@article{liu_heath_zhang_wijk_wang_buellesbach_wada-katsumata_groot_schal_2023, title={A mosaic of endogenous and plant-derived courtship signals in moths}, volume={33}, ISSN={["1879-0445"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.010}, DOI={10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.010}, abstractNote={Insects rely on olfaction to guide a wide range of adaptive behaviors, including mate and food localization, mate choice, oviposition site selection, kin recognition, and predator avoidance.1 In nocturnal insects, such as moths2 and cockroaches,3 mate finding is stimulated predominantly by long-range species-specific sex pheromones, typically emitted by females. During courtship, at close range, males in most moth species emit a blend of pheromone compounds from an everted, often large, pheromone gland. While long-distance communication with sex pheromones has been remarkably well characterized in thousands of moth species,2,4 close-range chemosensory sexual communication remains poorly understood. We reveal that in the moth Chloridea virescens, the male pheromone consists of three distinct classes of compounds: de novo biosynthesized alcohols, aldehydes, acetates, and carboxylic acids that resemble the female's emissions; newly identified compounds that are unique to the male pheromone, such as aliphatic polyunsaturated hydrocarbons; and sequestered plant secondary compounds and hormone derivatives, including methyl salicylate (MeSA). Thus, males employ a mosaic pheromone blend of disparate origins that may serve multiple functions during courtship. We show that two olfactory receptors in female antennae are tuned to MeSA, which facilitates female acceptance of the male. Because MeSA is emitted by plants attacked by pathogens and herbivores,5 the chemosensory system of female moths was likely already tuned to this plant volatile, and males appear to exploit the female's preadapted sensory bias. Interestingly, while female moths (largely nocturnal) and butterflies (diurnal) diverged in their use of sensory modalities in sexual communication,6 MeSA is used by males of both lineages.}, number={16}, journal={CURRENT BIOLOGY}, author={Liu, Yang and Heath, Jeremy J. and Zhang, Sai and Wijk, Michiel and Wang, Guirong and Buellesbach, Jan and Wada-Katsumata, Ayako and Groot, Astrid T. and Schal, Coby}, year={2023}, month={Aug} }
 @article{van wijk_heath_lievers_schal_groot_2017, title={Proximity of signallers can maintain sexual signal variation under stabilizing selection}, volume={7}, ISSN={2045-2322}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-17327-9}, DOI={10.1038/s41598-017-17327-9}, abstractNote={Abstract How sexual communication systems can evolve under stabilizing selection is still a paradox in evolutionary biology. In moths, females emit a species-specific sex pheromone, consisting of a blend of biochemically related components, to which males are attracted. Although males appear to exert strong stabilizing selection on female pheromone, these blends seem to have evolved rapidly, as evidenced by ~120,000 moth species. Here we propose and test a “proximity model” wherein two females that vary in their relative attractiveness to males, can both benefit from calling in close proximity to each other. In a field study, we show that (1) artificially selected unattractive females can achieve mating rates comparable to attractive females if they signal in close proximity to attractive females, and (2) attractive females benefit from higher mating rates when signalling in close proximity to unattractive females. We propose that frequency-dependent behavioural and spatial interactions can sustain signal variation within populations even when these signals are under stabilizing selection.}, number={1}, journal={Scientific Reports}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={van Wijk, Michiel and Heath, Jeremy and Lievers, Rik and Schal, Coby and Groot, Astrid T.}, year={2017}, month={Dec} }
 @article{heath_kessler_woebbe_cipollini_stireman_2014, title={Exploring plant defense theory in tall goldenrod, Solidago altissima}, volume={202}, number={4}, journal={New Phytologist}, author={Heath, J. J. and Kessler, A. and Woebbe, E. and Cipollini, D. and Stireman, J. O.}, year={2014}, pages={1357–1370} }