Three-way interaction among plants, bacteria, and coleopteran insects

Abstract

Main conclusionColeoptera, the largest and the most diverse Insecta order, is characterized by multiple adaptations to plant feeding. Insect-associated microorganisms can be important mediators and modulators of interactions between insects and plants.Interactions between plants and insects are highly complex and involve multiple factors. There are various defense mechanisms initiated by plants upon attack by herbivorous insects, including the development of morphological structures and the synthesis of toxic secondary metabolites and volatiles. In turn, herbivores have adapted to feeding on plants and further sophisticated adaptations to overcome plant responses may continue to evolve. Herbivorous insects may detoxify toxic phytocompounds, sequester poisonous plant factors, and alter their own overall gene expression pattern. Moreover, insects are associated with microbes, which not only considerably affect insects, but can also modify plant defense responses to the benefit of their host. Plants are also frequently associated with endophytes, which may act as bioinsecticides. Therefore, it is very important to consider the factors influencing the interaction between plants and insects. Herbivorous insects cause considerable damage to global crop production. Coleoptera is the largest and the most diverse order in the class Insecta. In this review, various aspects of the interactions among insects, microbes, and plants are described with a focus on coleopteran species, their bacterial symbionts, and their plant hosts to demonstrate that many factors contribute to the success of coleopteran herbivory.

Aboveground Whitefly Infestation-Mediated Reshaping of the Root Microbiota

“…Plant-insect-microbe interactions can be classified into two categories: microbial mediation of plant-insect interactions and insect mediation of plant-microbe interactions (Pineda et al, 2010, 2013; Biere and Bennett, 2013; Fu and Dong, 2013; Pangesti et al, 2013; Lazebnik et al, 2014; Sugio et al, 2015). Microbes influence plant-insect interactions by suppressing or enhancing infestation of the plant by herbivores.…”

Developmental symbiosis facilitates the multiple origins of herbivory

“…The importance of thinking in terms of a holobiont organism is seen in the literature of plant herbivory and the "three-way interaction" (Wielkopolan & Obrępalska-Stęplowska, 2016) among plants, insects, and bacteria (Hammer & Bowers, 2015). Here the plant holobiont includes the eukaryotic plant cells and their bacteria, which collectively synthesize poisons against the insects and can signal predatory wasps to kill the herbivorous invaders.…”

The mechanism of plant gall induction by insects: revealing clues, facts, and consequences in a cross-kingdom complex interaction

“…Some of these symbiont microorganisms are mutualistic and contribute to the viability of their hosts, while others are parasites, which tend to affect their corresponding hosts in a negative way. Insect-associated microorganisms could be important mediators of interactions between insects and plants (Sugio, Dubreuil, Giron, & Simon, 2015;Hammer & Bowers, 2015, Wielkopolan & Obrępalska-Stęplowska, 2016. Some researchers have reported that simultaneous infection with different species of endosymbionts in the same host organism is a common phenomenon in several insect groups (Thao et al, 2000;Thao, Gullan, & Baumann, 2002;Russell et al, 2003;Ishii, Matsuura, Kakizawa, Nikoh, & Fukatsu, 2013;Krawczyk et al, 2015;El-Sayed et al, 2015;Ghosh, Bouvaine, & Maruthi, 2015;Brentassi et al, 2017).…”