New insights into diet breadth of polyphagous and oligophagous aphids on two Arabidopsis ecotypes

Abstract

We investigated whether plant ecotype might affect aphid performance and behavior. The probing behaviors of the polyphagous aphid Myzus persicae and the oligophagous aphid Brevicoryne brassicae on two ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana, WS and Col-0 were recorded using the direct current electrical penetration graph method (DC-EPG). Myzus persicae displayed a significant preference for the WS ecotype but was not greatly disturbed on Col-0, while B. brassicae discriminated between the two A. thaliana ecotypes, feeding less on WS than on Col-0. A Principal Component Analysis of aphid probing behavior data recorded on Col-0 and WS ecotypes showed that the one of M. persicae was positively correlated with the phloem ingestion phases while the one of B. brassicae was more related to nonfeeding phase. The survival of the aphid species was followed during early larval stages on the two ecotypes and a significantly higher mortality was observed of B. brassicae neonates compared to M. persicae, both reared on WS. Moreover, transcriptomic analysis of noninfested plant leaves from both ecotypes was monitored and underlined constitutive differences between Col-0 and WS gene expression that might explain the different aphid behaviors. Among a unigene set comprising 39 042 sequences for A. thaliana, 6% were differently expressed affecting, for example, the secondary metabolites and cell wall pathways: two third upregulated in WS and one third upregulated in Col-0. Thus, the "ecotype" variable should be taken into account when setting up a plant-insect experimental research.

Herbivory-responsive calmodulin-like protein CML9 does not guide jasmonate-mediated defenses in Arabidopsis thaliana

“…littoralis , larvae gained more weight on plants with the Ws-4 ecotype background than on plants with Col-8 background ( Fig 2( B ) ). This result is in agreement with previous studies showing that different insect species prefer Ws-0 to Col-0 ecotypes [ 37 , 38 ] and could be correlated with lower glucosinolate content in the Ws-0 ecotype [ 37 ], a finding that also explains why the larvae fed better on Ws-4 lines ( Fig 2( B ) ). Nevertheless, when using plants with different ecotype background for insect assays this difference between Col and Ws ecotypes should be taken into account.…”

A Tandem Mass Tags (TMTs) labeling approach highlights differences between the shoot proteome of two Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes, Col‐0 and Ws

“…Some ecotypes, like Shahdara (Sha), have been considered to be more tolerant to various stresses, these results being consistent with their native habitat [31,32], whereas Col-0 is more sensitive to pathogens than Ws [11]. Moreover, a transcriptomic analysis of non-infested leaves of Col-0 and Ws showed differences in gene expression that might explain the differences observed upon aphid attack between these two ecotypes [33]. Thus, the differences observed in plant defense/stress DAPs between the two ecotypes suggest that the ecotype notion should be taken into account to better understand plant defense reactions.…”

AC–DC electropenetrography: fundamentals, controversies, and perspectives for arthropod pest management

“…However, on resistant plants, the same species often reverse this process. Because the normal progression of feeding behaviors and stylet depths is stereotypical, reactions can be attributed to ‘resistance factors’ at certain locations in the plant identified from waveforms impacted by host plant resistance 93–95 . Thus, on resistant plants, probes can be short, usually aborted by insects that have difficulty finding their preferred ingestion cell.…”

“…Arthropod-surface interactions and their EPG monitoring also have been used to study host plant preference, avoidance, and resistance as a tactic of pest management. Such EPG use is not new, dating back to the 1990s, but usually focuses on sap-feeding insects such as whiteflies, 92 aphids, [93][94][95] and psyllids. 96 In all cases of EPG research, basic qualitative studies of behavior in relation to plant damage, summarized above, have enabled later quantitative studies to measure waveforms and compare hemipteran feeding on multiple host plants representing a spectrum of resistance.…”

“…Because the normal progression of feeding behaviors and stylet depths is stereotypical, reactions can be attributed to 'resistance factors' at certain locations in the plant identified from waveforms impacted by host plant resistance. [93][94][95] Thus, on resistant plants, probes can be short, usually aborted by insects that have difficulty finding their preferred ingestion cell. Pathway activities can be significantly longer as the insects spend protracted time in searching.…”