Research Area:
My long-term goal is to understand the biochemistry of pheromone production in a model beetle species, Tenebrio molitor (the yellow mealworm beetle), in the context of the biology of the organism and its interaction with its environment.
Beetles effect a staggering economic and social impact on humankind through the destruction of field crops, stored products and forests. Conversely, many beetles are beneficial as predators of insect pests. Knowledge gained in the quest to understand coleopteran biochemistry could be exploited to control pest species, or aid in the management of beneficial species. The biosynthetic pathways used by beetles to produce their pheromones, and the mechanisms by which these pathways are regulated, have been the targets of much interest. However, most studies have focused on the biochemistry of aggregation pheromone production. In contrast, we are examining the biochemistry of sex pheromone production in a "model" beetle, the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor. Early studies by other workers established that the production of the female-produced sex pheromone, 4-methylnonanol, is regulated by Juvenile Hormone (JH). We have elucidated the biosynthetic route to the pheromone, confirmed that 4-methylnonanol production is regulated by JH, and identified one enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of 4-methylnonanol that is regulated by JH. We also discovered that mating induces a temporary decrease in level of sex pheromone in the female, due at least in part to an inhibition of sex pheromone biosynthesis. We are currently investigating the mechanisms by which JH and mating exert their effects on pheromone levels in female T. molitor. This information will not only increase our basic knowledge of insect metabolism but, in the long term, an enhanced understanding of the factors that stimulate or inhibit pheromone production might be of practical value in our attempts to develop new strategies for the manipulation of pest populations.
For more information concerning research in the Vanderwel lab take the lab tour.
Selected Recent Publications:
Plarre, R. and D. Vanderwel. 1999. Stored-product Beetles. pp. 149-198 in Pheromones of Non-Lepidopteran Insects Associated with Agricultural Plants (edited by Jim Hardie and Albert K. Minks). CABI Publishing.
Islam, N., R. Bacala, A. Moore, and D. Vanderwel. 1999. Biosynthesis of 4-methyl-1-nonanol: female-produced sex pheromone of the yellow mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Insect Biochem. Molec. Biol. 29:201-208.
Evans, W. S., A. Wong, M. Hardy, R. W. Currie and D. Vanderwel. 1998. Evidence that the factor used by the tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, to direct the foraging of its intermediate host, Tribolium confusum, is a volatile attractant. Parasitology. 84:1098-1101.
Blomquist, B., J. A. Tillman-Wall, J. R. Reed, P. Gu, D. Vanderwel, S. Choi and R. C. Reitz. 1995. Regulation of enzymatic activity involved in sex pheromone production in the housefly, Musca domestica. Insect Biochem. and Molec. Biol. 25: 751-757.
Seybold, S., D. Quilici, J. A. Tillman, D. Vanderwel, D. L. Wood and G. J. Blomquist. 1995. De novo biosynthesis of the aggregation pheromone components ipsenol and ipsdienol by the pine bark beetles Ips paraconfusus Lanier and Ips pini (Say) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92: 8393-8397.
Vanderwel, D., S. Seybold, and A. C. Oehlschlager. A study of the terminal steps of ipsdienol and/or ipsenol biosynthesis in Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, Ips paraconfusus Lanier, and two populations of Ips pini (Say) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). Accepted, subject to revisions, J. Chem. Ecol.
