The aggregation-attachment-pheromone (AAP) of two geographic strains of the
Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum Koch, was investigated to evaluate practicality
of using solid-phase-microextraction (SPME) in an AAP study of Gulf Coast tick.
Solid-phase microextraction was used to compare the AAP production in two strains of
fed male Gulf Coast tick and demonstrate and confirm the presence of AAP in bioassays.
A solid-phase-microextraction (SPME) headspace collection technique was
sufficient to capture volatile organic compounds produced by fed and unfed male Gulf
Coast ticks. Gas chromatography analysis revealed three major volatile organic
compounds were produced in significantly greater amounts (p < 0.05) by fed males than
those produced by unfed males. These volatile compounds were produced in
significantly higher amount by the third day of feeding by male ticks. However, two of
these volatiles remained relatively constant in their production while the primary volatile
compound increased in its production until the eighth day of feeding by male Gulf Coast
ticks. Also, the relative abundances of these three volatile organic compounds were
different between Oklahoma and Texas strains of Gulf Coast ticks.
The activity of AAP from fed male Gulf Coast ticks was confirmed using two
bioassay techniques. A petri dish bioassay revealed significantly higher numbers of
female Gulf Coast ticks attracted to fed-males which also produced significantly greater
amounts (p < 0.001) of volatile organic compounds detected by GC analysis. The Ytube
olfactometer bioassay revealed that significantly higher numbers of females
responded to fed-males or to CO2 when compared to purified air (p < 0.001), but the
differences in female response to fed-males and CO2 were not significant (p < 0.391 in
Oklahoma strain and p < 0.458 in Texas strain). However, female responses to stimuli
containing both fed-males and CO2 were significantly higher when compared to either
stimulus alone (p < 0.001).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/1488 |
| Date | 17 February 2005 |
| Creators | Kim, Hee Jung |
| Contributors | Teel, Pete D. |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Thesis, text |
| Format | 5115850 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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