Voici les éléments 1 - 10 sur 21
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Belowground and aboveground herbivory differentially affect the transcriptome in roots and shoots of maize
    Plants recognize and respond to feeding by herbivorous insects by upregulating their local and systemic defenses. While defense induction by aboveground herbivores has been well studied, far less is known about local and systemic defense responses against attacks by belowground herbivores. Here, we investigated and compared the responses of the maize transcriptome to belowground and aboveground mechanical damage and infestation by two well-adapted herbivores: the soil-dwelling western corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and the leaf- chewing fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). In responses to both herbivores, maize plants were found to alter local transcription of genes involved in phytohormone signaling, primary and secondary metabolism. Induction by real herbivore damage was considerably stronger and modified the expression of more genes than mechanical damage. Feeding by the corn rootworm had a strong impact on the shoot transcriptome, including the activation of genes involved in defense and development. By contrast, feeding by the fall armyworm induced only few transcriptional changes in the roots. In conclusion, feeding by a leaf chewer and a root feeder differentially affects the local and systemic defense of maize plants. Besides revealing clear differences in how maize plants respond to feeding by these specialized herbivores, this study reveals several novel genes that may play key roles in plant–insect interactions and thus sets the stage for in depth research into the mechanism that can be exploited for improved crop protection.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Systemic root signalling in a belowground, volatile-mediated tritrophic interaction
    (2011) ; ;
    Robert, Christelle Aurélie Maud
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    Plants attacked by leaf herbivores release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) both locally from the wounded site and systemically from non-attacked tissues. These volatiles serve as attractants for predators and parasitoids. This phenomenon is well described for plant leaves, but systemic induction of VOCs in the roots has remained unstudied. We assessed the spatial and temporal activation of the synthesis and release of (E)-β-caryophyllene (EβC) in maize roots upon feeding by larvae of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, as well as the importance of systemically produced EβC for the attraction of the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis megidis. The production of EβC was found to be significantly stronger at the site of attack than in non-attacked tissues. A weak, but significant, increase in transcriptional activity of the EβC synthase gene tps23 and a corresponding increase in EβC content were observed in the roots above the feeding site and in adjacent roots, demonstrating for the first time that herbivory triggers systemic production of a volatile within root systems. In belowground olfactometers, the nematodes were significantly more attracted towards local feeding sites than systemically induced roots. The possible advantages and disadvantages of systemic volatile signalling in roots are discussed.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Sequence of arrival determines plant-mediated interactions between herbivores
    (2011) ;
    Robert, Christelle Aurélie Maud
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    Hibbard, Bruce E.
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    1. Induced changes in plant quality can mediate indirect interactions between herbivores. Although the sequence of attack by different herbivores has been shown to influence plant responses, little is known about how this affects the herbivores themselves.
    2. We therefore investigated how induction by the leaf herbivore Spodoptera frugiperda influences resistance of teosinte (Zea mays mexicana) and cultivated maize (Zea mays mays) against root-feeding larvae of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera. The importance of the sequence of arrival was tested in the field and laboratory.
    3. Spodoptera frugiperda infestation had a significant negative effect on colonization by D. virgifera larvae in the field and weight gain in the laboratory, but only when S. frugiperda arrived on the plant before the root herbivore. When S. frugiperda arrived after the root herbivore had established, no negative effects on larval performance were detected. Yet, adult emergence of D. virgifera was reduced even when the root feeder had established first, indicating that the negative effects were not entirely absent in this treatment.
    4. The defoliation of the plants was not a decisive factor for the negative effects on root herbivore development, as both minor and major leaf damage resulted in an increase in root resistance and the extent of biomass removal was not correlated with root-herbivore growth. We propose that leaf-herbivore-induced increases in feeding-deterrent and/or toxic secondary metabolites may account for the sequence-specific reduction in root-herbivore performance.
