Impacts of ionization radiation on the cuticular hydrocarbon profile and mating success of male house crickets (Acheta domesticus)

Abstract

Purpose

Ionizing radiation is well known to have drastic impacts on major life history features including survivorship, growth, fertility, and longevity. What is much less appreciated is how radiation stress can cause changes to more subtle traits, such as those associated with sexual signaling, an underappreciated but vital aspect of insect reproduction. In the House Cricket (Acheta domesticus) cuticular hydrocarbons are vital for sex and species recognition, as well as a possible indicator of stress, making them crucial for successful mating and reproduction.

Materials and methods

Here, we analyze the impacts of ionizing radiation on the cuticular hydrocarbons of male crickets and its subsequent impacts on mating success. We exposed juvenile (14-day, 4th instar) male crickets to a broad range of radiation doses (4.6 − 27.8 Gy).

Results

We detected significant changes in individual cuticular hydrocarbons across a broad range of doses in mature male crickets using gas-liquid chromatography. Specifically, dose was identified as a significant contributing factor to hydrocarbon increases p < .0001. Mating success was significantly reduced in 27.8 Gy (p < .0001), 23.2 Gy (0.0001), and 16.2 Gy (0.0060) groups compared to non-irradiated controls.

Conclusion

Insect chemical communication can be species specific, and functionally specialized. Here, we show that radiation can alter the chemical signals used to attract mates in a large bodied insect and this may be a contributing factor to the described reduction in male mating success. Further research should be conducted to further analyze the various modes of communication employed by male crickets to attract mates i.e. acoustic signaling, and how this may also contribute to the reduction in mating success seen in irradiated males.

Keywords:

• Cuticle
• volatile hydrocarbons
• Crickets
• reproduction
• mating behavior
• ionizing radiation

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Correction

Acknowledgement

The authors thank Dr. Fan Fei and Dr. M. Kirk Green for assistance with performing and interpreting the GC-MS analyses.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Mitacs Elevate Grant [IT05851], and the NSERC Discovery Grant [RGPIN-05693-2015].

Notes on contributors

Tamara M. Fuciarelli

Tamara Fuciarelli is a current PhD candidate at McMaster University, Canada. She focuses on radiation impacts on the reproduction with a focus on generational effects using the House Cricket model. Having completed her M.Sc in 2019 she aims to further the field in radiobiology as it pertains to ecological impacts.

C. David Rollo

Dr. David Rollo is an environmental physiologist employed at McMaster University, Canada. He is a well known researcher in the study of stress and aging and has published several landmark studies on the subject. His current research focses on the integration and functions of behavior, morphology and physiology in response to environmental stress. He examines adjustments of the above features using ionizing radiation as a precise stressor using a cricket model. A short-lived animal allows for the study of lifetime and trans-generational impacts on life history features, behavior, physiology, and aging. For reproduction, he focuses on sexual signaling (chemical and acoustic) and mating behavior. Trans-generational studies of irradiation focus on life history traits, transmission of stress resistance, fertility, and social recognition. Key aspects of current interest include feeding and thermal choices, cognition, reproduction, growth, immunology, avoidance of death cues, aging and longevity.