The role of fungi and their associated volatiles in the ecology of Tribolium castaneum

The rust red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) is a major pest of stored cereal grains in many countries, including Australia. The beetles also infest stored cotton seeds across South East Queensland, though we do not understand why. Moreover, preliminary tests revealed that the beetles are very attracted to some of the micro-fungi associated with the cotton seeds, though the identity of these species is unknown. The primary objectives of this study were to: 1. Identify the fungal species on stored cotton seeds and determine if the beetles can survive, consume and develop on each species. 2. Evaluate the attraction of the beetles to each of the fungal isolates using multiple laboratory and field tests. 3. Identify the chemical compounds produced by the most attractive and/or repellent fungal species and test the attraction of Tribolium castaneum to each of those compounds. Overall, this project will help to produce more effective pest management tools for this pest species and increase our knowledge of the ecology of T. castaneum outside of grain storage systems