Male crickets use scent to seduce

The magazine Proceedings of the Royal Society B has just published a study, conducted by scientists at the Center for Evolutionary Medicine Research at the University of Western Australia, who say males know how to use scent to seduce "mates".

After analyzing the chemicals on the skin of Australian crickets, scientific name Teleogryllus oceanicus, the scientists found that the cuticle hydrocarbon layer of the insect is coated with a fatty acid to prevent dehydration. .

This enhanced chemical composition can change rapidly in the compound and reflect changes in the social hierarchy of each individual, thereby providing information on specific characteristics of insects, gender and their mating activity.

In any insect species, when the hierarchy in the species is lowered, the male has short-term changes in the chemical composition. The dominant status of males can often be challenged. Researchers found that male crickets changed the chemical composition of the fat-rich crust in response to aggressive acts with other male crickets.

Research co-author Dr. Melissa Thomas said, in terms of mating, these chemicals (the hydrocarbon cutin layer), have the same effect as the " attractive partner" fur of male birds. In crickets, this crust also plays a role in attracting crickets in a similar way.

Research shows that male crickets when fighting a fellow and unfortunately losing a battle have released a chemical as a loser. Thomas said that this phenomenon could compensate for their failure to fertilize.

In the study, scientists ranked crickets through a series of matches. Only the winners in all rounds (the strongest) and the losers (weak guys) are included in the study.

Scientists have classified two healthy crickets to continue fighting with two losing crickets to see the status of crickets being forced to change, and easily determine which phone won by the weaker will evade while the stronger one often " triumphs " with aggressive, self-confident looks.

The cutin hydrocarbon samples that were taken and analyzed later showed that the previous crickets had quickly changed the hydrocarbon structure, much like the structure in weaker phones. Thomas said that this chemical transformation could help the cricket win the chance to succeed in mating.

She pointed out: ' Although male crickets cannot force mating crickets, the strength can confirm the ability to attract female crickets through sound signals. The more powerful crickets will play "flirtatious" melodies in the presence of weak mobile phones. In the meantime, the weaker cricket is suppressed to be unable to raise a crow by the crowded crowds of stronger opponents near it . "

In the wild, weak fish may compensate for the disadvantage by creating a larger amount of cutin hydrocarbons. This substance has been shown to increase the attractiveness of male crickets to female crickets, just as men tend to wear more intense perfumes every time they date a girlfriend.

However, according to the study, the weak men who won the fighting did not change the chemical composition to match the chemical composition of the strong. This shows that in social competition, male crickets are affected by the soft chemical compound on the body, or " social experience " can strongly influence the decision of males in the future. next work.

Dr. Thomas said that understanding the application and effects of cutin hydrocarbons is the first step in detecting whether this information is effective in pest control.