Abstract
Exposure ofBombyx mori larvae to 2-furaldehyde, a major volatile component of baldcypress heartwood,Taxodium distichum, resulted in in vivo inhibition of enteric microorganisms at concentrations (1–47 ppm) that were released naturally from heartwood. The 7 bacterial and 2 fungal enteric isolates were also inhibited in vitro at the same concentrations. It is suggested that inhibition of leaf surface micro-organisms or in vivo inhibition of silkworm enteric microflora, as a result of indirect or direct action of 2-furaldehyde, exacerbates the growth-inhibitory effects of this compound on larvae by reducing the microbial nutritional contribution. The ecological significance of insect enteric microbial inhibition by plant allelochemics is discussed.
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Jones, C.G., Aldrich, J.R. & Blum, M.S. Baldcypress allelochemics and the inhibition of silkworm enteric microorganisms Some Ecological Considerations. J Chem Ecol 7, 103–114 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00988638
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00988638