Leaf color used by cabbage root flies to distinguish among host plants

Oxalic Acid Inhibits Feeding Behavior of the Brown Planthopper via Binding to Gustatory Receptor Gr23a

Plants produce diverse secondary compounds as natural protection against microbial and insect attack. Most of these compounds, including bitters and acids, are sensed by insect gustatory receptors (Grs). Although some organic acids are attractive at low or moderate levels, most acidic compounds are potentially toxic to insects and repress food consumption at high concentrations. At present, the majority of the reported sour receptors function in appetitive behaviors rather than aversive taste responses. Here, using two different heterologous expression systems, the insect Sf9 cell line and the mammalian HEK293T cell line, we started from crude extracts of rice (Oryza sativa) and successfully identified oxalic acid (OA) as a ligand of NlGr23a, a Gr in the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens that feeds solely on rice. The antifeedant effect of OA on the brown planthopper was dose dependent, and NlGr23a mediated the repulsive responses to OA in both rice plants and artificial diets. To our knowledge, OA is the first identified ligand of Grs starting from plant crude extracts. These findings on rice-planthopper interactions will be of broad interest for pest control in agriculture and also for better understanding of how insects select host plants.

The phenomenon of red and yellow autumn leaves: Hypotheses, agreements and disagreements

Yellow and red autumn leaves are typical of many temperate/boreal woody plants. Since the 19^th century, it has been either considered the non-functional outcome of chlorophyll degradation that unmasks the pre-existing yellow and red pigments or that the de novo synthesis of red anthocyanins in autumn leaves indicated that it should have a physiological function, although it was commonly ignored. Defending free amino acids and various other resources released especially following the breakdown of the photosynthetic system, and mobilizing them for storage in other organs before leaf fall, is the cornerstone of both the physiological and anti-herbivory hypotheses about the functions of yellow and red autumn leaf colouration. The complicated phenomenon of conspicuous autumn leaf colouration has received significant attention since the year 2000, especially because ecologists started paying attention to its anti-herbivory potential. The obvious imperfection of the hypotheses put forth in several papers stimulated many other scientists. Hot debates among physiologists, among ecologists, and between physiologists and ecologists have been common since the year 2000, first because the various functions of yellow and red autumn leaf colouration are non-exclusive, and second because many scientists were trained to focus on a single subject. Here, I will review the debates, especially between the photoprotective and the anti-herbivory hypotheses, and describe both the progress in their understanding and the required progress.

Challenging the Preference-Performance Hypothesis in an above-belowground insect

The relationship between female oviposition preference and offspring performance has been a question of special interest in the study of host plant selection by phytophagous insects. The Preference-Performance Hypothesis (PPH) is one of the main hypotheses proposed to explain this relationship, stating that females should preferentially lay eggs on plants providing the best larval development. The PPH has been extensively tested on aboveground insects but its application to species with belowground larvae is still mostly unknown. In this study, the PPH was quantitatively tested in an above-belowground insect, the cabbage root fly Delia radicum. Female oviposition preference and larval performance were estimated on three brassicaceous species (Brassica oleracea, Brassica rapa, and Sinapis alba) as well as between four cultivars of B. rapa and four cultivars of S. alba. Larval performance was estimated through their survival and through three life-history traits (LHT) of emerging adults. The PPH was supported at the intraspecific scale but only in B. rapa and for some, but not all, of the life-history traits. No support for the PPH was found in S. alba as well as at the interspecific scale. This study pleads for the integration of insects with both above- and belowground life stages in the preference-performance debate. Moreover, it raises the importance of measuring several variables to estimate larval performance and to test the PPH quantitatively, both at the plant intraspecific and interspecific scales, before drawing general conclusions.

Oviposition Preference of the Cabbage Root Fly towards Some Chinese Cabbage Cultivars: A Search for Future Trap Crop Candidates

The development of integrated pest management strategies becomes more and more pressing in view of potential harmful effects of synthetic pesticides on the environment and human health. A promising alternative strategy against Delia radicum is the use of trap crops. Chinese cabbage (Brassicarapa subsp. pekinensis and subsp. chinensis) is a highly sensitive Brassicaceae species previously identified as a good candidate to attract the cabbage root fly away from other crops. Here, we carried out multi-choice experiments both in the laboratory and in field conditions to measure the oviposition susceptibilities of different subspecies and cultivars of Chinese cabbages as compared to a broccoli reference. We found large differences among subspecies and cultivars of the Chinese cabbage, which received three to eleven times more eggs than the broccoli reference in field conditions. In laboratory conditions, the chinensis subspecies did not receive more eggs than the broccoli reference. We conclude that D. radicum largely prefers to lay eggs on the pekinensis subspecies of Chinese cabbage compared to the chinensis subspecies or broccoli. Some pekinensis cultivars, which received over ten times more eggs than broccoli in the field, appear especially promising candidates to further develop trap crop strategies against the cabbage root fly.

One more step toward a push-pull strategy combining both a trap crop and plant volatile organic compounds against the cabbage root fly Delia radicum

The "push-pull" strategy aims at manipulating insect pest behavior using a combination of attractive and repulsive stimuli using either plants derived volatile organic compounds or insect host plant preferences. In a field experiment using broccoli as a crop, we combined in a "push-pull" context the oviposition deterrent effect of dimethyl disulfide and the attractive effect of a Chinese cabbage strip enhanced with Z-3-hexenyl-acetate. The push component dimethyl disulfide reduced Delia radicum L. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) oviposition on broccoli by nearly 30%, and applying Z-3-hexenyl-acetate in the pull component of Chinese cabbage increased it by 40%. Moreover, pest infestation was 40% higher in Chinese cabbage compared to broccoli and parasitism by Trybliographa rapae Westwood (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) was four times higher on this trap plant. In addition, lab experiments confirmed that Chinese cabbage is a more suitable host plant than broccoli for the cabbage root fly. Taken together, our results demonstrate the technical possibility of using a push-pull strategy to manipulate the egg-laying behavior of D. radicum in the field.

