Secretion and Detection of Defensive Compounds by the Red Flour Beetle Tribolium castaneum Interacting with the Insect Pathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The article submitted for the review describes a not very broad, but well-planned experiment on the secretion of protective compounds by insects (Tribolium castaneum) in response to infection by the entomopathogenic fungus Beaveria bassiana. The experiments were methodologically correct and their results correctly interpreted. Minor remark: please check the entire manuscript carefully and correct the degree sign.

More important point (my opinion): I would be careful in drawing conclusions about chemical communication and its role in the case of warehouse pests. As a rule, these are not social insects. Their mass occurrence is not natural, but is related to human activity.

Author Response

We sincerely thank the Reviewers for these comments, their interest in the work and their insights and suggestions. All suggestions made were included in this revised version.

Regarding the comment about the potential role of chemical communication in warehouse pests, we agree with Reviewer #1 that Tribolium is not often considered a social insect. However, there is recent information in the opposite direction, specifically about the importance of T. castaneum chemical secretions and their accumulation in some density-dependent effects, such as reproductive, developmental, dispersive and cannibalistic behaviours, and thus helping to self-regulate its population (Tribolium beetles as a model system in evolution and ecology; Heredity (2021) 126:869–883. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41437-021-00420-1; Social communication activates the circadian gene Tctimeless in Tribolium castaneum. Scientific Reports (2021) 11:16152, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95588-1). We will glad to incorporate this information into the manuscript if the reviewer deems it so.

Reviewer 2 Report

I found the manuscript "Secretion and detection of defensive compounds by the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum interacting with the insect pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana" very interesting and well written. The approach was different from what I was expecting, but very accurate and following a precise scientific approach. 

Please find comments in the attached file.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

We sincerely thank the Reviewers for these comments, their interest in the work and their insights and suggestions. All suggestions made were included in this revised version.