The effect of flower colour and glucosinolates on the interaction between oilseed rape and pollen beetles

Giamoustaris, A.; Mithen, Richard

doi:10.1111/j.1570-7458.1996.tb00919.x

Cited by 36 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 7 publications

(9 reference statements)

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“…Feeding damage to flowers was not significantly influenced by flower colour, although pollen beetles, the major florivores in our study, are known to favour yellow flowers due to visual or physiological colour-related aspects of flowers such as production of volatiles (Giamoustaris and Mithen 1996). Abundance of larvae and adult pollen beetles was observed to be higher on yellow flowers than on white flowers but did not translate to increased flower feeding damage.…”

Section: Effects Of Plant Size and Component Characteristics On Feedimentioning

confidence: 79%

Feeding damage to plants increases with plant size across 21 Brassicaceae species

et al. 2015

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Plant size is a major predictor of ecological functioning. We tested the hypothesis that feeding damage to plants increases with plant size, as the conspicuousness of large plants makes resource finding and colonisation easier. Further, large plants can be attractive to herbivores, as they offer greater amounts and ranges of resources and niches, but direct evidence from experiments testing size effects on feeding damage and consequently on plant fitness is so far missing. We established a common garden experiment with a plant size gradient (10-130 cm height) using 21 annual Brassicaceae species, and quantified plant size, biomass and number of all aboveground components (flowers, fruits, leaves, stems) and their proportional feeding damage. Plant reproductive fitness was measured using seed number, 1000 seed weight and total seed weight. Feeding damage to the different plant components increased with plant size or component biomass, with mean damage levels being approximately 30 % for flowers, 5 % for fruits and 1 % for leaves and stems. Feeding damage affected plant reproductive fitness depending on feeding damage type, with flower damage having the strongest effect, shown by greatly reduced seed number, 1000 seed weight and total seed weight. Finally, we found an overall negative effect of plant size on 1000 seed weight, but not on seed number and total seed weight. In conclusion, being conspicuous and attractive to herbivores causes greater flower damage leading to higher fitness costs for large plants, which might be partly counterbalanced by benefits such as enhanced competitive/compensatory abilities or more mutualistic pollinator visits.

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Section: Effects Of Plant Size and Component Characteristics On Feedimentioning

confidence: 79%

Feeding damage to plants increases with plant size across 21 Brassicaceae species

et al. 2015

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“…Since the pollen beetle is attracted by the yellow colour of oilseed rape flowers (e.g., Wasman, 1926;Giamoustaris & Mithen, 1996;Blight & Smart, 1999), complete elimination of visual cues is desirable when studying the effects of floral odours on its behaviour. In this paper, we describe a new experimental set-up using the linear track olfactometer that achieves this.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although most studies of pollen beetle responses to host plant odours have investigated isothiocyanates, other odours and factors also appear to be involved. No conclusive evidence has been found to relate the glucosinolate content of plants to infestation levels, particularly during flowering (Milford et al, 1989;Giamoustaris & Mithen, 1996), and pollen beetle numbers are generally low in the crop until flowering begins (Winfield, 1961;.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many studies have demonstrated their attraction to the yellow colour of oilseed rape flowers (e.g., Wasman, 1926;Láska & Kocourek, 1991;Giamoustaris & Mithen, 1996;Blight & Smart, 1999). Analysis of oilseed rape plant volatiles has found that some components are released from only the flowers (Jakobsen et al, 1994) and electrophysiological responses from pollen beetle antennae were elicited by some floral volatiles in coupled gas chromatography-electroantennography studies (Blight et al, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of pollen odour in the attraction of pollen beetles to oilseed rape flowers

Cook

Bartlet

Murray

et al. 2002

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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The role of pollen odour in resource location by the pollen beetle, Meligethes aeneus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), a pollen-feeding insect regarded as a pest of oilseed rape, Brassica napus L., (Brassicaceae) crops, was investigated in a linear track olfactometer. Both male and female beetles were attracted to the odour of whole oilseed rape flowers, indicating that these insects can locate their host plants using floral odours as cues. The attractive odour of flowers was found to emanate from all floral parts tested: the petals/sepals, the anthers, and from pollen itself. Therefore, at least part of the attractive odour of oilseed rape flowers emanates from pollen. Beetles were more attracted to floral samples containing anthers than those without anthers when these odours were directly compared in a choice-test, and this indicates that there were detectable differences between them. Anthers and pollen may therefore release distinctive odours that are quantitatively and/or qualitatively different from the odour of the rest of the flower. These experiments support the hypothesis that pollen-seeking insects use pollen odour cues to locate this food source.

