Host plant specialization in the generalist moth Heliothis virescens and the role of egg imprinting

Karpinski, Anne; Haenniger, Sabine; Schöfl, Gerhard; Heckel, David G.; Groot, Astrid T.

doi:10.1007/s10682-014-9723-x

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Interestingly, even some notorious apparent polyphages such as the American noctuid tobacco budworm moth, Heliothis virescens F., which is reported to feed on plants belonging to 37 families (Karpinski et al ., ), has recently been shown to reveal maternal inheritance of host preference of oviposition, which in turn clearly has a genetic basis: ‘…daughters collected as eggs from cotton oviposited significantly more eggs on cotton and daughters collected as eggs from chickpea likewise laid more eggs on chickpea.’ Thus, Hopkins’ host selection principle [Barron, ] ‘seems to hold in this species, although imprinting seems to happen not at the larval but at the egg stage, which is a new finding. This study shows how genetic and non‐genetic factors can interact to shape the patterns of local specialization in a generalist herbivore’ (Karpinski et al ., ). Hence, the initial generalism as observed in the field from cursory observation is found to be illusory when detailed breeding experiments are performed under strict laboratory conditions.…”

Section: Specialisms Shown By Three Specific Categories Of Insectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The ‘generalism’ debate: misinterpreting the term in the empirical literature focusing on dietary breadth in insects

Loxdale

Harvey

2016

Biol. J. Linn. Soc.

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We here attempt to show, using three broad insect groups -Lepidoptera (mainly leaf-chewing larval herbivores and nectar-sucking adults), parasitic Hymenoptera (mainly endoparasitoids, especially of other insects) and aphids (sap-sucking plant parasites)how the terms 'generalist', usually equated with levels of phagy (oligoand polyphagy), and 'specialist' (monophagy), still in widespread parlance, have often been misrepresented. Probably, the reality of generalism, be that herbivorous, predatory and parasitic, can only be demonstrated by detailed empirical field observations plus the use of high-resolution molecular (DNA) markers, including sequencing, and thereby determining whether the organism in question is really a homogeneous species population over a wide geographical range, or rather comprises a series of morphologically similar/identical cryptic, host-adapted specialist populations. In the case of insects, the largest group of terrestrial animals on the planet, even if it can be shown that certain species are indeed polyphagous and feed on a variety of plant hosts (herbivores) or prey species (predators and parasitoids), nevertheless, the range of these food items may be highly selective and restricted, depending on morphological-genetical (biochemical/chemical)-behavioural constraints. In the end, while some animals appear to be generalist, this situation may well be illusory. Our present recognition of the term is at best inappropriate, and at worse, inaccurate, as we demonstrate in the examples given, mostly insects. In the meantime, we suggest that the terms used should be re-defined as four broad classes of specialism-generalism, although the apparent 'generalism' is itself conditional on proof following further empirical analyses.

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Section: Specialisms Shown By Three Specific Categories Of Insectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Godfray, ), herbivores (e.g. Peccoud & Simon, ; Karpinski et al ., ), pollinators (e.g. Free, ; Jefferson & Porter, ), and even mimics (Waldbauer, ).…”

Section: Can the Dilemma Be Resolved?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The ‘generalism’ debate: misinterpreting the term in the empirical literature focusing on dietary breadth in insects

Loxdale

Harvey

2016

Biol. J. Linn. Soc.

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“…We used this herbivore as a model generalist to contrast with our previous results on the specialist U. ornatrix (Cogni & Futuyma 2009, Hoina et al 2012, Franco & Cogni 2013. Heliothis virescens is an economically important polyphagous pest that can develop in more than 100 plant species belonging to more than 36 families (Blanco et al 2008, Karpinski et al 2014. This species was chosen as a model because it can feed on many plant species and can consume leaves and fruits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids Negatively Affect a Generalist Herbivore Feeding on the Chemically Protected Legume Crotalaria pallida

Cogni¹,

Trigo

2016

Neotrop Entomol

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Plant secondary metabolites can have opposing effects on adapted specialist and non-adapted, generalist herbivores. In this study, we used Heliothis virescens (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) as a generalist, non-adapted model herbivore to test the possible effects of Crotalaria pallida (Fabaceae: Papilionoideae) defenses on herbivore performance. Neonate H. virescens larvae were able to consume C. pallida leaves and fruits and grow for a few instars, but none of them survived to pupation. We added isolated pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) to an artificial diet at different concentrations, and PA concentration significantly affected the number of larvae that achieved pupation. Larval survival was not reduced at a PA concentration similar to the concentration on green seeds of C. pallida, but it was significantly reduced at PA concentration 5 and 100 times higher. These results suggest that PAs in isolation are not the defense responsible for the mortality in fresh C. pallida plants, indicating the importance of other possible defenses. The negative effect of PAs on fitness of the non-adapted, generalist herbivore is in agreement with few previous studies, but it is in clear contrast to a previous study on the effects of PAs on the adapted specialist herbivore Utetheisa ornatrix (L.) that were able to sequester PAs with no fitness costs.

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“…H. virescens are well known for the damage they cause to cultivated cotton (reviewed in Blanco 2012), but their host plant range includes tobacco, soybean, garbanzo bean (Fitt 1989), and a number of wild hosts (Sudbrink and Grant 1995). Heritable, intraspecific variation in host choice has been observed for H. virescens (Sheck and Gould 1993, Sheck and Gould 1995, Karpinski et al 2014, as well as other closely-related Lepidopteran species (Jallow and Zalucki 1996, Jallow et al 2004, Oppenheim et al 2012. It is possible that widespread adoption of Bt-expressing cotton has made cultivated cotton host plants highly toxic to and, in essence, unavailable for H. virescens host use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contemporary evolution of a Lepidopteran species,Heliothis virescens, in response to modern agricultural practices

Fritz

DeYonke

Papanicolaou³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Adaptation to human-induced environmental change has the potential to profoundly influence the genomic architecture of affected species. This is particularly true in agricultural ecosystems, where anthropogenic selection pressure is strong. Heliothis virescens primarily feeds on cotton in its larval stages and US populations have been declining since the widespread planting of transgenic cotton, which endogenously expresses proteins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). No physiological adaptation to Bt toxin has been found in the field, so adaptation in this altered environment could involve: 1) shifts in host plant selection mechanisms to avoid cotton, 2) changes in detoxification mechanisms required for cotton-feeding versus feeding on other hosts, or 3) loss of resistance to previously used management practices including insecticides. Here we begin to address whether such changes occurred in H. virescens populations between 1997-2012, as Bt cotton cultivation spread through the agricultural landscape. For our study, we produced an H. virescens genome assembly and used this in concert with a ddRAD-seq enabled genome scan to identify loci with significant allele frequency changes over the 15 year period. Genetic changes at a previously described H. virescens insecticide target of selection were detectable in our genome scan, and increased our confidence in this methodology. Additional loci were also detected as being under selection, and we quantified the selection strength required to elicit observed allele frequency changes at each locus. Potential contributions of genes near loci under selection to adaptive phenotypes in the H. virescens cotton system are discussed.

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Host plant specialization in the generalist moth Heliothis virescens and the role of egg imprinting

Cited by 11 publications

References 66 publications

The ‘generalism’ debate: misinterpreting the term in the empirical literature focusing on dietary breadth in insects

The ‘generalism’ debate: misinterpreting the term in the empirical literature focusing on dietary breadth in insects

Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids Negatively Affect a Generalist Herbivore Feeding on the Chemically Protected Legume Crotalaria pallida

Contemporary evolution of a Lepidopteran species,Heliothis virescens, in response to modern agricultural practices

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