Responses of the two-spotted oak buprestid, Agrilus biguttatus (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), to host tree volatiles

Vuts, József, Woodcock, Christine M, Sumner, Mary E, Caulfield, John C, Reed, Katy, Inward, Daegan JG, Leather, Simon R, Pickett, John ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1008-6595, Birkett, Michael A and Denman, Sandra 2016. Responses of the two-spotted oak buprestid, Agrilus biguttatus (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), to host tree volatiles. Pest Management Science 72 (4) , pp. 845-851. 10.1002/ps.4208

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Abstract

BACKGROUND Agrilus bigutattus (Fabricius) is a forest pest of increasing importance in the United Kingdom. The larvae damage weakened native oaks and are thought to contribute to premature tree death. Suspected links with acute oak decline (AOD) are not yet confirmed, but AOD-predisposed trees appear to become more susceptible to A. biguttatus attack. Thus, management may be necessary for control of this insect. To explore the possibility of monitoring beetle populations by baited traps, the host tree volatiles regulating A. biguttatus–oak interactions were studied. RESULTS Biologically active volatile organic compounds in dynamic headspace extracts of oak foliage and bark were identified initially by coupled gas chromatography–electroantennography (GC-EAG) and GC–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the structures were confirmed by GC coinjection with authentic compounds. Of two synthetic blends of these compounds comprising the active leaf volatiles, the simpler one containing three components evoked strongly positive behavioural responses in four-arm olfactometer tests with virgin females and males, although fresh leaf material was more efficient than the blend. The other blend, comprising a five-component mixture made up of bark volatiles, proved to be as behaviourally active for gravid females as bark tissue. CONCLUSIONS These initial results on A. biguttatus chemical ecology reveal aspects of the role of attractive tree volatiles in the host-finding of beetles and underpin the development of semiochemically based surveillance strategies for this forest insect.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Chemistry
Publisher:	Wiley-Blackwell
ISSN:	1526-498X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	21 November 2017
Date of Acceptance:	7 December 2015
Last Modified:	04 May 2023 22:12
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/106842

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