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Pheromone pollution from invasive sea lamprey misguides a native confamilial

October 21, 2020

Animals living in the Anthropocene search for mates facing a barrage of pollutants. Few studies consider pheromones from invasive species as pollution, but their central role in the lives of many animals indicates cross-reaction among historically allopatric relatives has potentially damaging impacts. We hypothesized the sex pheromone of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), an invasive fish in the Laurentian Great Lakes, misguides mate search in native chestnut lamprey (Ichthyomyzon castaneus). In a field test, 100 % of female I. castaneus chose male odourants from P. marinus over conspecifics. Chemical analysis of water in which males were held confirmed both species signal with 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate but revealed higher release rates in P. marinus. Our results indicate sex pheromones from invasive species can be an influential type of pollution and underscore the conservation implications of studies on pheromone evolution.

Publication Year 2021
Title Pheromone pollution from invasive sea lamprey misguides a native confamilial
DOI 10.1093/cz/zoaa064
Authors Tyler John Buchinger, Skye D. Fissette, Belinda Huerta, Ke Li, Nicholas S. Johnson, Weiming Li
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Current Zoology
Index ID 70223113
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Great Lakes Science Center