Resin (containing myrcene) exuding from xylem of ponderosa pine
Hendry, L.B., Piatek, B., Browne, L.E., Wood, D.L., Byers,
J.A., Fish, R.H., & Hicks, R.A. 1980. In vivo conversion
of a labelled host plant chemical to pheromones of the
bark beetle Ips paraconfusus. Nature 284:485. pdf
Abstract--
Chemical constituents of host plants have been suggested to affect in part
the ability of certain insects to produce sex pheromones, and thus their ability
to reproduce. We have investigated such a relationship between the bark
beetle Ips paraconfusus (Coleoptera, Scolytidae) and its host tree Pinusponderosa. The pheromone system of the insect is well characterised and,
as we report here, myrcene, a constituent of the host oleoresin system, is
converted in the male beetle to its pheromones, ipsenol and ipsdienol. We
used deuterium labelling techniques to demonstrate for the first time the
unequivocal conversion of a host plant chemical to an insect pheromone.
Chemical Ecology
Resin (containing myrcene) exuding from xylem of ponderosa pine
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