Feeding-induced rearrangement of green leaf volatiles reduces moth oviposition

Abstract

The ability to decrypt volatile plant signals is essential if herbivorous insects are to optimize their choice of host plants for their offspring. Green leaf volatiles (GLVs) constitute a widespread group of defensive plant volatiles that convey a herbivory-specific message via their isomeric composition: feeding of the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta converts (Z)-3- to (E)-2-GLVs thereby attracting predatory insects. Here we show that this isomer-coded message is monitored by ovipositing M. sexta females. We detected the isomeric shift in the host plant Datura wrightii and performed functional imaging in the primary olfactory center of M. sexta females with GLV structural isomers. We identified two isomer-specific regions responding to either (Z)-3- or (E)-2-hexenyl acetate. Field experiments demonstrated that ovipositing Manduca moths preferred (Z)-3-perfumed D. wrightii over (E)-2-perfumed plants. These results show that (E)-2-GLVs and/or specific (Z)-3/(E)-2-ratios provide information regarding host plant attack by conspecifics that ovipositing hawkmoths use for host plant selection.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00421.001

Jasmonic Acid and Its Precursor 12-Oxophytodienoic Acid Control Different Aspects of Constitutive and Induced Herbivore Defenses in Tomato

“…and increases foraging efficiency on M. sexta eggs and early-instar larvae (Allmann and Baldwin, 2010). Gravid M. sexta females also perceive the change in isomer composition and use this signal to identify oviposition sites that pose a lower risk of predation (Allmann et al, 2013). The feeding stimulation we observed for cis-3-hexenal and the deterrent activity reported by Avdiushko et al (1997) for the trans isomer indicate that the larvae of M. sexta are also able to distinguish between these isomers.…”

“…Interestingly, the (Z)-3/(E)-2 ratio of GLVs is known to convey information to both M. sexta conspecifics and to predatory insects (Allmann and Baldwin, 2010;Allmann et al, 2013). Despite partial cis-trans isomerization, the predominant GLV products of the HPL pathway are (Z)-3-hexenal, the corresponding alcohol, and its acetate ester (Matsui, 2006).…”

Sensory genes identification with head transcriptome of the migratory armyworm, Mythimna separata

“…ORs are divided into several subgroups of various size and content in the phylogenetic tree, the odorant co-receptor (Orco) and pheromone receptor (PR) families were highly conserved. Interestingly, MS|comp50905_c0 sharing high homology and closely clustered with MsexOR42, which detects cis-3-hexenyl acetate thereby affect oviposition site location10.…”

Herbivore-induced plant volatiles in natural and agricultural ecosystems: open questions and future prospects

“…As noted above, many predatory and parasitic arthropods utilize HIPV cues to locate otherwise cryptic herbivorous prey in complex olfactory environments [1,2,4,5]; furthermore, specialist species can often recognize the characteristic odors of plants attacked by the particular herbivore species on which they prey [17,18]. Herbivores themselves also frequently utilize HIPV as foraging cues [19,20], often exhibiting aversive responses to the odors of damaged plants [12,21], but in some cases utilizing such odors as aggregation cues [22]. And HIPV have also been implicated in plant-to-plant signaling, where they can mediate the priming or enhancement of anti-herbivore defenses in neighboring plants, or in distant parts of the emitting plant [23,24].…”