TY - JOUR
T1 - Temperature and food availability differentially affect the production of antimicrobial compounds in oral secretions produced by two species of burying beetle
AU - Jacques, Betty J.
AU - Akahane, Shusaku
AU - Abe, Michiko
AU - Middleton, Wendi
AU - Hoback, William W.
AU - Shaffer, Julie J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments We thank Darby Carlson, Rachel Anschutz, T. J. Walker, and Jessica Jurzenski for aid in collecting and identifying beetles. We also thank the Kuebler family for allowing us to trap beetles on their property. This publication was made possible by grants from the University of Nebraska at Kearney Research Services Council and grant Number P20 RR16469 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - Carrion beetles of the subfamily Nicrophorinae search and bury a carcass that they utilize for reproduction. After burial, the carcass is coated with oral secretions that delay its decomposition. Previously, oral secretions of Nicrophorus marginatus were found to show antimicrobial activity, whereas secretion of N. carolinus lacked significant activity. Here, we tested the effects of temperature, sex of the beetle, and food type on the antimicrobial properties of oral secretions of both species. Unlike previous findings, we found that oral secretions of N. carolinus had antimicrobial activity. Temperature had significant effects on the amount of secretion protein. When protein concentrations were standardized to 1μ/ml, N. marginatus secretions had higher antimicrobial activity at cooler temperatures, while N. carolinus had higher activity at warmer ones. The sex of the beetle did not affect antimicrobial activity for either species. Beetles of both species that were fed whole rats contained more protein in their oral secretions than beetles fed with equally sized pieces of raw ground beef. After standardizing the resulting protein concentrations to 1μg/ml, antimicrobial activity of oral secretion increased for N. carolinus after rat feeding, but not for N. marginatus. Our results highlight key ecological differences between these closely related species. In addition, they demonstrate the importance of experiments being conducted under varying environmental conditions when evaluating species for potential antimicrobial compounds.
AB - Carrion beetles of the subfamily Nicrophorinae search and bury a carcass that they utilize for reproduction. After burial, the carcass is coated with oral secretions that delay its decomposition. Previously, oral secretions of Nicrophorus marginatus were found to show antimicrobial activity, whereas secretion of N. carolinus lacked significant activity. Here, we tested the effects of temperature, sex of the beetle, and food type on the antimicrobial properties of oral secretions of both species. Unlike previous findings, we found that oral secretions of N. carolinus had antimicrobial activity. Temperature had significant effects on the amount of secretion protein. When protein concentrations were standardized to 1μ/ml, N. marginatus secretions had higher antimicrobial activity at cooler temperatures, while N. carolinus had higher activity at warmer ones. The sex of the beetle did not affect antimicrobial activity for either species. Beetles of both species that were fed whole rats contained more protein in their oral secretions than beetles fed with equally sized pieces of raw ground beef. After standardizing the resulting protein concentrations to 1μg/ml, antimicrobial activity of oral secretion increased for N. carolinus after rat feeding, but not for N. marginatus. Our results highlight key ecological differences between these closely related species. In addition, they demonstrate the importance of experiments being conducted under varying environmental conditions when evaluating species for potential antimicrobial compounds.
KW - Antimicrobial secretion
KW - Carrion beetle
KW - Feeding
KW - Nicrophorus carolinus
KW - Nicrophorus marginatus
KW - Sex
KW - Temperature
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=75649097856&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=75649097856&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10886-009-9680-y
DO - 10.1007/s10886-009-9680-y
M3 - Article
C2 - 19690920
AN - SCOPUS:75649097856
SN - 0098-0331
VL - 35
SP - 871
EP - 877
JO - Journal of Chemical Ecology
JF - Journal of Chemical Ecology
IS - 8
ER -