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W. J. Lewis - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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behavioral monitoring of Microplitis Croceipes a parasitoid wasp for detecting target odorants using a computer vision system
Transactions of the ASABE, 2007Co-Authors: Samuel L Utley, Glen C Rains, W. J. LewisAbstract:Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) are parasitoid wasps capable of being trained to respond to target odors. One such response is known as area-restricted searching, and several wasps exhibiting area-restricted searching within the same area is known as crowding. A computer vision system consisting of a laptop computer, web camera, and software package (Visual Cortex) was assembled to objectively quantify the crowding behavior of M. Croceipes. The system was able to measure the crowding behavior of five female M. Croceipes hand-trained to detect 3-octanone. Further, the system was able to distinguish between the crowding response of trained M. Croceipes exposed to 5.5 and 1.1 mg L-1 of 3-octanone and a control within 20 s.
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Development of Microplitis Croceipes as a biological sensor
Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 2007Co-Authors: Jeffery K Tomberlin, I Title, Literature Review, Shun Ichiro Takano, M. R. Sanford, Keiji Takasu, W. J. Lewis, Glen C Rains, Tolulope MorawoAbstract:Classical conditioning, a form of associative learning, was first described in the vertebrate literature by Pavlov, but has since been documented for a wide variety of insects. Our knowledge of associative learning by insects began with Karl vonFrisch explaining communication among honeybees, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Since then, the honey bee has provided us with much of what we understand about associative learning in insects and how we relate the theories of learning in vertebrates to insects. Fruit flies, moths, and parasitic wasps are just a few examples of other insects that have been documented with the ability to learn. A novel direction in research on this topic attempts to harness the ability of insects to learn for the development of biological sensors. Parasitic wasps, especially Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), have been conditioned to detect the odors associated with explosives, food toxins, and cadavers. Honeybees and moths have also been associatively conditioned to several volatiles of interest in forensics and national security. In some cases, handheld devices have been developed to harness the insects and observe conditioned behavioral responses to air samples in an attempt to detect target volatiles. Current research on the development of biological sensors with insects is focusing on factors that influence the learning and memory ability of arthropods as well as potential mathematical techniques for improving the interpretation of the behavioral responses to conditioned stimuli. Chemical detection devices using arthropod-based sensing could be used in situations where trained canines cannot be used (such as toxic environments) or are unavailable, electronic devices are too expensive and/or not of sufficient sensitivity, and when conditioning to target chemicals must be done within minutes of detection. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief review of the development of M. Croceipes as a model system for exploring associative learning for the development of biological sensors.
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Gustatory response and appetitive learning in Microplitis Croceipes in relation to sugar type and concentration
Animal Biology, 2006Co-Authors: Felix L. Wäckers, Claire Bonifay, Louise E. M. Vet, W. J. LewisAbstract:Insects can be conditioned to respond to odours through associative learning. Various learning parameters, such as the rate of odour acquisition, are known to depend on the type of conditioned stimulus. Here we investigate to what extent appetitive conditioning in the parasitoid Microplitis Croceipes is also affected by characteristics of the food reward (unconditioned stimulus). We tested 1 M solutions of eight sugars naturally occurring in nectar and honeydew with respect to their effect on parasitoid gustatory response and their suitability as an unconditioned stimulus in the process of associative odour learning. To test for concentration effects, a separate experiment compared parasitoid performance with 1 M and 0.25 M of sucrose, respectively. Only exposure to glucose, fructose, sucrose and melezitose enhanced feeding relative to control individuals provided water. Raffinose, mannose, galactose and melibiose did not increase or decrease consumption, indicating that these sugars are neither phagostimulants nor phagodeterrents. In the conditioning experiments, parasitoids were allowed to feed on a particular sugar solution while being exposed to the floral odour cineole. Parasitoids that had been trained with the stimulatory sugars subsequently showed a clear conditioned feeding response to the cineole. Conditioning with galactose, mannose and melibiose, on the other hand, did not lead to successful odour acquisition. Conditioning with raffinose increased the tendency of the parasitoid to exhibit a conditioned feeding response, even though this response was significantly shorter than the response following training with stimulatory sugars. The level of cineole response was not significantly influenced by the concentration of a sucrose solution, even though the 0.25 M concentration was a weaker feeding stimulant. Our findings indicate that gustatory perception is the principal unconditioned stimulus in appetitive learning. The results with raffinose indicate that postingestive feedback may be involved in food associative learning as well.
