Meeting Abstract

92.3  Monday, Jan. 6 14:00  UV-B exposure diminishes a potent sexual signal, the female sex pheromone of red-sided garter snakes PARKER, M.R.*; PICKERING, A.; BLAUSTEIN, A.R.; MASON, R.T.; Monell Chemical Senses Center; University of Hawaii; Oregon State University; Oregon State University rparker@monell.org

Excess UV radiation can negatively affect multiple aspects of animal life, from reproduction to survival. Though many species use UV reflectance in sexual signaling, it is unknown whether UV itself can decrease the potency of sexual signals. The red-sided garter snake uses its sexual attractiveness pheromone to facilitate reproduction, and pheromone composition reflects female quality and serves as a species identifier. We found that UV-B exposure decreases the concentration and composition of the sex pheromone in vitro and in vivo. Further, the alterations in the pheromone imposed by UV-B decreased the attractiveness of the sex pheromone to males during the breeding season. Our results implicate increased UV-B radiation as a catalyst dissolving species isolation barriers such as pheromones.