ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE& DEVELOPMENT ELSEVIER Aithiopod Structure & Development 29 (2000) 231-240 www elsevier com/locate/asd Functional morphology of antennal chemoreceptors of the parasitoid Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) S.A. Ochieng*, K.C. Park, J.W. Zhu, T.C. Baker Department of Entomology, 411 Science I1 Building, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA Received 17 August 2000; accepted 18 December 2000 Abstract The specialist parasitoid, Microplitis croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), uses chemical cues from plants damaged by herbivore-feeding and also plant by-products in host location and acceptance These chemicals are detected by the wasp's antennae We conducted scanning and transmission electron microscopy studies of male and female M croceipes antennae and detected no distinct morphological differences in the chemoreceptors between the sexes Male antennae are approximately twice as long as female antennae We found five morphological sensillar types in both sexes: sensilla (s) trichodea were the most abundant and distributed over the whole antenna; s chaetica were present in low numbers only on the scape and pedicel; and s basiconica, s coeloconica and elongated s placodea were found only on the flagellum Ultrastructural investigations revealed pore systems on s basiconica and s placodea In s placodea, sensory neurons run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sensilla with terminal pores We recorded responses from single olfactory receptor neurons in s placodea to two plant-emitted volatiles, cis-3-hexenol and ocimene, and two anthropogenic compounds, cyclohexanone and 2- diisopropylaminoethanol Male receptor neurons were more sensitive than those of females with significantly higher spike frequency being registered from neurons in males 0 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd All rights reserved Keywords: Parasitic wasp; Sensillum; Ultrast~ucture;Electiophysiology; Host-location-recognition 1. Introduction range, both host-specific synomones from damaged plants and host-produced kairomones, especially feces and other Microplitis croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconi- host by-products, are used by the parasitoid as reliable indi- dae) is a specialist larval parasitoid of two major insect cators of host presence and suitability (Eller et a1 , 1988; pests: corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) and tobacco Whitman and Eller, 1992; Alborn et a1 , 1995; Turlings et budworm, Helzothis virescens (Fab ) (both Lepidoptera: a1 , 1995) Noctuidae) Adults of this wasp use both distant and M crocezpes has demonstrated the ability to learn to close-range chemical cues to locate and discriminate hosts respond to and locate different compounds or blends of (Powell and King, 1984; Turlings et a1 , 1990; Tumlinson et compounds when its hosts are feeding on different species al, 1993) or varieties of plants (Lewis and Tumlinson, 1988; Lewis et The success of a female M croceipes as a biological a1 , 1991) This discrimination ability also becomes apparent control agent against herbivore pests depends on its ability after associative learning Naive wasps do not differentiate to locate a host in a complex chemical and physical environ- between two very similar odor blends, but they subsequently T ment (Powell and King, 1984; Lewis et a1 , 1988; Whitman prefer to fly upwind in response to one of the blends if they and Eller, 1992) When the host herbivore, a moth larva, have experienced a reward in association with that blend feeds on a plant, the plant is induced to release volatile (Lewis et a1 , 1991) J chemicals that attract parasitoids to the herbivore habitat Like most other parasitoids, M croceipes use antennal and to the plant (Vet and Groenewold, 1990; Tumlinson et chemoreceptors to detect such blends and initiate habitat a1 , 1993) At a distance, the parasitoid uses chemical cues, location, host location, and assessment The antennae play especially green leaf volatiles, to determine that it is in a an important role in host location in virtually all parasitic habitat that is likely to contain a suitable host larva At close wasps, as demonstrated by various experiments involving partial and total antennal excisions (Hays and Vinson, 1971; * Cor~espondingauthor Tel : + 1-515-294-7264; fax: + 1-515-294-5957 Weselow, 1972) Although attention has been focused on E-mail address sochieng@iastate edu (S A Ochieng) the importance of potential olfactory receptor organs, 1467-8039/01/$ - see front matter @ 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd All rights reserved PII: S1467-8039(01)00008-1 232 SA Ochieng et a1 /Arthropod Structure & Development 29 (2000) 231-240 mainly the elongated sensilla placodea that abound on citrate before