The protective role of cycasin in cycad-feeding lepidoptera

Nash, Robert J.; Bell, E. A.; Ackery, P. R.

doi:10.1016/0031-9422(92)80340-k

Cited by 20 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Compounds are mainly sequestered by herbivory on leaves, but also by feeding on roots Nishida et al 1992), flowers (Klitzke and Trigo 2000), seeds Aldrich et al 1990) and fruits (Fletcher et al 1975;Braekman et al 1982). Plant families from which sequestration occurs, belong mainly to the angiosperms, but also a few examples were found for sequestration from gymnosperms (Rothschild et al 1986;Bowers and Larin 1989;Nash et al 1992;Codella and Raffa 1995) and even from lichens (Hesbacher et al 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even in dried museum specimens of some lycaenid and nymphalid species low amounts of cycasin could be detected (Nash et al 1992). Relatively high amounts of cycasin were present in the haemolymph and malpighian tubules of Seirarctia echo larvae, when feeding on Cycas and Zamia species.…”

Section: Cycasin In Lepidopteramentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Hym., Tenthredinidae, Rhadinoceraea nodicornis Steroids: 3-angeloylzygadenine metabolised to 3-acetylzygadenine, zygadenine Stermitz et al (1986), Gardner and Stermitz (1988), L'Empereur and Stermitz (1990a) Bowers and Puttick (1986), Bowers and Collinge (1992), Bowers and Stamp (1997), Strohmeyer et al (1998) Nishida et al (1988), , Shelly and Nishida (2004) Pasteels et al (1988), Schulz et al (1997), Termonia and Pasteels (1999) Rothschild et al (1986), Bowers and Larin (1989), Nash et al (1992), CastilloGuevara and Rico-Gray (2002), Schneider et al (2002) The storage location within the insect as well as the sequestered amounts are listed in detail Col Coleoptera, Het In general, AA concentrations can vary greatly in adult troidine butterflies, ranging from zero to over 700 lg (Mebs and Schneider 2002). Contrasting findings on the presence or absence of AAs in one insect species could be explained by high variation of AA-levels found in the host plants (Rothschild et al 1970a;Morais and Brown 1991;Nishida 1995) or metabolic conversion (Urzúa et al 1987;Fordyce 2000).…”

Section: Veratrum Albummentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plant chemistry and insect sequestration

2009

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Most plant families are distinguished by characteristic secondary metabolites, which can function as putative defence against herbivores. However, many herbivorous insects of different orders can make use of these plant-synthesised compounds by ingesting and storing them in their body tissue or integument. Such sequestration of putatively unpalatable or toxic metabolites can enhance the insects' own defence against enemies and may also be involved in reproductive behaviour. This review gives a comprehensive overview of all groups of secondary plant metabolites for which sequestration by insect herbivores belonging to different orders has been demonstrated. Sequestered compounds include various aromatic compounds, nitrogen-containing metabolites such as alkaloids, cyanogenic glycosides, glucosinolates and other sulphurcontaining metabolites, and isoprenoids such as cardiac glycosides, cucurbitacins, iridoid glycosides and others. Sequestration of plant compounds has been investigated most in insects feeding or gathering on Apocynaceae s.l. (Apocynoideae, Asclepiaoideae), Aristolochiaceae, Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, Fabaceae and Plantaginaceae, but it also occurs for some gymnosperms and even lichens. In total, more than 250 insect species have been shown to sequester plant metabolites from at least 40 plant families. Sequestration predominates in the Coleoptera and Lepidoptera, but also occurs frequently in the orders Heteroptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera and Sternorrhyncha. Patterns of sequestration mechanisms for various compound classes and common or individual features occurring in different insect orders are highlighted. More research is needed to elucidate the specific transport mechanisms and the physiological processes of sequestration in various insect species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Cycasin In Lepidopteramentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Veratrum Albummentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plant chemistry and insect sequestration

2009

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“…In agreement with the principle of aposematic protection, these two strict cycad-feeders have red larvae. In two other Taenaris species with customary monocot-feeding larvae, the imagos were seen to suck juices from wounded cycads and one of them even sequesters cycasin (Nash et al 1992;Ackery et al 1993). It is surprising that in the monocot-feeding neotropical nymphalid genus Opsiphanes, which is from its androconial system and has habits "equivalent" to Taenaris in the palaeotropical Amathusiinae (Vane-Wright 1972), larvae of one Opsiphanes species, O. invirae, eat not only monocots, but also cycads (Ackery 1988).…”

Section: Cycads Lepidoptera and The Toxinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cycads: their evolution, toxins, herbivores and insect pollinators

Schneider¹,

Wink

Sporer

et al. 2002

Naturwissenschaften

132

125

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Palaeobiological evidence indicates that gymnosperms were wind-pollinated and that insect pollination began in angiosperms in the Lower Cretaceous (ca. 135 mya) leading to close associations between higher plants and their pollinators. Cycads, which were widespread and pervasive throughout the Mesozoic (250-65 mya) are among the most primitive living seed-plants found today. Because pollination by beetles and by thrips has now been detected in several modern cycads, it is attractive to speculate that some insects and cycads had already developed similar mutualistic interactions in the Triassic (250-205 mya), long before the advent of angiosperms. We also draw attention to another key factor in this insect-plant relationship, namely secondary, defensive plant substances which must always have controlled interspecific interactions. Cycads mainly produce toxic azoglucosides and neurotoxic non-protein amino acids (e.g. BMAA), which apparently are crucial elements in the development and maintenance of mutualism (pollination) and parasitism (herbivory) by cycad-linked herbivores. We now add new results on the uptake and storage of the main toxin, cycasin, of the Mexican cycad Zamia furfuracea by its pollinator, the weevil Rhopalotria mollis, and by a specialist herbivore of Zamia integrifolia, the aposematic Atala butterfly Eumaeus atala.

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“…This is a case of aposematism which by definition is a secondary defense mechanism that war ns potential predators of the existence of another primary defensive mechanism (Rothschild et al 1986;Bowers & Larin 1989;Bowers & Farley 1990). Cycasin might force predators to combine sensing and memorizing unpalatability with eyespots (Nash et al 1992;Ackery et al 1993). C. pandava with eyespots on the margins of hind wings too might be using Cycas species as hosts to acquire cycasin to the levels required in adult wings to send warning signals to its predators so as to protect themselves from predation.…”

Section: Plant Characteristics Of Cycas Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nesting behaviour of the Baya Weaver bird, Ploceus philippinus (Ploceidae) and the life-cycle of the Plains Cupid butterfly, Chilades pandava (Lycaenidae) with the red-listed Cycas sphaerica and C. beddomei (Cycadaceae)

Raju¹

2009

J. Threat. Taxa

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The protective role of cycasin in cycad-feeding lepidoptera

Cited by 20 publications

References 10 publications

Plant chemistry and insect sequestration

Plant chemistry and insect sequestration

Cycads: their evolution, toxins, herbivores and insect pollinators

Nesting behaviour of the Baya Weaver bird, Ploceus philippinus (Ploceidae) and the life-cycle of the Plains Cupid butterfly, Chilades pandava (Lycaenidae) with the red-listed Cycas sphaerica and C. beddomei (Cycadaceae)

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