ISSN:
1573-1561
Keywords:
Gossypium hirsutum
;
cotton
;
parasitoids
;
Microplitis croceipes
;
Cotesia marginiventris
;
plant–insect interactions
;
volatile semiochemicals
;
systemic induction
;
plant defense
;
host-searching behavior
;
generalist
;
specialist
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
Abstract Cotton plants under herbivore attack release volatile semiochemicals that attract natural enemies of the herbivores to the damaged plant. The volatiles released in response to herbivory are not only released from the damaged leaves but from the entire cotton plant. We found that cotton plants that released myrcene, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, (E)-β-ocimene, linalool, (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene, (E)-β-farnesene, and (E, E)-4,8,12-trimethyl-1,3,7,11-tridecatetraene systemically from undamaged leaves of caterpillar damaged plants were attractive to the generalist parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris and the specialist parasitoid Microplitis croceipes. Plants from which the caterpillar damaged leaves were removed and that released those compounds systemically were significantly preferred over undamaged control plants in two-choice experiments in a flight tunnel. Artificially damaged cotton plants that released green leafy volatiles and constitutive terpenoids were less attractive for M. croceipes and C. marginiventris. Only C. marginiventris preferred artificially damaged plants over undamaged control plants, whereas M. croceipes showed no preference. The apparent lack of specificity of systemically released compounds in response to different herbivores feeding on the lower leaves is discussed.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1022584409323
Permalink
