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Gall volatiles defend aphids against a browsing mammal

Please always quote using this URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-128687
  • Background: Plants have evolved an astonishing array of survival strategies. To defend against insects, for example, damaged plants emit volatile organic compounds that attract the herbivore’s natural enemies. So far, plant volatile responses have been studied extensively in conjunction with leaf chewing and sap sucking insects, yet little is known about the relationship between plant volatiles and gall-inducers, the most sophisticated herbivores. Here we describe a new role for volatiles as gall-insects were found to benefit from this plantBackground: Plants have evolved an astonishing array of survival strategies. To defend against insects, for example, damaged plants emit volatile organic compounds that attract the herbivore’s natural enemies. So far, plant volatile responses have been studied extensively in conjunction with leaf chewing and sap sucking insects, yet little is known about the relationship between plant volatiles and gall-inducers, the most sophisticated herbivores. Here we describe a new role for volatiles as gall-insects were found to benefit from this plant defence. Results: Chemical analyses of galls triggered by the gregarious aphid Slavum wertheimae on wild pistachio trees showed that these structures contained and emitted considerably higher quantities of plant terpenes than neighbouring leaves and fruits. Behavioural assays using goats as a generalist herbivore confirmed that the accumulated terpenes acted as olfactory signals and feeding deterrents, thus enabling the gall-inducers to escape from inadvertent predation by mammals. Conclusions: Increased emission of plant volatiles in response to insect activity is commonly looked upon as a “cry for help” by the plant to attract the insect’s natural enemies. In contrast, we show that such volatiles can serve as a first line of insect defences that extends the ‘extended phenotype’ represented by galls, beyond physical boundaries. Our data support the Enemy hypothesis insofar that high levels of gall secondary metabolites confer protection against natural enemies.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author: Michael Rostás, Daniel Maag, Makihiko Ikegami, Moshe Inbar
URN:urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-128687
Document Type:Journal article
Faculties:Fakultät für Biologie / Julius-von-Sachs-Institut für Biowissenschaften
Language:English
Parent Title (English):BMC Evolutionary Biology
Year of Completion:2013
Volume:13
Issue:193
Source:BMC Evolutionary Biology 2013, 13:193. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-13-193
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-13-193
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 57 Biowissenschaften; Biologie / 576 Genetik und Evolution
Tag:capra hircus; enemy hypothesis; extended phenotype; herbivory; intraguild predation; plant defence; tannins; terpenes; volatile organic compounds
Release Date:2016/04/04
Licence (German):License LogoCC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung