2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Chemical study on the evolutionary process for household pests cockroaches and the pest management
| Project/Area Number |
14360064
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Bioproduction chemistry/Bioorganic chemistry
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| Research Institution | KYOTO UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
NISHIDA Ritsuo KYOTO UNIVERSITY, Graduate School of Agriculture, Professor, 農学研究科, 教授 (30135545)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2002 – 2005
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| Keywords | Cockroach / Phagostimulants / Pheromone / Bioactive substances / Evolutionary process / Chemical ecology / Chemoreception / Electrophysiology |
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| Research Abstract |
The aim of this project is to study on the evolutionary adaptation mechanism of cockroach species in the process of becoming to household pests, focusing on the chemosensory basis of phagostimulant responses of the cockroaches toward the nuptial pheromonal secretions and ordinary food components. Males of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica, secrete a pheromonal substance from the abdominal tergal glands, which elicits a feeding response in females during the sequential courtship behavior. The nuptial secretion consists of a complex mixture of oligosaccharides, phospholipids, steroids and amino acids. The nuptial feeding behavior of the female cockroach is elicited by a complex assortment of nutritive components in the male tergal secretion similar to ingredients found in their ordinary foods. The chemical compositions of nuptial secretions were examined in three Blattella species from different habitats, B.germanica (house), B.lituricollis (field) and B.nipponica (forest). The diversification of the male pheromonal compositions within the genus might be reflected by biosynthetic systems in males and chemosensory properties in females suited for their natural habitat, The evidence suggests an adaptation mechanism of the cockroach in the process toward a household pests via the female's preference to the highly nutritional substances.
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