The Genetic Basis of Pheromone Evolution in Moths

Abstract

Moth sexual pheromones are widely studied as a fine-tuned system of intra-specific sexual communication that reinforces interspecific reproductive isolation. However, their evolution poses a dilemma: How can the female pheromone and male preference simultaneously change to create a new pattern of species-specific attraction? Solving this puzzle requires us to identify the genes underlying intraspecific variation in signals and responses and to understand the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for their interspecific divergence. Candidate gene approaches and functional analyses have yielded insights into large families of biosynthetic enzymes and pheromone receptors, although the factors controlling their expression remain largely unexplored. Intra-and interspecific crosses have provided tantalizing evidence of regulatory genes, although, to date, mapping resolution has been insufficient to identify them. Recent advances in high-throughput genome and transcriptome sequencing, together with established techniques, have great potential to help scientists identify the specific genetic changes underlying divergence and resolve the mystery of how moth sexual communication systems evolve.

Keywords

Lepidoptera; sexual communication; intraspecific variation; interspecific variation; genetic analyses; divergence

Published in

Annual Review of Entomology
2016, volume: 61, pages: 99-117

SLU Authors

• Dekker, Teun

  • Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Zoology
Genetics and Genomics

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-010715-023638

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/83244