Insects’ host preferences are regulated by multiple factors whose interactions are
only partly understood. Here we make use of an in-depth, untargeted
metabolomic approach combining molecular networking (MN) and supervised
Analysis of variance Multiblock Orthogonal Partial Least Squares (AMOPLS) to
untangle egg-laying preferences of Drosophila suzukii, an invasive, highly
polyphagous and destructive fruit pest originating from Southeast Asia. Based
on behavioural experiments in the laboratory as well as field observation, we
selected eight genetically related Vitis vinifera cultivars (e.g., Ancellotta, Galotta,
Gamaret, Gamay, Gamay précoce, Garanoir, Mara and Reichensteiner) exhibiting
significant differences in their susceptibility toward D. suzukii. The two most and
the two least attractive red cultivars were chosen for further metabolomic
analyses of their grape skins. The combination of MN and statistical AMOPLS
findings with semi-quantitative detection information enabled us to identify
flavonoids as interesting markers for differences in the attractiveness of the
four studied grape cultivars towards D. suzukii. Overall, dihydroflavonols were
accumulated in unattractive grape cultivars, while attractive grape cultivars were
richer in flavonols. Crucially, both dihydroflavonols and flavonols were abundant
metabolites in the semi-quantitative analysis of the extracted molecules from the
grape skin. We discuss how these two flavonoid classes might influence the egglaying
behaviour of D. suzukii females and how they could serve as potential
markers for D. suzukii infestations in grapes that can be potentially extended to
other fruits. We believe that our novel, integrated analytical approach could also
be applied to the study of other biological relationships characterised by multiple
evolving parameters.