Biomedical subjects

John A Byers

Publications and source records attributed to John A Byers.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Good genes sexual selection in nature.

Whether the mate sampling and choice performed by females in nature influences offspring performance is a controversial issue in theory and an open empirical question. Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) females engage in an obvious and energetically expensive mate sampling process to identify vigorous males. Although individual females sample independently, their choices converge on a small proportion of males that sire most young. Offspring of attractive males were more likely to survive to weaning and to age classes as late as 5 years, resulting in a selection differential, calculated by expected differences in lifetime number of offspring weaned, of 0.32 against random mating. Enhanced survival to weaning appeared to be accomplished by faster growth rates. Females compensated for matings with a less attractive mate by elevating rates of milk delivery to their young. Because pronghorn males do not have costly ornaments, we conclude that female choice for good genes can exist in the absence of ornaments. Furthermore, female choice may be important and unrecognized as a force that can lower population genetic load.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Production and predator-induced release of volatile chemicals by the plant bug Lygus hesperus.

Both sexes of adult western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus Knight (Heteroptera: Miridae), released three volatile chemicals in relatively large amounts when attacked by ants (Pogonomyrmex rugosus and Solenopsis xyloni) or when grabbed by forceps, as determined by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The relative amounts of the volatile compounds, hexyl butyrate, (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal, and (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate, absorbed by SPME as a percentage of the largest were 100%, 44%, and 4%, respectively, from females, and 83%, 37%, and 3% from males. Both ant species were repelled by the defensive discharges (confirmed by SPME) when the ants attacked L. hesperus adults. Sexually mature L. hesperus were individually extracted in pentane to quantify the mean amounts of hexyl butyrate (14.9 microg/female; 10.3 microg/male), (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal (2.7 microg/female; 3.1 microg/male), and (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate (1.2 microg/female; 0.6 microg/male). (E)-4-Oxo-2-hexenal was unstable in solvent when in contact with a macerated adult, but relatively stable when the solution was decanted within minutes. The production of the three major volatile components began soon after the emergence of the adult and amounts increased for about 5-10 d with little or no increase thereafter. Minor additional constituents were cross-correlated in many cases with the three major ones. A cost of defensive secretion is suggested for females but not for males, because heavier females produced more volatile compounds than lighter females. The initial discharge percentage, defined as the proportion of volatile compounds initially present that is discharged to defend against predation was estimated at about 50% in males and 70% in females. Newly eclosed adults did not produce volatile chemicals until 2 d after molting.

Aging↗

PubMed2005

A large cost of female mate sampling in pronghorn.

We measured the energy cost of mate sampling by female pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), a species for which there are no apparent direct benefits of mate choice and for which the sampling tactic most closely resembles best-of-n or comparative Bayes. We used Global Positioning System collars to record the position of individuals at 10-min intervals during the 2 weeks preceding estrus in females that actively sampled and in females that did not sample. The difference in the 2-week energy costs of these two classes of females was 8,200 (+/-2,300) kJ, or roughly one-half of the energy cost of a single day. This value, expressed as the fraction of total yearly energy expenditure, is 59 times the value reported for a lekking bird. Our finding calls into question the common assumption in models of mate search that the cost of search is negligible as well as the common assumption that the cost of sampling must be small when there are only indirect benefits of female choice.

Animal Identification Systems↗

PubMed2005

Chemical constraints on the evolution of olfactory communication channels of moths.

It is estimated there are over 100,000 moth species (Lepidoptera) that produce sex pheromones comprising communication channels used in specific-mate-recognition systems (SMRS) involved in pre-zygotic mating isolation and speciation. About 1572 moth species have been found to use 377 pheromone components, the majority being alcohols, aldehydes or acetate esters of olefinic chains of 10-22 carbons. Since there are limited numbers of possible unsaturated (double bonded) E- and Z-configured isomers of these chains, there may be constraints on incipient species evolving new pheromone components, especially if they are utilized by existing species. Here I develop algorithms that count and name all possible structures of chains with or without a functional group. The results show that for acetate esters there are only seven or nine monounsaturated isomers of six or seven carbon chains, respectively, suggesting use of these compounds could limit the number of communication channels available for radiation of new species (no moths use these short chains). For commonly used 14-carbon chains with an acetate ester functional group, and 1-3 unsaturations, there are 1039 isomers. A total of 2,096,883 isomers were counted from all multiply unsaturated 10-22-carbon chain acetate esters. The number of possible signals quickly extends into millions when considering pheromone blends of 2-4 components used by most species. There should be little chemical constraint on evolution of new communication channels based on compounds of 10 or more carbons, even for closely related species (e.g. ermine moths, Yponomeuta).

Acetates↗

PubMed2005

Areawide models comparing synchronous versus asynchronous treatments for control of dispersing insect pests.

Integrated pest management (IPM) has the goal of combining several control methods that reduce populations of pest insects and their damage to tolerable levels and thereby reduce the use of costly pesticides that may harm the environment. Insect populations can be monitored during the season to determine when the densities exceed an economic threshold that requires treatment, often as an insecticide application. We developed a simulation model where insect populations varied in exponential growth in fields and dispersed to adjacent fields each day of a season. The first model monitored populations of individual fields in a grid of fields and treated any field with insecticide if it exceeded a threshold population (asynchronous model) as done in traditional IPM. The second model treated the entire grid of fields with insecticide when the average population of all fields exceeded the threshold (synchronous model). We found that the synchronous model at all growth and dispersal rates tested had average field populations during a season that were significantly lower and required fewer treatments than the asynchronous method. Parameters such as percentage of fallow fields, number of fields, and treatment threshold had little affect on relative differences between the two models. The simulations indicate that cooperation among growers in areawide monitoring of fields to obtain an average population estimate for use in treatment thresholds would result in significantly less insect damage and fewer insecticide treatments. The synchronous method is more efficient because population refugia are precluded from which dispersal could reintroduce insects.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

A cost of alarm pheromone production in cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii.