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the ability of conditioned Microplitis Croceipes hymenoptera braconidae to distinguish between odors of aflatoxigenic and non aflatoxigenic fungal strains
Chemoecology, 2005Co-Authors: Moukaram Tertuliano, Jeffery K Tomberlin, Glen C Rains, Z Jurjevic, D M Wilson, W. J. LewisAbstract:The parasitic wasp Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) learns to associate odors with food resources and subsequently exhibits a characteristic food-seeking behavior when encountering the learned odor. Wasps so conditioned, learned and subsequently demonstrated an ability to distinguish among aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus strains. The effects of fungal species, strain, age (5, 10-12, 20, and 30 d) and growth media (potato dextrose agar, peanut agar and corn agar) on the learning and recognition responses of the conditioned wasps were examined. The level of differentiation between fungal strains by conditioned wasps was lowest when working with 5-d-old fungal cultures but increased with age and generally peaked with 20-d-old fungi. Wasps responded generally stronger to the fungal strain conditioned to independent of growth media. This ability of parasitic wasps to learn and distinguish fungal odors can open new avenues in insect learning.
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influence of handling and conditioning protocol on learning and memory of Microplitis Croceipes
Entomologia Experimentalis Et Applicata, 2004Co-Authors: Moukaram Tertuliano, Glen C Rains, Dawn M Olson, W. J. LewisAbstract:Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) learns odors in association with both hosts and food. The food-associated ‘seeking’ behavior of M. Croceipes was investigated under various training protocols utilizing the conditioning odor, 3-octanone. We investigated the effects of odor training, or its lack, training duration, training frequency, time elapsed after training, wasp hunger state, and training reinforcement, on the food-seeking responses of M. Croceipes females. We found that odor-trained females show strong food seeking responses, whereas non-odor-trained females do not respond to the odor, and that a single 10 s association with the odor whilst feeding on sugar water subsequently conditioned the wasps to exhibiting significant responses to it. Increases in training time to more than 10 s did not improve their responses. Repetition of the food‐ odor associations increased a wasp’s recall, as well as its response over time, compared to a single exposure. Repeated exposure to the learned odor in the absence of a food reward decreased the responses of less hungry individuals. However, the level of response increased significantly following a single reinforcement with the food‐ odor association. Understanding the factors that influence learning in parasitoids can enhance our ability to predict their foraging behavior, and opens up avenues for the development of effective biological detectors.
D L Dahlman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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expression and characterization of a novel teratocyte protein of the braconid Microplitis Croceipes cresson
Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2002Co-Authors: R L Rana, D L Dahlman, Bruce A. WebbAbstract:Abstract Microplitis Croceipes wasps overcome host immunity by inducing changes in host physiology using factors derived from the embryo and/or larva. Teratocytes of some parasitic wasps circulate in the host hemolymph after egg hatch and synthesize proteins (TSPs), some of which are secreted to alter host physiology in support of endoparasitoid development. TSPs appear to alter host physiology, at least in part, by inhibiting synthesis of certain proteins. M. Croceipes teratocytes synthesize a 13.9 kDa protein (TSP14), which inhibits synthesis of host proteins that are linked to larval growth and development. A cDNA encoding TSP14 was generated by RT-PCR from teratocyte RNA, and cloned into yeast expression vectors to produce sufficient recombinant protein for functional analyses. Rec TSP14 was produced using the yeast expression system at a concentration of more than 300 μg/L. The rec TSP14 inhibited in vitro translation of larval Heliothis virescens RNA, with the activity sensitive to boiling, protein concentration, incubation time, and storage temperatures. Although rec TSP14 inhibited translation of some cellular RNAs in vitro, the in vivo incorporation of [ 35 S]-methionine into proteins of selected insect and mammalian cell lines was not inhibited. These findings suggest that rec TSP14 entry is cell type-specific and required to inhibit synthesis of target protein(s).
