Turlings, Ted

1994, Turlings, Ted, Loughrin, John H, McCall, Philip J, Rose, Ursula S R, Lewis, W Joe, Tumlinson, James H

Parasitic and predatory arthropods often prevent plants from being severely damaged by killing herbivores as they feed on the plants. Recent studies show that a variety of plants, when injured by herbivores, emit chemical signals that guide natural enemies to the herbivores, It is unlikely that herbivore-damaged plants initiate the production of chemicals solely to attract parasitoids and predators, The signaling role probably evolved secondarily from plant responses that produce toxins and deterrents against herbivores and antibiotics against pathogens, To effectively function as signals for natural enemies, the emitted volatiles should be clearly distinguishable from background odors, specific for prey or host species that feed on the plant, and emitted at times when the natural enemies forage, Our studies on the phenomena of herbivore-induced emissions of volatiles in corn and cotton plants and studies conducted by others indicate that (i) the clarity of the volatile signals is high, as they are unique for herbivore damage, produced in relatively large amounts, and easily distinguishable from background odors; (ii) specificity is limited when different herbivores feed on the same plant species but high as far as odors emitted by different plant species and genotypes are concerned; (iii) the signals are timed so that they are mainly released during the daytime, when natural enemies tend to forage, and they wane slowly after herbivory stops.

1993, McCall, Philip J, Turlings, Ted, Lewis, W Joe, Tumlinson, James H

A study was conducted to determine the primary source of volatile cues within the plant-host complex used by host-seeking free-flying female Microplitis croceipes Cresson in flight tunnel bioassays. In single-source and two-choice tests, using wasps given an oviposition experience on either cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) or cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seedlings damaged by com earworm (CEW; Helicoverpa zea Boddie), the damaged seedlings were significantly more attractive than the CEW frass, which was in turn more attractive than the larvae themselves. In a series of two-choice wind-tunnel tests, the discriminatory ability of the wasps was examined, following various oviposition experiences. Significantly more wasps flew to plants with ''old '' damage than to plants with ''fresh '' damage, regardless of whether they had experience on fresh or old damage. In a comparison of plant species, wasps with only one experience on either host-damaged cotton or host-damaged cowpea were unable to distinguish between them, and showed no preference for either plant, whereas wasps with multiple experiences on a particular plant preferentially flew to that plant in the choice test. In comparing hosts with nonhosts, wasps successfully learned to distinguish CEW from beet armyworm (BAW, Spodoptera exigua) on cotton but were unable to distinguish CEW from either BAW or cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) on cowpea. The results show the important role played by plant volatiles in the location of hosts by M. croceipes and indicate the wasps' limitations in discriminating criminating among the various odors. The ecological advantages and disadvantages of this behavior are discussed.

1990, Turlings, Ted, Tumlinson, James H, Lewis, W Joe

1994, Stowe, Mark K, Turlings, Ted, Loughrin, John H, Lewis, W Joe, Tumlinson, James H

Arthropods that prey on or parasitize other arthropods frequently employ those chemical cues that reliably indicate the presence of their prey or hosts. Eavesdropping on the sex pheromone signals emitted to attract mates allows many predators and parasitoids to find and attack adult insects. The sex pheromones are also useful signals for egg parasitoids since eggs are frequently deposited on nearby plants soon after mating. When the larval stages of insects or other arthropods are the targets, a different foraging strategy is employed. The larvae are often chemically inconspicuous, but when they feed on plants the injured plants respond by producing and releasing defensive chemicals. These plant chemicals may also serve as ''alarm signals'' that are exploited by predators and parasitoids to locate their victims. There is considerable evidence that the volatile ''alarm signals'' are induced by interactions of substances from the herbivore with the damaged plant tissue. A very different strategy is employed by several groups of spiders that remain stationary and send out chemical signals that attract prey, Some of these spiders prey exclusively on male moths. They attract the males by emitting chemicals identical to the sex pheromones emitted by female moths. These few examples indicate the diversity of foraging strategies of arthropod predators and parasitoids. It is likely that many other interesting chemically mediated interactions between arthropod hunters and their victims remain to be discovered. Increased understanding of these systems will enable us to capitalize on natural interactions to develop more ecologically sound, environmentally safe methods for biological control of insect pests of agriculture.

1992, Tumlinson, James H, Turlings, Ted, Lewis, W Joe

1990, Turlings, Ted, Scheepmaker, J W A, Vet, Louise E M, Tumlinson, James H, Lewis, W Joe

1993, Tumlinson, James H, Turlings, Ted, Lewis, W Joe

Chemical cues enable female parasitic wasps to locate the eggs, larvae, or other life stages of the insects in or on which they place their eggs. These chemical signals, or semiochemicals, may be produced by the hosts and/or by the plants on which the hosts feed. The composition of the chemical signal often differs with different species of hosts or with different plants. New evidence suggests that the wasps exploit semiochemicals emitted by plants in response to insect herbivore feeding. The wasps learn to respond to the different blends of chemicals that indicate the location of their hosts and they can be trained to respond to a specific odor blend. Thus, it may be possible to increase their effectiveness for biological control by conditioning them, prior to their release, to search for a target pest in a particular crop.

1991, Turlings, Ted, Tumlinson, James H, Eller, Fred J, Lewis, W Joe

Single and dual choice tests in a flight tunnel revealed that plants damaged by host larvae are the main source of the volatiles that attract females of the parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris (Cresson) to the microhabitat of its hosts. Frass and host larvae, the other two major components of a complete plant-host complex, were significantly less attractive than the damaged seedlings; frass alone was more attractive than larvae alone. However, a recombination of larvae with the damaged seedlings was significantly more attractive than the damaged leaves alone, or damaged leaves with frass. This was due to the additional feeding damage done by the larvae. The role of plants in the host-finding behaviour of parasitoids is discussed.