Pheromones detecting sensory neurons in moths are known to be highly sensitive and selective. Female-emitted sexual pheromones are normally mixtures of several components. However, not much is known about how receptor neurons respond to pheromone blends. We demonstrated in an earlier study that certain plant volatiles synergize responses of pheromone specific receptor neurons of the corn earworm Helicoverpa zea. In the present study, we found that responses to binary mixtures of pheromone blends did not differ from that of the excitatory component. We concluded that pheromone components in this species are relayed to the CNS in distinct olfactory receptor neuron pathways.
Species 1: Lepidoptera Noctuidae Helicoverpa zea (corn earworm, cutworm)
Keywords: Mixture interactions
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