Plant Chemistry Determines Host Preference and Performance of an Invasive Insect

Abstract

Understanding how host plant chemistry affects invasive insects is crucial for determining the physiological mechanism of host use and predicting invasive insect outbreak and damage on hosts. Here, we examined the effects of plant nutrition and defensive chemicals on host preference and performance of adults and larvae of the invasive potato tuberworm, Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller; Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), on four native (Solanum tuberosum, Nicotiana tabacum, Datura stramonium, and Solanum lycopersicum) and three new (Solanum melongena, Physalis alkekengi, and Lycium barbarum) host plants. We found that adults preferred to oviposit on S. tuberosum and N. tabacum leaves and the soil around these native host plants over other hosts. Larvae performed well on S. tuberosum and N. tabacum, reaching higher pupa weight and having better survival. Larvae performed poorly on S. melongena, S. lycopersicum, P. alkekengi, D. stramonium, and L. barbarum, with lower pupa weight and lower survival. Solanum tuberosum and N. tabacum had higher leaf soluble proteins than other plants and lower leaf total phenolics than S. lycopersicum, D. stramonium, and L. barbarum. Moreover, carbon content and soluble protein were positively associated with larval survival, while defensive traits (lignin and total phenolics) negatively affected larval survival. These findings provide insights into understanding of biochemical mechanisms of interactions between invasive insects and host plants, indicating the importance of considering plant chemistry when assessing invasive insect host use and damage.

Behavioral and Physiological Plasticity Provides Insights into Molecular Based Adaptation Mechanism to Strain Shift in Spodoptera frugiperda

“…Similarly variable results were reported when S. frugiperda were reared on corn and rice plants [ 68 ]. Host plant suitability is considered the key factor which influences larval and pupal development time in a phytophagous insects [ 69 , 70 , 71 ] which could account for some of the variation we found over time. However, the improvement overtime in our study suggests selection or plasticity effects.…”

Remote sensing from unoccupied aerial systems: Opportunities to enhance Arctic plant ecology in a changing climate

“…The combination of spectroscopy with TIR may further improve the fidelity of this practice (Jones & Schofield, 2008; Krishna et al, 2021; Maimaitiyiming et al, 2020), aiding in the management of essential natural resources in the Arctic. For example, the retrieval of plant traits from spectroscopy may allow researchers to examine the impact of invasive insects on different plant species, especially where insect foraging preference is strongly determined by plant biochemical traits (Wang, Zhou, et al, 2020). In addition, research on arctic ecophysiology (e.g.…”

Descripción de un periodo del ciclo de vida de Alabama argillacea (Erebidae: Lepidóptera)

“…Se cree que la baja tasa de supervivencia de las larvas de A. argillacea se debe a la diferencia en la calidad de las plantas huésped, lo cual se ha identificado que es un factor que incide directamente en esta variable (Nascimento et al, 2011;Shin et al, 2021). También puede estar influenciado por otras características químicas de la planta como sucede para otras plagas, como el contenido de nitrógeno (Li et al, 2021;Wang et al, 2020, el agua y los carbohidratos (Lukowski et al, 2021;), así como las características físicas, como la dureza y la textura del parénquima foliar (Sara, 2021).…”