examination in a JEOL 1200EX transmission nearly all species of parasitic wasps (Quicke, 1997), little electron microscope consideration has been given to the role of other antennal chemosensilla in host-location, discrimination, and learn- 2 3 Electrophyszological methods ing For example contact chemoreceptor sensilla are numer- ous on the antennae and ovipositor of parasitic wasps and Single-sensillum recordings were made with tungsten may be important in host discrimination and association electrodes (0 2 mm diameter) that were electrolytically (Alborn et a1 , 1995) sharpened with KNO; solution to a tip diameter of about The aim of this study was to initiate a functional morpho- 0 1 pm The wasp was restrained on a dental wax with logical investigation of the antennal sensory structures of M tungsten wire hooks The preparation was mounted on a crocezpes involved in host location and acceptance beha- Syntech Portable Recording Unit, type INR-2 (Syntech, vior, to better understand the complex interactions between The Netherlands) The recording set-up was viewed at the parasitoid-herbivore-host-plant environment The ulti- 280 x under an Olympus stereo microscope At this magni- mate goal is to try to use the wasp's chemosensory capabil- fication it was not possible to visualize the individual ities to develop a useful biosensor for detecting and locating placoid sensilla from which recordings were made There- the sources of chemical agents of interest to defense and fore, the recording electrode was inserted between the regular precision agriculture rows of antennal cuticulai setae to establish contact with the receptor neurons The indifferent electrode was implanted either into the body of the wasp or into the opposite antenna 2. Materials and methods The AC signal from the recording electrode was connected to the built-in amplifier of the portable recording unit and 2 1 Insects the AC output fed into a computer We processed the data Adult M croceipes used in this study emerged from with Syntech Autospike version 4 0 software cocoons obtained from a colony maintained at the Insect A stream of purified and humidified air continuously blew Biology and Population Management Research Laboratory, over the antenna (10 mlls), and was directed through a 14- USDA-ARS, Tifton, Georgia Following emergence, wasps cm-long stainless steel tube (8 mm ID) whose outlet was were segregated by sex and maintained in 25 x 25 x 30 cm positioned 2 cm from the preparation For each compound, cages at 23OC, 70% RH, and a 16:8 h light-dark photoperiod stimulus dilution in HPLC grade hexane was applied as a Insects were fed with 10% sugar water and used 1-3 days 10-pl aliquot on a Whatman No 1 filter paper (8 X 30 mm) after emergence that was inserted into a Pasteur pipette odor cartridge (14 5 cm in length) Serial dilution of each odorant was 2 2 Electron microscopy presented to the antenna in decadic steps from the lowest (1 pg) to the highest (1000 pg) dose With a stimulus flow- The antennae for SEM were fixed in 70% ethanol for 3 controller device (Syntech), a 0 2-s air pulse at 10 mlls-flow days at 4OC before dehydration in graded ethanol series rate was injected through the odor cartridge and into the air followed by critical point drying Antennae were then stream through the pipette tip projecting into a hole in the mounted on aluminium stubs and sputter-coated with stainless steel tube (8 5 cm from the outlet) Different odor gold/palladium (40:60) in a Polaron E5400 high-resolution stimuli were chosen at random, interspersed by 20-30 s sputter coater Specimens were examined in a JEOL T 330 We tested the responses of representative compounds that SEM operated at either 10 or 15 kV have been shown in other studies to be important in M For TEM, the first set of antennae (n = 6, 3 males and 3 crocezpes's host location behavior These compounds females), were fixed in 2 5% glutaraldehyde in 0 1 p caco- included czs-3-hexenol, a green leaf volatile that is normally dylate buffer overnight at 4OC The specimens were rinsed in released from damaged leaves immediately after com- buffer, post-fixed in 1% osmium tetroxide for 2 h at room mencement of host larval feeding, and ocimene, a represen- temperature and dehydrated in ethanol series The antennae tative of inducible monoterpenes that is released by plants were then embedded in Epon and polymerized at 60° for several hours later in response to herbivore damage 48 h A second set of antennae (n = 5, 1 male and 4 (Turlings et a1 , 1990, 1995; Rose et a1 , 1998) In addition, females), were fixed in a mixture of 2% paraformaldehyde: we tested responses to cyclohexanone and 2-diisopropyl- 2 5% glutaraldehyde in 0 1M cacodylate buffer at pH 7 4 for aminoethanol, anthropogenic compounds that have been 36 h at 4OC After post-fixation in 1% osmium tetroxide for shown to evoke electroantennogram