Chemical basis of differential oviposition by lepidopterous insects

Abstract

Phytochemical mediators serving as attractants, repellents, stimulants, or deterrents in oviposition behavior of moths and butterflies are reviewed in regard to the chemical mechanism of host selection. Ovipositing females seem generally to utilize plant volatiles as cues for orientation to host plants, and the subsequent contact evaluation of plants by means of less-or non-volatile secondary metabolites i s usually of great significance in host recognition. Most lepidopterans appear to be induced to oviposit i n response to a single host-specific compound, while extreme synergism of multiple components features the stimulatory system of oviposition enacted by some butterflies. Recent investigations clearly demonstrate that acceptance or rejection of a particular plant by females i s regulated not only by the presence or absence of oviposition stimulants but by negative stimuli evoked by co-occurring deterrents. The epideictic pheromones implicated in host assessment by females are also referred to in this review. o 199s Wiiey-Liss, Inc. 2Honda and/or coevolutionary struggle for survival through a diversity of ecological, behavioral, and biochemical events, is virtually under the control of two distinct behavioral processes: larval food choice and the female's oviposition preference. Of these, oviposition by females is particularly crucial for the survival of their progenies. Since adults are generally endowed with higher locomotory ability than larvae, host selection by adult females is ultimately responsible for host range determination (e.g., Lederhouse et al., 1992).Ovipositing females make use of a variety of sensory modalities (visual, mechanical, olfactory, and gustatory senses) in host seeking and host recognition (Miller and Strickler, 1984;Ramaswamy, 1988Ramaswamy, ,1994Renwick and Radke, 1988), and numerous factors are known or suspected to influence oviposition behavior (e.g., Underwood, 1994). Finding and acceptance of host plants by adult lepidopterans are affected, apart from plant apparency (Feeny, 1976), by foliar shape (Stadlerby learning (Papaj and Prokopy, 1989). For all that, significant progress during the last few decades in studies on oviposition behavior of moths and butterflies has established that chemical cues from plants are critical for attraction to hosts among mixed vegetation and for assessing the suitability of plants upon contact (Stadler, 1992). Orientation to and recognition of hosts by ovipositing females are guided and governed largely by secondary plant metabolites, though nutritional profiles and water content of individual plants also exert some effect on the final decision by females. Such chemical informatjon is received during the sequence of oviposition behavior by chemoreceptors located on antennae, tarsi, ovipositor, or proboscis, and is transmitted together with other sensory inputs to the central nervous system for further processing (Myers

Stem Bark Extract Bioactivity of Odorata Lour Aglaia (Meliaceae) Plant on the Deterrent to Oviposition Activities of crocidolomia pavonana fab

“…Allyl isothiocyanate is a compound that plays a role in attracting female imago C. pavonana to lay eggs (Honda, 1995). An Oviposition Deterrent Index value (IPO) started from 0:12 to 0.95.…”

“…The deterrent of laying eggs of C. pavonana might be caused by deterring components contained in the extract of A. odorata which is terpenoid class compound that can overcome the influence of stimulants found in broccoli plants. The attraction of female insects to lay eggs is a combination of responses to stimuli received by the senses of sight, mechanical, olfactory, and gustatory (Honda, 1995).…”

Feeding Stimulant in Cinnamomum camphora for the Common Bluebottle, Graphium sarpedon nipponum (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)

“…Of these compounds, the chemicals of the Papilionidae family have been widely studied. Especially many secondary metabolites (Renwick et al, 1994;Honda, 1995Honda, , 2005Honda and Nishida, 1999;Chachin et al, 2007), which often play an important role in the assessment of a plant as oviposition stimulant (Nishida, 2005;Ono et al, 2004) and feeding stimulant including amino acid derivatives, sugar-related acids, alkaloids, fl avonoids, and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (Nakayama et al, 2003), were reported.…”

Host plant selection by a monophagous herbivore is not mediated by quantitative changes in unique plant chemistry: Agonopterix alstroemeriana and Conium maculatum

“…Because plants have evolved a wide array of toxic chemical defenses against 5 herbivores, the mechanism underlying host choice is expected to be highly related to the 6 plant chemical composition (Honda, 1995;Jaenike, 1990). The ability to discriminate 7 among plant chemical patterns varies depending on the degree of specialization (Janz and 8…”

“…The role of volatiles as oviposition deterrents has been described for many plant-6 insect systems (Gershenzon and Croteau, 1991;Renwick and Chew, 1994;Honda, 1995 …”