Carbonyl products of ozone oxidation of volatile organic compounds can modulate olfactory choice behavior in insects

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 337; p. 122542
• Main Authors: Venkateswaran, Vignesh, Alali, Ibrahim, Unni, Anjana P., Weißflog, Jerrit, Halitschke, Rayko, Hansson, Bill S., Knaden, Markus
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 15.11.2023
• Subjects: Carbonyl products; Insect behavior; Insect olfaction; Ozone oxidation; Single sensillum recording; Ozone oxidation; Insect olfaction; Carbonyl products; Single sensillum recording; Insect behavior
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122542

Insects are a diverse group of organisms that provide important ecosystem services like pollination, pest control, and decomposition and rely on olfaction to perform these services. In the Anthropocene, increasing concentrations of oxidant pollutants such as ozone have been shown to corrupt odor-driven behavior in insects by chemically degrading e.g. flower signals or insect pheromones. The degradation, however, does not only result in a loss of signals, but also in a potential enrichment of oxidation products, predominantly small carbonyls. Whether and how these oxidation products affect insect olfactory perception remains unclear. We examined the effects of ozone-generated small carbonyls on the olfactory behavior of the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster. We compiled a broad collection of neurophysiologically relevant odorants for the fly from databases and literature and predicted the formation of the types of stable small carbonyl products resulting from the odorant's oxidation by ozone. Based on these predictions, we evaluated the olfactory detection and behavioral impact of the ten most frequently predicted carbonyl products in the fly using single sensillum recordings (SSRs) and behavioral tests. Our results demonstrate that the fly's olfactory system can detect the oxidation products, which then elicit either attractive or neutral behavioral responses, rather than repulsion. However, certain products alter behavioral choices to an attractive odor source of balsamic vinegar. Our findings suggest that the enrichment of small carbonyl oxidation products due to increased ozone levels can affect olfactory guided insect behavior. Our study underscores the implications for odor-guided foraging in insects and the essential ecosystem services they offer under carbonyl enriched environments. [Display omitted] •Insects provide important ecosystem services that rely on olfaction.•Degradation of odorants by ozone forms small carbonyl products.•Vinegar flies (Drosophila melanogaster) can detect oxidation products.•Certain products alter the fly's behavioral choices towards an attractive odor source.•Carbonyl enrichment could, hence, affect insect olfaction and ecosystem services.