site, suggesting behavioral activity with this population as well, although this response was much lower than to the exo-isomer and could be attributable to the 4 % exo- contamination of the endo-brevicomin lures
  • States the California/Arizona divergence in pheromone composition is perhaps the first recognized, ecologically-relevant phenotypic difference that distinguishes the eastern and western D. brevicomis genotypes