    5. Synthesis. Our results demonstrate that the sequence of arrival can be an important determinant of plant-mediated interactions between insect herbivores in both wild and cultivated plants. Arriving early on a plant may be an important strategy of insects to avoid competition with other herbivores. To fully understand plant-mediated interactions between insect herbivores, the sequence of arrival should be taken into account.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Oviposition by a moth suppresses constitutive and herbivore-induced plant volatiles in maize
    (2011)
    Gomes Villalba Peñaflor, M. Fernanda
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    Robert, Christelle Aurélie Maud
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    Graf Werneburg, Andrea
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    Dossi, Fábio Cleisto Alda
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    Bento, J. Maurício Simões
    Plant volatiles function as important signals for herbivores, parasitoids, predators, and neighboring plants. Herbivore attack can dramatically increase plant volatile emissions in many species. However, plants do not only react to herbivore-inflicted damage, but also already start adjusting their metabolism upon egg deposition by insects. Several studies have found evidence that egg deposition itself can induce the release of volatiles, but little is known about the effects of oviposition on the volatiles released in response to subsequent herbivory. To study this we measured the effect of oviposition by Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) moths on constitutive and herbivore-induced volatiles in maize (Zea mays L.). Results demonstrate that egg deposition reduces the constitutive emission of volatiles and suppresses the typical burst of inducible volatiles following mechanical damage and application of caterpillar regurgitant, a treatment that mimics herbivory. We discuss the possible mechanisms responsible for reducing the plant’s signaling capacity triggered by S. frugiperda oviposition and how suppression of volatile organic compounds can influence the interaction between the plant, the herbivore, and other organisms in its environment. Future studies should consider oviposition as a potential modulator of plant responses to insect herbivores.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Synergies and trade-offs between insect and pathogen resistance in maize leaves and roots
    (2011) ;
    Balmer, Yves
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    de Lange, Elvira S.
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    von Merey, Georg
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    Robert, Christelle Aurélie Maud
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    Sobhy, Islam
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    ; ;
    Determining links between plant defence strategies is important to understand plant evolution and to optimize crop breeding strategies. Although several examples of synergies and trade-offs between defence traits are known for plants that are under attack by multiple organisms, few studies have attempted to measure correlations of defensive strategies using specific single attackers. Such links are hard to detect in natural populations because they are inherently confounded by the evolutionary history of different ecotypes. We therefore used a range of 20 maize inbred lines with considerable differences in resistance traits to determine if correlations exist between leaf and root resistance against pathogens and insects. Aboveground resistance against insects was positively correlated with the plant's capacity to produce volatiles in response to insect attack. Resistance to herbivores and resistance to a pathogen, on the other hand, were negatively correlated. Our results also give first insights into the intraspecific variability of root volatiles release in maize and its positive correlation with leaf volatile production. We show that the breeding history of the different genotypes (dent versus flint) has influenced several defensive parameters. Taken together, our study demonstrates the importance of genetically determined synergies and trade-offs for plant resistance against insects and pathogens.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Attractiveness of Constitutive and Herbivore-Induced Sesquiterpene Blends of Maize to the Parasitic Wasp Cotesia marginiventris (Cresson)
    (2011)
    Fontana, Anna
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    Fantaye, Chalie A.
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    Degenhardt, Jörg
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    Gershenzon, Jonathan
    Plant volatile compounds induced by herbivore attack have been demonstrated to provide a signal to herbivore enemies such as parasitic wasps that use these volatiles to locate their hosts. However, in addition to herbivore-induced volatiles, plants often release volatiles constitutively. We assessed the interaction between herbivore-induced and constitutively released volatiles of maize in the attraction of the wasp Cotesia marginiventris that parasitizes herbivorous lepidopteran larvae feeding on maize. Experiments were carried out with olfactometers in which the sources of volatiles were transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing maize sesquiterpene synthases that produce blends of herbivore-induced or constitutive compounds. We found that the constitutive volatiles of maize terpene synthase 8 (TPS8) were attractive to C. marginiventris, just like the herbivore-induced volatiles of TPS10 studied earlier. A mixture of both the TPS8 and TPS10 volatile blends, however, was more effective in parasitoid attraction, indicating that constitutively released sesquiterpenes enhance the attraction of those induced by herbivores. While C. marginiventris did not distinguish among the volatiles of TPS8, TPS10, nor those of another maize sesquiterpene synthase (TPS5), when these blends were combined, their attractiveness to the wasp appeared to increase with the complexity of the blend.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    The role of abscisic acid and water stress in root herbivore-induced leaf resistance
    (2011) ;
    Köllner, Tobias G.
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    Degenhardt, Jörg
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    Hibbard, Bruce E.
