Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) of various species of insects have been studied extensively, with a number of behavioral and adaptive roles proposed. However, only a single reported study has explored the role of CHCs in Drosophila athabasca, a species of fruit fly native to North America. Here we present the identification, synthesis and quantification of biologically relevant CHCs present in three nascent subspecies of D. athabasca: Eastern A, Eastern B and WestNorthern. GC-MS analysis of CHCs from several isofemale lines of D. athabasca reveals multiple monoenes, dienes, and branched alkanes. Positions of unsaturation within CHCs were determined using dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) derivatization and branching sites were determined via bromination and subsequent elimination. Synthesis of proposed structures confirmed their identities. Synthesis of mono- and di- unsaturated CHCs was accomplished through alkyl substitution, followed by cis-selective reduction. Branched alkanes were generated in a similar fashion or through coupled Grignard-elimination-reduction schemes. External standard curves, generated from synthesized compounds, can be used to produce synthetic profiles for continued exploration of the CHC role within the D. athabasca system.

Cuticular hydrocarbon profile analysis of Drosophila athabasca: Variability by race

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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