PNAS:雄玉米螟蛾奏响超声波“情歌”
日本研究人员日前发现,雄性亚洲玉米螟蛾向雌蛾求爱时,通过摩擦翅膀和胸部的鳞粉发出具有“情歌”作用的微弱超声波。研究人员认为,这一特点有助于防治这种对玉米有害的昆虫。
东京大学研究生院和日本森林综合研究所的研究人员在新一期美国《国家科学院院刊》(PNAS)网络版上报告说,他们以广泛分布于亚洲地区的玉米螟蛾为研究对象,用超高速照相机拍摄其交尾过程,并对图像加以分析。
研究人员发现,雄蛾求爱时会竖起翅膀,以每秒超过70次的频率摩擦位于翅膀和胸部的一种形状特殊的鳞粉,发出频率为40千赫至60千赫的超声波。专家只在雄蛾的上述两个部位发现了这种鳞粉,鳞粉表面有排列规则的纤维状纹理。如果除掉这种鳞粉,雄蛾便不再能发出超声波。研究人员同时确认,位于鳞粉下方的薄膜起到“扩音器”的作用。
面对接近自己的雄蛾如此示爱,雌蛾通常都会接受,但如果雄蛾的鳞粉被除去,不能发出超声波,雌蛾则常常拒绝与其交尾。不过,听到人工合成的同样超声波后,雌蛾会改变心意,接受被除去鳞粉的雄蛾求爱。研究人员据此认为,雄蛾依靠鳞粉发出的超声波是向雌蛾求爱的“情歌”。
研究人员还指出,雄蛾发出的超声波只在周围半径约3厘米的范围内才能被雌蛾“听”到,这可能是为了避免被情敌或天敌“偷听”。
亚洲玉米螟蛾的幼虫会在玉米的幼嫩心叶、苞叶、茎秆等部位取食,使受害部位丧失功能,降低玉米产量。日本研究人员认为,如果能干扰这种雄蛾的“求爱”超声波,妨碍雄蛾与雌蛾交尾,就可能起到防治这种害虫的作用。
原始出处:
PNAS,doi: 10.1073/pnas.0804056105,Ryo Nakano, Takuma Takanashi, Sadahiro Tatsuki, and Yukio Ishikawa
Moths produce extremely quiet ultrasonic courtship songs by rubbing specialized scales
Ryo Nakano*, Niels Skals?, Takuma Takanashi?,§, Annemarie Surlykke?, Takuji Koike?, Keisuke Yoshida?, Hirotaka Maruyama‖, Sadahiro Tatsuki*, and Yukio Ishikawa*
+Author Affiliations
*Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan;
Institute of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark;
Department of Forest Entomology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan;
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Intelligent Systems, University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan; and
‖Materials Science and Advanced Devices, Science and Technical Research Laboratories, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 157-8510, Japan
Edited by John G. Hildebrand, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, and approved May 27, 2008 (received for review April 26, 2008)
Abstract
Insects have evolved a marked diversity of mechanisms to produce loud conspicuous sounds for efficient communication. However, the risk of eavesdropping by competitors and predators is high. Here, we describe a mechanism for producing extremely low-intensity ultrasonic songs (46 dB sound pressure level at 1 cm) adapted for private sexual communication in the Asian corn borer moth, Ostrinia furnacalis. During courtship, the male rubs specialized scales on the wing against those on the thorax to produce the songs, with the wing membrane underlying the scales possibly acting as a sound resonator. The male's song suppresses the escape behavior of the female, thereby increasing his mating success. Our discovery of extremely low-intensity ultrasonic communication may point to a whole undiscovered world of private communication, using “quiet” ultrasound.
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