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extended in vitro culture of Microplitis Croceipes teratocytes and secretion of tsp14 protein
Journal of Insect Physiology, 2002Co-Authors: H L Hoy, D L DahlmanAbstract:Teratocytes, cells which originate from the serosal membrane of some Braconidae and Scelionidae, can be found in the hemocoel of permissive hosts during part or all of the developmental time of the parasitoid larva. Teratocytes from Microplitis Croceipes are known to secrete biologically active proteins, which contribute to developmental arrest and failure to pupate of Heliothis virescens larvae. One such protein, which has a molecular weight of approximately 14 kDa is called TSP14. The presence of parasitoid larvae is essential to maintain teratocytes under in vitro conditions with protein-free EX-CELL 400. The teratocyte viability was maintained in vitro for at least 12 days in the presence of larvae when medium was exchanged every three days. Western blots show that TSP14 was secreted during the entire period of exchanges. In the absence of parasitoid larvae, teratocyte viability was only 30% by day 6 and no TSP14 had been secreted. In the absence of parasitoid larvae, teratocytes maintained in vitro in EX-CELL 400 medium supplemented with 10% FBS remained viable for at least nine days and secreted TSP14 for at least six days. This suggests that parasitoid larval secretions are sufficient but not uniquely essential to maintain teratocyte viability. Parasitoid larvae maintained in the absence of teratocytes did not secrete TSP14 and their secretory products did not inhibit pupation of H. virescens larvae.
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effects of Microplitis Croceipes teratocytes on host haemolymph protein content and fat body proliferation
Journal of Insect Physiology, 1997Co-Authors: Deqing Zhang, D L Dahlman, Ulla JarlforsAbstract:Abstract Qualitative and quantitative changes in haemolymph proteins in Heliothis virescens were observed in larvae injected with either Microplitis Croceipes teratocytes or teratocyte secreted proteins (TSP). Haemolymph protein titres in hosts receiving either 0.5 or 1 larval equivalent (LE) of teratocytes were similar to those of parasitized larvae, whereas a single injection of 4 LE of TSP was required to induce a similar response. SDS-PAGE showed that the 82 kDa monomer of riboflavin-binding protein and the 74/76 kDa monomers of storage proteins were significantly reduced in parasitized larvae and in nonparasitized larvae treated with TSP. Concentrations of a 155 kDa monomer (insectacyanin chromoprotein) also were reduced in parasitized larvae and those injected with either teratocytes or TSP. Two monomers (56 and 60 kDa) were unique to parasitized larvae. Treated larvae required several days longer than controls to reach a comparable premetamorphic stage (burrowing–digging). Reductions in fat body proliferation similar to those seen in parasitized larvae were observed in larvae treated with either 1 LE of teratocytes, or with 2 or 4 LEs of TSP. Perivisceral fat body weights from larvae treated with either 0.25 or 0.5 LE of teratocytes were significantly reduced, but less so than those which received 1 LE. Thus, fat body proliferation in both teratocyte- and TSP-treated larvae was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. Both light- and transmission electron microscopy observations revealed cytological differences in fat body tissues of larvae injected with either teratocytes or TSP from the condition observed in parasitized larvae and noninjected controls. Gross dissection of periviseral fat body from parasitized, teratocyte-injected and TSP-injected larvae showed tissue much less developed and differing considerably in appearance from controls. Observed differences included reduced size and/or number of lipid bodies and qualitative and quantitative changes in other cytoplasmic organelles.
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ultrastructure of Microplitis Croceipes cresson braconidae hymenoptera teratocytes
International Journal of Insect Morphology & Embryology, 1994Co-Authors: Deqing Zhang, D L Dahlman, Ulla Jarlfors, H H Southgate, Scott P WileyAbstract:Abstract The developing embryo of the braconid, Microplitis Croceipes (Braconidae : Hymenoptera), is encased in an extraembryonic serosal membrane. Hatching of the parasitoid within the larva of its habitual host, Hehothis virescens (Noctuidae : Lepidoptera), is initiated about 40 hr after oviposition when held at 25 ± 2°C. At this time, the monolayered serosal membrane begins to dissociate into individual cells (teratocytes). After dissociation, teratocytes become dispersed in the hemolymph of the host. The average number of teratocytes released from each parasitoid embryo is 914 ± 43. Teratocytes average 14.1 ± 2.4 μm in diameter when first released, and reach a maximum average diameter of 68.1 ± 4.6 μm 6 days after liberation. Newly released teratocytes have ovoid nuclei, simple mitochondria and a limited number of profiles of the endoplasmic reticulum, all of which indicate relative metabolic inactivity. The ramified nuclei, extensive endoplasmic reticulum, polymorphic mitochondria and accumulation of glycogen granules and lipid droplets observed in older teratocytes provide circumstantial evidence that protein synthesis is occurring. Within hours after dissociation, microvilli begin to cover the surface of the teratocytes. Anatomical deformation (blebs) that occurred on some older (8-day-old) teratocytes probably resulted from enlargement or expansion of microvilli.