The sesquiterpene, (E)-beta-farnesene, is used by many aphid species as an alarm pheromone to warn related individuals of predation. Disturbed cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii Glover, released (E)-beta-farnesene into the air as detected by solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Solvent extracts of cotton aphids of various life stages and weights also were analyzed by GC-MS for sums of ions 69 and 93, which discriminated (E)-beta-farnesene from coeluting compounds. Aphids of all life stages and sizes reared on cotton plants in both an environmental chamber and glasshouse contained (E)-beta-farnesene in amounts ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 ng per individual. The quantities of (E)-beta-farnesene in aphids increased in relation to increasing body weight, and variation in individual weights explained about 82% of the variation in alarm pheromone. However, the concentrations (ng/mg fresh weight) declined exponentially with increasing body weight. These findings indicate that aphid nymphs try to compensate for their smaller size by producing relatively more pheromone per weight than adults but still cannot approach an evolutionary optimal load, as assumed in adults with the greatest total amounts. This suggests that young aphids need to balance costs of growth and maturation with costs of producing the alarm pheromone.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Equations for nickel-chromium wire heaters of column transfer lines in gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD).

Heating of chromatographic columns, transfer lines, and other devices is often required in neuroscience research. For example, volatile compounds passing through a capillary column of a gas chromatograph (GC) can be split, with half exiting the instrument through a heated transfer line to an insect antenna or olfactory sensillum for electroantennographic detector (GC-EAD) recordings. The heated transfer line is used to prevent condensation of various chemicals in the capillary that would otherwise occur at room temperature. Construction of such a transfer line heater is described using (80/20%) nickel-chromium heating wire wrapped in a helical coil and powered by a 120/220 V ac rheostat. Algorithms were developed in a computer program to estimate the voltage at which a rheostat should be set to obtain the desired heater temperature for a specific coil. The coil attributes (radius, width, number of loops, or length of each loop) are input by the user, as well as AWG size of heating wire and desired heater temperature. The program calculates total length of wire in the helix, resistance of the wire, amperage used, and the voltage to set the rheostat. A discussion of semiochemical isolation methods using the GC-EAD and bioassays is presented.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2004

Avoidance of nonhost plants by a bark beetle, Pityogenes bidentatus, in a forest of odors.

The bark beetle, Pityogenes bidentatus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), searches in mixed conifer and deciduous forests of northern Europe for suitable branches of its host, Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris). We tested whether odors from several diverse nonhost trees and plants common in the habitat (e.g., mountain ash, Sorbus aucuparia; oak, Quercus robur; alder buckthorn, Frangula alnus; blueberry, Vaccinium myrtillus; raspberry, Rubus idaeus; and grass, Deschampsia flexuosa) would reduce the attraction of the bark beetle to traps releasing its aggregation pheromone components in the field. Volatiles from the leaves or bark of each of these plants significantly reduced the attraction of the beetles to their pheromone. Odors collected from these nonhosts and analyzed by GC/MS contained monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and "green-leaf" alcohols, several of which (e.g., 1-octene-3-ol and beta-caryophyllene) reduced the attraction to pheromone in the field and elicited electroantennographic responses. In the laboratory, reproduction by the beetle was marginal in nonhost Norway spruce, Picea abies, and was absent in the other nonhost trees. Olfactory avoidance of unsuitable nonhosts may have evolved due to advantages in avoiding mistakes during host selection.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Internet programs for drawing moth pheromone analogs and searching literature database.

An Internet web page is described for organizing and analyzing information about lepidopteran sex pheromone components. Hypertext markup language (HTML) with JavaScript program code is used to draw moth pheromone analogs by combining GIF bitmap images for viewing by web browsers such as Netscape or Microsoft Intemet Explorer. Straight-chain hydrocarbons of 5-22 carbons with epoxides or unsaturated positions of E or Z geometrical configuration with several altemative functional groups can be drawn by simply checking menu bars or checkboxes representing chain length, E/Z unsaturation points, epoxide position and chirality, and optional functional groups. The functional group can be an aldehyde, alcohol, or ester of formate, acetate, propionate, or butyrate. The program is capable of drawing several million structures and naming them [e.g., (E,E)-8,10-dodecadien-1-ol and abbreviated as E8E10-12:OH]. A Java applet program run from the same page searches forthe presently drawn structure in an intemal database compiled from the Pherolist, and if the component is found, provides a textarea display of the families and species using the component. Links are automatically specified for drawn components if found in the Pherolist web site (maintained by H. Am). Windowed links can also be made to two other JavaScript programs that allow searches of a web site database with over 5900 research citations on lepidopteran semiochemicals and a calculator of vapor pressures of some moth sex pheromone analogs at a specified temperature. Various evolutionary and biosynthetic aspects are discussed in regard to the diversity of moth sex pheromone components.

Animals↗