2024-04-11 マックス・プランク研究所
◆過去の研究では、オゾンレベルの上昇がハエの化学コミュニケーションを深刻に妨げることが示されており、新しい研究ではオゾンによるフェロモンの分解が異なる種間の交配境界にも影響するかどうかが調査されました。結果として、オゾンの上昇は、近縁種とのハイブリッド化を促進し、その結果、ハエの個体群が不妊のハイブリッド化によって減少する可能性があることが示されました。
<関連情報>
- https://www.mpg.de/21786178/0405-choe-oxidant-pollutant-ozone-removes-mating–barriers-between-fly-species-155371-x
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47117-7
高濃度オゾンがショウジョウバエの交尾境界を破壊する Elevated ozone disrupts mating boundaries in drosophilid flies
Nan-Ji Jiang,Xinqi Dong,Daniel Veit,Bill S. Hansson & Markus Knaden
Nature Communications Published:11 April 2024
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47117-7
Abstract
Animals employ different strategies to establish mating boundaries between closely related species, with sex pheromones often playing a crucial role in identifying conspecific mates. Many of these pheromones have carbon-carbon double bonds, making them vulnerable to oxidation by certain atmospheric oxidant pollutants, including ozone. Here, we investigate whether increased ozone compromises species boundaries in drosophilid flies. We show that short-term exposure to increased levels of ozone degrades pheromones of Drosophila melanogaster, D. simulans, D. mauritiana, as well as D. sechellia, and induces hybridization between some of these species. As many of the resulting hybrids are sterile, this could result in local population declines. However, hybridization between D. simulans and D. mauritiana as well as D. simulans and D. sechellia results in fertile hybrids, of which some female hybrids are even more attractive to the males of the parental species. Our experimental findings indicate that ozone pollution could potentially induce breakdown of species boundaries in insects.
