Stable isotope markers differentiate between mass-reared and wild Lepidoptera in sterile insect technique programs

作者：Hood Nowotny Rebecca^*; Harari Ally; Seth Rakesh K; Wee Suk Ling; Conlong Des E; Suckling David M; Woods Bill; Lebdi Grissa Kaouthar; Simmons Gregory; Carpenter James E

来源：Florida Entomologist, 2016, 99(sp1): 166-176.

DOI：10.1653/024.099.sp120

• elemental analysis-isotope ratio mass-spectrometry (EA-IRMS)
• sterile insects
• release/recapture
• isotopic signature
• sugar
• larval diet
• markers
• moths

In this study we identified a number of moth (Lepidoptera) species that are potential targets for the sterile insect technique (SIT), and we assessed the feasibility of using stable isotope signatures as markers to distinguish mass-reared from wild moth species. Large natural differences in the isotopic signatures of commercially available sugars render them novel markers for mass-reared insects. Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.; Caryophyllales: Amaranthaceae), a C-3 plant, has a stable isotopic signature (a measure of the ratio of the stable isotopes C-13:C-12) of around -27% relative to Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite (VPDB; the international C isotope standard for the stable isotopes, C-13 and C-12), and sugarcane (Saccharum spp.; Poales: Poaceae), a C-4 plant, has an isotopic signature of around -11%. Thus by means of such a distinct isotope ratio in the sugar in the diet, mass-reared insects can be easily distinguished from wild insects with a high degree of certainty. It was shown that the method could be extended using a multiple isotope approach, with N-15 or a full suite of C, N, S and O isotopes. Intrinsic isotope marking of mass-reared moths proved to be an accurate means of distinguishing wild from mass-reared populations, based on isotopic differences between the wild host plant species and the diets used in mass-rearing, which where possible, had been manipulated to contain the isotopically divergent sugar type. This intrinsic labeling using stable isotopes could be useful in the assessment of the quality of mass-reared moths, because a stable isotope is a marker that does not affect the insect in any detrimental manner.

• 出版日期2016-6