Mixed signals: heat stress alters chemical profiles and increases same-sex sexual behaviour in an insect
- 1Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, UK
Abstract
Rising temperatures linked to global climate change can disrupt the chemical communication that animals rely on for reproduction. Arthropods are particularly vulnerable due to their limited ability for thermoregulation and their reliance on cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), which have a dual role in social communication and heat protection. Heat-induced changes in cuticular composition may therefore lead to mate recognition errors. We tested this in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, by exposing males to either benign temperatures (20{degrees}C) or a simulated 3-day heatwave (26{degrees}C). We recorded the frequency of same-sex sexual behaviour under these contrasting thermal conditions and examined associated changes in the males' cuticular profiles. Our results show a higher rate of same-sex mounting under heat stress, with the CHCs of heat-stressed males shifting toward more saturated, longer-chained compounds and more female-like compounds. We also found a positive association between chain length and the frequency of same-sex mounting, suggesting a trade-off between the social communication and waterproofing functions of CHCs. Overall, our findings provide evidence for a causal effect of heat on same-sex sexual behaviour, which may be partly explained by changes in cuticular lipids. Such disruption of chemical communication could have major consequences for animal reproduction in a warming world.
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BibTeX
@misc{morelle2026mixed,
title = {{Mixed signals: heat stress alters chemical profiles and increases same-sex sexual behaviour in an insect}},
author = {S. A. Morelle and J. Stökl and N. W. Bailey and S. Steiger and N. Pilakouta},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.21.753124},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.753124v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Mixed signals: heat stress alters chemical profiles and increases same-sex sexual behaviour in an insect
AU - S. A. Morelle
AU - J. Stökl
AU - N. W. Bailey
AU - S. Steiger
AU - N. Pilakouta
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.21.753124
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.753124v1
AB - Rising temperatures linked to global climate change can disrupt the chemical communication that animals rely on for reproduction. Arthropods are particularly vulnerable due to their limited ability for thermoregulation and their reliance on cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), which have a dual role in social communication and heat protection. Heat-induced changes in cuticular composition may therefore lead to mate recognition errors. We tested this in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, by exposing males to either benign temperatures (20{degrees}C) or a simulated 3-day heatwave (26{degrees}C). We recorded the frequency of same-sex sexual behaviour under these contrasting thermal conditions and examined associated changes in the males' cuticular profiles. Our results show a higher rate of same-sex mounting under heat stress, with the CHCs of heat-stressed males shifting toward more saturated, longer-chained compounds and more female-like compounds. We also found a positive association between chain length and the frequency of same-sex mounting, suggesting a trade-off between the social communication and waterproofing functions of CHCs. Overall, our findings provide evidence for a causal effect of heat on same-sex sexual behaviour, which may be partly explained by changes in cuticular lipids. Such disruption of chemical communication could have major consequences for animal reproduction in a warming world.
ER -