Carlos Henrique Marchiori - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Occurrence of Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson) (Braconidae: Microgastrinae) as parasitoid of Manduca sexta paphus (Cramer) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) in Southern of Goiás, Brazil
Qeios, 2019Co-Authors: Carlos Henrique MarchioriAbstract:Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson) (Braconidae: Microgastrinae), which is an important larval has served as a model for a number of studies examining the learning and foraging behavior of insects. Like other wasps, M. Croceipes uses olfactory and visual cues to locate and lay their eggs in, Heliocoverpa zea (Boddie), Heliothis virescens (Fabricius), and Heliothis subflexa (Quenee) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) as well as to locate food resources and it has been determined that the use of these mediating cues are improved through associative learning. Manduca sexta paphus (Cramer) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) is known in Brazil as the tobacco worm and is generally found on Solanacea plants, especially tobacco. This species is found in tobacco fields, vegetable gardens, and a wide variety of other habitats. The occurrence of the parasitoid M. Croceipes parasitizing two larva Manduca sexta paphus on soybean (Glicine max L. Merr.) in southern of Goias, Brazil is reported in this paper. Source: - Global Journal of Bioloy, Agriculture & Health Science, Vol.3(1):8-10. 2014 Key Words: Enemy natural, Biocontrol, First occurrence, Insects pests, Agriculture.
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Occurrence of Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson) (Braconidae: Microgastrinae) as parasitoid of Manduca sexta paphus (Cramer) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) in Southern of Goiás, Brazil
2014Co-Authors: Carlos Henrique MarchioriAbstract:Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson) (Braconidae: Microgastrinae), which is an important larval has served as a model for a number of studies examining the learning and foraging behavior of insects. Like other wasps, M. Croceipes uses olfactory and visual cues to locate and lay their eggs in, Heliocoverpa zea (Boddie), Heliothis virescens (Fabricius), and Heliothis subflexa (Quenee) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) as well as to locate food resources and it has been determined that the use of these mediating cues are improved through associative learning. Manduca sexta paphus (Cramer) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) is known in Brazil as the tobacco worm and is generally found on Solanacea plants, especially tobacco. This species is found in tobacco fields, vegetable gardens, and a wide variety of other habitats. The occurrence of the parasitoid M. Croceipes parasitizing two larva Manduca sexta paphus on soybean (Glicine max L. Merr.) in southern of Goias, Brazil is reported in this paper.
Janine E. Powell - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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development of the endoparasitoids Microplitis Croceipes Microplitis demolitor and cotesia kazak hymenoptera braconidae on helicoverpa zea and h armigera lepidoptera noctuidae
Journal of Economic Entomology, 1993Co-Authors: Glynn Tillman, Marion L Laster, Janine E. PowellAbstract:The native parasitoid, Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson), and two imported species, Cotesia kazak (Telenga) and Microplitis demolitor Wilkinson, developed equally well on Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) and Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). Developmental time on both host species was significantly longer for M. Croceipes than for both imported species. Mortality of immature parasitoids was not significantly different for all parasitoid species on H. zea , but was significantly less for C. kazak on H. armigera than for both species of Microplitis . The female-male ratio was significantly greater for M. Croceipes than for the imported parasitoid species when reared on H. zea . When all three parasitoid species were reared on H. armigera , sex ratios were not significantly differen.
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Spatial Density Dependence in Parasitism of Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) by Microplitis Croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in the Field
Environmental Entomology, 1991Co-Authors: Keith R. Hopper, Janine E. Powell, Edgar G. KingAbstract:A field experiment addressed four questions concerning the interaction between Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson) and Heliothis spp.: (1) what is the relation between the proportion of hosts parasitized and host density? (2) does this relation depend on the size of the areas (spatial scale) at which it is measured? (3) what is the relation between parasitoid search rate and host density? and (4) what is the relation between parasitoid distribution and host distribution? To answer these questions a cotton field was artificially infested with various densities of Heliothis virescens (F.). M. Croceipes was released uniformly across the field. At the scale of 30 by 60 m plots, the proportion of hosts parasitized by M. Croceipes (adjusted for competition with other parasitoid species) increased from 0.41 ± 0.08 ( x ± SE) to 0.60 ± 0.06 as host density increased from 6,178 to 16,896 larvae/ha. The calculated search rate (area searched per parasitoid per unit time) of M. Croceipes was independent of host density, and the density dependence in parasitism by M. Croceipes could be explained completely by density dependence in adult female distribution. Natural populations of Cardiochiles nigriceps Viereck and Cotesia marginiventris (Cresson) parasitized 9 and 7%, respectively, of the hosts collected. At the scale of plots, parasitism by C. nigriceps increased with host density, but parasitism by C. marginiventris was independent of host density. At the scale of 1 by 2 m quadrats, parasitism by all species was independent of host density. We discuss the implications of these results for biological control of Heliothis virescens and Helicoverpa zea and for theories of parasitoid foraging and population regulation.