Leaf Colour as a Signal of Chemical Defence to Insect Herbivores in Wild Cabbage (Brassica oleracea)

Leaf colour has been proposed to signal levels of host defence to insect herbivores, but we lack data on herbivory, leaf colour and levels of defence for wild host populations necessary to test this hypothesis. Such a test requires measurements of leaf spectra as they would be sensed by herbivore visual systems, as well as simultaneous measurements of chemical defences and herbivore responses to leaf colour in natural host-herbivore populations. In a large-scale field survey of wild cabbage (Brassica oleracea) populations, we show that variation in leaf colour and brightness, measured according to herbivore spectral sensitivities, predicts both levels of chemical defences (glucosinolates) and abundance of specialist lepidopteran (Pieris rapae) and hemipteran (Brevicoryne brassicae) herbivores. In subsequent experiments, P. rapae larvae achieved faster growth and greater pupal mass when feeding on plants with bluer leaves, which contained lower levels of aliphatic glucosinolates. Glucosinolate-mediated effects on larval performance may thus contribute to the association between P. rapae herbivory and leaf colour observed in the field. However, preference tests found no evidence that adult butterflies selected host plants based on leaf coloration. In the field, B. brassicae abundance varied with leaf brightness but greenhouse experiments were unable to identify any effects of brightness on aphid preference or performance. Our findings suggest that although leaf colour reflects both levels of host defences and herbivore abundance in the field, the ability of herbivores to respond to colour signals may be limited, even in species where performance is correlated with leaf colour.

Vision should not be overlooked as an important sensory modality for finding host plants

In the last 50 yr, the role of vision in insect interactions with host plants has received relatively little attention. This lack of research is associated with a number of assumptions about chemical cues being the ultimate sensory determinants of host finding. This article presents arguments and detailed evidence to refute these assumptions. Insects from essentially all phytophagous orders use vision for locating host plants, and some recent examples have shown that vision can be even more important than olfaction. Moreover, a number of insects have the ability to visually differentiate host species. This ability means that the visual capabilities of phytophagous insects should not be underestimated. Visual cues always should be considered and integrated into studies of host finding.

Autumn leaves seen through herbivore eyes

Why leaves of some trees turn red in autumn has puzzled biologists for decades, as just before leaf fall the pigments causing red coloration are newly synthesized. One idea to explain this apparently untimely investment is that red colour signals the tree's quality to herbivorous insects, particularly aphids. However, it is unclear whether red leaves are indeed less attractive to aphids than green leaves. Because aphids lack a red photoreceptor, it was conjectured that red leaves could even be indiscernable from green ones for these insects. Here we show, however, that the colour of autumnal tree leaves that appear red to humans are on average much less attractive to aphids than green leaves, whereas yellow leaves are much more attractive. We conclude that, while active avoidance of red leaves by aphids is unlikely, red coloration in autumn could still be a signal of the tree's quality, or alternatively serve to mask the over-attractive yellow that is unveiled when the green chlorophyll is recovered from senescing leaves. Our study shows that in sensory ecology, receiver physiology alone is not sufficient to reveal the whole picture. Instead, the combined analysis of behaviour and a large set of natural stimuli unexpectedly shows that animals lacking a red photoreceptor may be able to differentiate between red and green leaves.

The use of push-pull strategies in integrated pest management

Push-pull strategies involve the behavioral manipulation of insect pests and their natural enemies via the integration of stimuli that act to make the protected resource unattractive or unsuitable to the pests (push) while luring them toward an attractive source (pull) from where the pests are subsequently removed. The push and pull components are generally nontoxic. Therefore, the strategies are usually integrated with methods for population reduction, preferably biological control. Push-pull strategies maximize efficacy of behavior-manipulating stimuli through the additive and synergistic effects of integrating their use. By orchestrating a predictable distribution of pests, efficiency of population-reducing components can also be increased. The strategy is a useful tool for integrated pest management programs reducing pesticide input. We describe the principles of the strategy, list the potential components, and present case studies reviewing work on the development and use of push-pull strategies in each of the major areas of pest control.

The role of visual cues in directed aerial descent of Cephalotes atratus workers (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Animals often depend on properties of reflected light (e.g. color,brightness) to locate resources. We compared reflectance properties of tree trunks with surrounding vegetation, and examined how differences in reflectance profiles of surrogate tree trunks (red, yellow, green, blue,black, gray, dark gray and white sheets) affected the directed aerial descent of worker Cephalotes atratus (L.) ants. Across the visual spectrum,tree trunk reflectance was 2–10 times higher than the surrounding foliage and differed among trees. In two separate experiments, one with colored sheets and one with black, white and gray sheets, nearly half (42% and 47%, respectively) of falling ants directed their descent to a bright white sheet when given a choice of target colors or shades of gray. When colored and gray sheets were presented individually, landing frequencies were lower than expected for all except white sheets. Glide performance was highly variable,but there was a tendency for higher glide indices to be associated with the white sheet relative to the green sheet. We conclude that visually mediated aerial behavior in falling canopy ants is strongly influenced by reflectance properties of the target object, specifically brightness, and correlates with preferred natural targets of tree trunks.