pheromones quick flashcards

what are arthropods

have jointed limbs

have cuticles mainly made of chitin

have to molt to replace the cuticle as it is rigid and would inhibit growth

what is chitin

long chain polymer of N-acetylglucosamine

can be used as fertilizer

used in industry to thicken and stabilize foods

used for protein purification after protein expression in host cells

what is chitosan

partially deacetylated glucosamine

more soluble in aqueous media than chitin

can be used as biopesticide

can be useful to reduce bleeding, antibacterial agent, help deliver drugs through skin

what are beenfits of insects to humans

pollination

production of honey, wax, silk, lacquer

food

decomposers

disadvantages of insects to humans

diseases

eg malaria, yellow fever, filariasis

what is the role of insects in biotechnology

higher eukaryotic system than yeast - able to carry out more complex post translational modifications than other systems

best machinery for the folding of mammalian proteins

what are insect antimicrobial peptides used for

overcoming acquired bacterial drug resistance

what is bombyx mori

attractant pheromone emitted by silkworm moth females

advertises female availability and location

how can we identify new pheromones

fractional distillation and behavioral assay

what pheromones are commonly found in dipteran species (flies, mosquitos)

long chain dienes and monoene hydrocarbons found on the cuticular surface can influence mate choice and induce courtship

cuticular hydrocarbons can act as anti-aphrodisiacs and play role in preventing interspecies attraction

what does (Z)-7-tricosene do

prevent interspecies courtship and establishes species barrier between drosphila melanogaster and other drosophilids

what is kin recognition

mediated by cuticular hydrocarbons

the signals are qualitatively identical between colonies but quantitatively distinc

can cuticular lipid profiles be altered

yes

by diet, temperature and physiological state

what maintains social hierarchy in bees

pheromones exuded by the queen advertises the fecundity of the queen and suppresses reproduction in workers

what are alarm pheromones

flight or fight responses

often confused with attraction or recruitment

can cause dispersal of conspecifics and predators or increase recruitment and aggression towards antagonist

tend to be less specialized than other pheromones

can give communication cues recieved by other species

what is (E)-β-farnesene

released by many aphid species upon predation and signals conspecifics to stop feeding and diperse

what is isopentyl acetate

released by stressed honey bees

smoke inhibits receptors involved in the detection of isopentyl acetate and is used to calm hives

what are food trail pheromones

laid down by ant works as they walk by touching the gaster (large posterior section of their body) to the floor

induces other workers to follow it and allows trunk trails to be laid to new food sources

why is mass recruitment favoured by natural selection

workers can rapidly go to new food sources, prevent competitors from getting it

it is autocatalytic (self reinforcing) governed by pos feedback mechanisms

what is the general size of pheromones

about 5 to 20 carbons

what are some classes pheromones are from

hydrocarbons

fatty acetate esters

alcohols

acid epoxides

ketones

isoprenoids

triacylglycerides

what is mass trapping

trap with sticky surface and synthetic pheromone catches insects

what is lure and kill

insect pest is attracted by a semiochemical (pheromone) lure and subjected to a killing agent

what is mating disruption

synthetic pheromone is released from multiple sources

the males are unable to locate the females and number of matings and offspring is reduced

how can (E)--farnesene be used in insect control

could be used to rapidly disprese insects that react in a flight response

pheromone needs to be species speicif so other insects that have a fight response won’t react to it