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Survival of Microplitis Croceipes (Hymenoptera : Braconidae) in contact with residues of insecticides on cotton
Environmental Entomology, 1991Co-Authors: Janine E. Powell, W. P. ScottAbstract:Survival of Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson) adults exposed to residues of insecticides applied at recommended rates to cotton was measured in 1989. In unsprayed check treatments, survival was 91.4% after 24 h. The organophosphates profenofos and acephate and the new-generation pyrethroid bifenthrin were highly toxic to M. Croceipes . All other compounds tested showed some selectivity, including esfenvalerate, cypermethrin, thiodicarb, oxamyl, dicrotophos, dimethoate, and cyhalothrin in order of decreasing survival. The effectiveness of M. Croceipes as a biocontrol agent of the bollworm and tobacco budworm might be improved through selective use of insecticides to which the parasitoid is tolerant.
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developmental time in relation to temperature for Microplitis Croceipes m demolitor cotesia kazak hymenoptera braconidae and hyposoter didymator hymenoptera ichneumonidae endoparasitoids of the tobacco budworm lepidoptera noctuidae
Environmental Entomology, 1991Co-Authors: Glynn P Tillman, Janine E. PowellAbstract:Developmental times for the immature stages of four species of endoparasitoids of Heliothis virescens (F.), Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson), M. demolitor Wilkinson, Cotesia kazak (Telenga), and Hyposoter didymator (Thunberg), were studied at 20, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, and 35°C. The responses of M. Croceipes and H. didymator to increases in temperature were significantly different from each other ( P 0.05; F = 0.58; df = 1, 18). The developmental temperature optima were 33°C for M. Croceipes , 31°C for C. kazak and M. demolitor , and 29°C for H. didymator.
Keiji Takasu - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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an acquired distaste sugar discrimination by the larval parasitoid Microplitis Croceipes hymenoptera braconidae is affected by prior sugar exposure
The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2014Co-Authors: Jacqueline Makatiani, Felix L. Wäckers, Dawn M Olson, Keiji TakasuAbstract:We examined gustatory responses of the larval parasitoid Microplitis Croceipes to determine whether the adults discriminate among common sugars, including fructose, glucose, maltose and sucrose, found in plants. When given single sugar solutions of sucrose, glucose, fructose and maltose at concentrations of 0.008–2.0 mol l−1, the estimated concentrations at which 50% of wasps initiated feeding ranged between 0.054 and 0.085 mol l−1 for sucrose, glucose and fructose, which was significantly lower than for maltose. Wasps showed a strong decrease in feeding time for maltose or fructose following a brief exposure to other sugars, suggesting that wasps can distinguish maltose and fructose from the other sugars tested. The higher acceptance threshold and short feeding time in the case of maltose appears adaptive in light of the relatively poor nutritional quality of the sugar in the longevity trial. The pronounced feeding inhibition seen for fructose following exposure to other sugars is not linked with lower nutritional performance. This feeding inhibition was even seen in wasps that had fed on glucose at the lowest acceptance threshold (0.031 mol l−1) and persisted for 24 h. This study is the first to show feeding inhibition of otherwise phagostimulant sugars such as maltose and fructose after gustatory stimulation on other sugars.
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Reproductive strategies of the larval parasitoid Microplitis Croceipes
Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 2013Co-Authors: Jacqueline Kubochi Makatiani, Anani Yaovi Bruce, Fritz Schulthess, Keiji TakasuAbstract:Mate choice may have important consequences for offspring sex ratio and fitness of haplodiploid insects. Mate preference of females of the solitary larval parasitoid Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) for virgin and mated males, and vice versa, and the reproductive consequences (i.e., the sex ratio expressed as the proportion of male offspring) were examined in choice and non‐choice experiments. In addition, the effect of repeated rapid and daily copulation of an individual male on the sex ratio of offspring of the female mates was assessed. Males preferred virgins over mated females, whereas females copulated with a male irrespective of his mating status. In both the rapid and daily copulation assay, females copulating with a male that had copulated five times or more produced a higher sex ratio than females that had copulated with a virgin male. Females that copulated with virgin males once or twice produced a significantly and considerably lower sex ratio than females that first copulated with a sperm‐depleted male followed by a virgin male. This indicates that copulating with a sperm‐depleted male has costs and limits acquisition by the female of sperm from virgin males.
