A pheromone and possible information coded by insect pheromone analogs in the preputial glands in male brandt's voles Lasiopodomys brandtii (In English)

摘要

We analyzed the volatile composition of dichloromethane extracts of preputial glandular secretions (PGS) from intact and castrated male Brandt’s voles Lasiopodomys brandtii by using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thirty-three volatile compounds were detected and were present in nearly all scent donors; 27 had previously been reported as insect pheromone components. Castration did not eliminate any compounds; however, it significantly suppressed the relative quantity of ten early-eluting, low molecular weight components. These included seven saturated and unsaturated acetates, one hexanoate, and two saturated octanoates. In particular, E , E -Farnesyl acetate (FA) was the most abundant compound in the PGS. We suggest that FA and other components might be candidates for male-produced pheromones. Two-choice behavioral assays of females revealed that low concentrations of raw PGS (0.056%) and E , E -farnesyl acetate (FA) (5 parts per million in water v/w) were attractive, whereas high concentrations (0.56% and 50 parts per million, respectively) were repellent. This suggested that FA may act as a male pheromone in a dosage-dependent manner. Extremely high variability of the relative quantities of almost all detected compounds among individuals indicated the inter-individual dissimilarities of PGS and consequent possibilities to communicate individuality to other conspecific members [ Acta Zoologica Sinica 53 (4):616 –624, 2007].