During flight, insect herbivores respond to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by host and non-host plants or conspecifics. Dendroctonus ponderosae uses chemical cues including host and non-host VOCs, as well as aggregation pheromones to navigate through the environment and find a suitable reproductive host. The dispersal flight distance of D. ponderosae from its natal host to its reproductive host varies widely, even within populations of beetles. Beetle energetics do not entirely explain this flight variation. In this study, we test the effect of beetle exposure to semiochemical cues before and during flight on subsequent flight propensity (the likelihood of flight initiation) and flight capacity (the distance and velocity of flight) using computer-linked flight mills. Exposure to host volatiles before flight interacts with beetle pre-flight weight to influence subsequent flight capacity of female but not male beetles. Female beetles flew further and faster following exposure to their aggregation pheromone, trans-verbenol. Flight of female beetles was reduced when they were exposed to volatiles from the non-host, Populus tremuloides, during flight. This study is the first to indicate that semiochemical cues not only influence beetle orientation during flight but also flight capacity of D. ponderosae. These results provide baseline information on the effect of environmental cues on dispersal by flight of D. ponderosae.

在飞行过程中，昆虫食草动物会对宿主和非宿主植物或同种植物释放的挥发性有机化合物（VOC）做出反应。绿僵菌使用化学线索，包括宿主和非宿主的挥发性有机化合物，以及聚集信息素在环境中导航并找到合适的繁殖宿主。黄粉虫的扩散飞行距离从它的出生寄主到生殖寄主，甚至在甲虫种群中，差别也很大。甲壳虫的能量学不能完全解释这种飞行变化。在这项研究中，我们使用计算机连接的飞行器测试了甲虫在飞行之前和飞行过程中暴露于化学信息线索对随后的飞行倾向（飞行开始的可能性）和飞行能力（飞行的距离和速度）的影响。飞行前暴露于宿主挥发物会与甲虫飞行前的重量发生相互作用，从而影响雌性而不是雄性甲虫随后的飞行能力。雌蜣螂进一步飞去，并暴露于他们的聚集信息素，快反式马鞭草烯醇。当雌性甲虫暴露于来自非寄主的海杨（Populus tremuloides）的挥发物时，其飞行减少了。在飞行中。这项研究首次表明，化学信息提示不仅影响飞行过程中的甲虫方向，而且还影响了黄D的飞行能力。这些结果提供了有关环境线索对灰背竹飞行扩散的影响的基线信息。