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“…Pollen beetles, Meligethes aeneus (F.), are reported to have severe effects on male and female fertility of yellowflowered genotypes of wild radish populations in the UK (R. Mithen, unpublished data, in Giamoustaris and Mithen 1996). In the former Soviet Union, wild radish was reported as host to the seed ground beetle, Amara similata (Gyllenhal); the pod weevil, Ceutorynchus assimilis (Payk); the root gall weevil, Ceutorynchus pleurostigma (Marsh.…”

Section: Response To Parasitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The biology of Canadian weeds. 132. Raphanus raphanistrum L.

Warwick¹,

Francis²

2005

Can. J. Plant Sci.

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Warwick, S. I. and Francis, A. 2005. The biology of Canadian weeds. 132. Raphanus raphanistrum. Can. J. Plant Sci. 85: . A review of biological information is provided for Raphanus raphanistrum L. Native to the Mediterranean region, the species is widely introduced and naturalized in temperate regions around the world. In Canada, it currently occurs in all provinces except Saskatchewan and Manitoba, has only a limited distribution in Alberta, and is also absent from the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. It is most abundant in the Atlantic and Pacific regions and is an important weed of field crops in the Maritime provinces and Quebec. A persistent seed bank, competitive annual growth habit and high fecundity all contribute to its weedy nature and ensure that it will be a continuing problem. It can easily hybridize with cultivated radish, R. sativus L., and commonly does so when they occur together. Limited hybridization with canola, Brassica napus L., has been reported from several experimental field and greenhouse trials. Selective herbicide control is most difficult in canola and other cruciferous crops. It is the most important dicot weed in the southwestern region of Australia, primarily due to the evolution of several different herbicide-resistant biotypes. These include biotypes resistant to the acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibitors (group 2 herbicides) and/or photosystem II-inhibitors (group 5), and a biotype with multiple resistance to ALS-inhibitors, photosystem II-inhibitors, an auxin (2,4-D amine), and a phytoene desaturase (PSDS)-inhibitor (diflufenican). A biotype resistant to the ALS-inhibiting herbicide chlorsulfuron has also been detected in South Africa. Un réservoir de semences bien stocké, une croissance agressive pour une annuelle et une grande fécondité expliquent la nature problématique de l'espèce, qui le demeurera longtemps. La plante se croise facilement avec le radis cultivé R. sativus et le fait couramment aux endroits où les deux espèces se côtoient. On a aussi rapporté une hybridation partielle avec le canola, Brassica napus L., lors de quelques essais sur des parcelles expérimentales ou en serre. La lutte au moyen de désherbants sélectifs s'avère particulièrement délicate dans les champs de canola et d'autres crucifères. Il s'agit de la principale dicotylédone nuisible dans le sud-ouest de l'Australie, principalement en raison de l'apparition de biotypes résistants. Ces biotypes résistent notamment aux inhibiteurs de l'acétolactate-synthase (herbicides du groupe 2) ou du photosystème II (groupe 5) ou aux deux. On a aussi identifié un biotype résistant aux deux types d'inhibiteurs précités ainsi qu'à l'auxine (2,4-D amine) et à l'inhibiteur de la phytoène désaturase. Enfin, on a repéré un biotype résistant au chlorsulfuron (inhibiteur de l'acétolactate-synthase) en Afrique du Sud.

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The effect of flower colour and glucosinolates on the interaction between oilseed rape and pollen beetles

Cited by 36 publications

References 7 publications

Feeding damage to plants increases with plant size across 21 Brassicaceae species

Feeding damage to plants increases with plant size across 21 Brassicaceae species

The role of pollen odour in the attraction of pollen beetles to oilseed rape flowers

The biology of Canadian weeds. 132. Raphanus raphanistrum L.

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