Insect chemical ecology: chemically mediated interactions and novel applications in agriculture

Abstract

Insect chemical ecology (ICE) evolved as a discipline concerned with plant–insect interactions, and also with a strong focus on intraspecific pheromone-mediated communication. Progress in this field has rendered a more complete picture of how insects exploit chemical information in their surroundings in order to survive and navigate their world successfully. Simultaneously, this progress has prompted new research questions about the evolution of insect chemosensation and related ecological adaptations, molecular mechanisms that mediate commonly observed behaviors, and the consequences of chemically mediated interactions in different ecosystems. Themed meetings, workshops, and summer schools are ideal platforms for discussing scientific advancements as well as identifying gaps and challenges within the discipline. From the 11th to the 22nd of June 2018, the 11th annual PhD course in ICE was held at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) Alnarp, Sweden. The course was made up of 35 student participants from 22 nationalities (Fig. 1a) as well as 32 lecturers. Lectures and laboratory demonstrations were supported by literature seminars, and four broad research areas were covered: (1) multitrophic interactions and plant defenses, (2) chemical communication focusing on odor sensing, processing, and behavior, (3) disease vectors, and (4) applied aspects of basic ICE research in agriculture. This particular article contains a summary and brief synthesis of these main emergent themes and discussions from the ICE 2018 course. In addition, we also provide suggestions on teaching the next generation of ICE scientists, especially during unprecedented global situations.

Molecular mechanisms, genetic mapping, and genome editing for insect pest resistance in field crops

“…HIPVs can promote defense priming by stimulating quick response in intact tissues of plants (Erb et al 2015 ; Mauch-Mani et al 2017 ). Further, HIPVs can also attract parasitoids and predators that can contribute toward controlling the attacking insect (Aartsma et al 2017 ; Xiu et al 2019 ; Mbaluto et al 2020 ). According to Aljbory and Chen ( 2018 ), about 24 species of predators and 34 species of parasitoids were attracted to volatiles emitted from plants infested by herbivory insect pests.…”

Exploring the Kairomone-Based Foraging Behaviour of Natural Enemies to Enhance Biological Control: A Review

“…Chemically mediated multitrophic interactions occur both below and above ground between a diversity of organisms among four trophic levels in agro-ecosystems (Aartsma et al, 2019;Stelinski et al, 2019). Research on chemical interactions aiming at controlling insect pests are, however, usually focused on tritrophic systems typically composed of plants, herbivores and natural enemies (Price et al, 1980;Kaplan, 2012b;Mbaluto et al, 2020), and in this section we summarise these tritrophic chemically mediated interactions at above ground level (Figure 1). Organisms at each trophic level emit chemical cues (emitters) to mediate intraspecific and/or interspecific interactions with other organisms that detect the cues (receivers).…”

Helicoverpa armigera herbivory negatively impacts Aphis gossypii populations via inducible metabolic changes

“…In particular, in-depth analysis on the molecular mechanisms of plant-mediated insect-insect interaction provides a significant opportunity to study and monitor the biological control of insects from an ecological perspective. 5 The insect-insect interaction are often accompanied by interspecific competition, especially between interspecific insects that co-exist and overlap within the same host plant species and occupy the same ecological niche. 6,7 These interactions are often mediated by host plants, 8 as insect-induced plant resistance and tolerance might determine which insect species can win in this competition.…”

“…However, research on plant‐mediated insect–insect interaction currently remains very limited. In particular, in‐depth analysis on the molecular mechanisms of plant‐mediated insect–insect interaction provides a significant opportunity to study and monitor the biological control of insects from an ecological perspective 5 …”