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    Herbivore-induced systemic resistance occurs in many plants and is commonly assumed to be adaptive. The mechanisms triggered by leaf-herbivores that lead to systemic resistance are largely understood, but it remains unknown how and why root herbivory also increases resistance in leaves.
    To resolve this, we investigated the mechanism by which the root herbivore Diabrotica virgifera induces resistance against lepidopteran herbivores in the leaves of Zea mays.
    Diabrotica virgifera infested plants suffered less aboveground herbivory in the field and showed reduced growth of Spodoptera littoralis caterpillars in the laboratory. Root herbivory did not lead to a jasmonate-dependent response in the leaves, but specifically triggered water loss and abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation. The induction of ABA by itself was partly responsible for the induction of leaf defenses, but not for the resistance against S. littoralis. Root-herbivore induced hydraulic changes in the leaves, however, were crucial for the increase in insect resistance.
    We conclude that the induced leaf resistance after root feeding is the result of hydraulic changes, which reduce the quality of the leaves for chewing herbivores. This finding calls into question whether root-herbivore induced leaf-resistance is an evolved response.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Population genetic structure of two primary parasitoids of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera), Chelonus insularis and Campoletis sonorensis (Hymenoptera): to what extent is the host plant important?
    (2010)
    Jourdie, Violaine
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    Alvarez, Nadir
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    Molina-Ochoa, Jaime
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    Williams, Trevor
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    Bergvinson, David
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    ; ;
    Franck, Pierre
    Plant chemistry can strongly influence interactions between herbivores and their natural enemies, either by providing volatile compounds that serve as foraging cues for parasitoids or predators, or by affecting the quality of herbivores as hosts or prey. Through these effects plants may influence parasitoid population genetic structure. We tested for a possible specialization on specific crop plants in Chelonus insularis and Campoletis sonorensis, two primary parasitoids of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda. Throughout Mexico, S. frugiperda larvae were collected from their main host plants, maize and sorghum and parasitoids that emerged from the larvae were used for subsequent comparison by molecular analysis. Genetic variation at eight and 11 microsatellites were respectively assayed for C. insularis and C. sonorensis to examine isolation by distance, host plant and regional effects. Kinship analyses were also performed to assess female migration among host-plants. The analyses showed considerable within population variation and revealed a significant regional effect. No effect of host plant on population structure of either of the two parasitoid species was found. Isolation by distance was observed at the individual level, but not at the population level. Kinship analyses revealed significantly more genetically related—or kin—individuals on the same plant species than on different plant species, suggesting that locally, mothers preferentially stay on the same plant species. Although the standard population genetics parameters showed no effect of plant species on population structure, the kinship analyses revealed that mothers exhibit plant species fidelity, which may speed up divergence if adaptation were to occur.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    A tritrophic signal that attracts parasitoids to host-damaged plants withstands disruption by non-host herbivores
    (2010) ;
    Foresti, Nicolas
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    Background
    Volatiles emitted by herbivore-infested plants are highly attractive to parasitoids and therefore have been proposed to be part of an indirect plant defense strategy. However, this proposed function of the plant-provided signals remains controversial, and it is unclear how specific and reliable the signals are under natural conditions with simultaneous feeding by multiple herbivores. Phloem feeders in particular are assumed to interfere with plant defense responses. Therefore, we investigated how attack by the piercing-sucking cicadellid Euscelidius variegatus influences signaling by maize plants in response to the chewing herbivore Spodoptera littoralis.
    Results
    The parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris strongly preferred volatiles of plants infested with its host S. littoralis. Overall, the volatile emissions induced by S. littoralis and E. variegatus were similar, but higher levels of certain wound-released compounds may have allowed the wasps to specifically recognize plants infested by hosts. Expression levels of defense marker genes and further behavioral bioassays with the parasitoid showed that neither the physiological defense responses nor the attractiveness of S. littoralis infested plants were altered by simultaneous E. variegatus attack.
    <>Conclusions
    Our findings imply that plant defense responses to herbivory can be more robust than generally assumed and that ensuing volatiles convey specific information about the type of herbivore that is attacking a plant, even in complex situations with multiple herbivores. Hence, the results of this study support the notion that herbivore-induced plant volatiles may be part of a plant's indirect defense stratagem.