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insecticide odour interference with food searching behaviour of Microplitis Croceipes hymenoptera braconidae in a laboratory arena
Biocontrol Science and Technology, 2010Co-Authors: Andrei Alyokhin, Jacqueline Makatiani, Keiji TakasuAbstract:Abstract Response to odours plays an important role in resource location by natural enemies, particularly by parasitoid wasps. While a considerable research effort has been dedicated to studying the effects of insecticide intoxication on natural enemy search behaviour, it is yet unknown if the odours themselves interfere with distant chemoreception. We investigated this issue using the food-searching behaviour of Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson)(Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in laboratory arenas as a model system. Odours of imidacloprid (Genesis®), spinosad (Entrust®), esfenvalerate (Asana®), methamidophos (Monitor®), and vanilla were tested for their ability to interfere with wasp response to the odour of honey. The wasps did not contact the chemicals. Honey odour was generally effective in triggering food-searching behaviour in both honey-fed (and thus conditioned to associate honey odour with food) and unfed, naive wasps. Mixing honey with imidacloprid and spinosad did not affect wasp responses. The remainin...
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comparison of detection ability of learned odors between males and females in the larval parasitoid Microplitis Croceipes
Entomologia Experimentalis Et Applicata, 2007Co-Authors: Keiji Takasu, Glen C Rains, Joe W LewisAbstract:Although female parasitic wasps are known to learn to associate odors with hosts and food, the ability of males to learn and detect odors has been neglected. We conducted laboratory experiments to compare the detection ability of learned odors between males and females in the larval parasitoid Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). We first conditioned males and females to associate sucrose water with methyl benzoate, 3-octanone, or cyclohexanone, and then observed their behavior toward various concentrations (40 ng l -1 -4 mg l -1 ) of the trained odors. Conditioned male wasps responded as well as female wasps to various concentrations of the three odors. Response times by wasps to these three odors were not significantly different between sexes. For the three odors, response times of both sexes were longer at the intermediate concentrations (40-400 μg l -1 ) than the higher or lower concentrations. The present study suggests that M. Croceipes males can learn and respond to the three chemicals tested as well as the females, and conditioned males are as sensitive to learned odors as conditioned females. By using their sensitive learning and odor-detection capabilities, M. Croceipes males could search for food sources as efficiently as females under natural conditions.
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Development of Microplitis Croceipes as a biological sensor
Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 2007Co-Authors: Jeffery K Tomberlin, I Title, Literature Review, Shun Ichiro Takano, M. R. Sanford, Keiji Takasu, W. J. Lewis, Glen C Rains, Tolulope MorawoAbstract:Classical conditioning, a form of associative learning, was first described in the vertebrate literature by Pavlov, but has since been documented for a wide variety of insects. Our knowledge of associative learning by insects began with Karl vonFrisch explaining communication among honeybees, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Since then, the honey bee has provided us with much of what we understand about associative learning in insects and how we relate the theories of learning in vertebrates to insects. Fruit flies, moths, and parasitic wasps are just a few examples of other insects that have been documented with the ability to learn. A novel direction in research on this topic attempts to harness the ability of insects to learn for the development of biological sensors. Parasitic wasps, especially Microplitis Croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), have been conditioned to detect the odors associated with explosives, food toxins, and cadavers. Honeybees and moths have also been associatively conditioned to several volatiles of interest in forensics and national security. In some cases, handheld devices have been developed to harness the insects and observe conditioned behavioral responses to air samples in an attempt to detect target volatiles. Current research on the development of biological sensors with insects is focusing on factors that influence the learning and memory ability of arthropods as well as potential mathematical techniques for improving the interpretation of the behavioral responses to conditioned stimuli. Chemical detection devices using arthropod-based sensing could be used in situations where trained canines cannot be used (such as toxic environments) or are unavailable, electronic devices are too expensive and/or not of sufficient sensitivity, and when conditioning to target chemicals must be done within minutes of detection. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief review of the development of M. Croceipes as a model system for exploring associative learning for the development of biological sensors.