Examining plant-parasitoid interactions in tritrophic systems

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Abstract

The demonstration that parasitoids are attracted to volatile compounds released by plants in response to herbivore feeding has generated a great deal of interest over the past ten years. The release of volatile signals by plants occurs not only in response to tissue damage but is also specifically initiated by exposure to herbivore salivary secretions. Although some volatile compounds are stored in plant tissues and immediately released when damage occurs, others are induced by herbivore feeding and released not only from damaged tissue but also from undamaged leaves. Thus, damage localized to only a few leaves results in a systemic response and the release of volatiles from the entire plant. New evidence suggests that, in addition to being highly detectable and reliable indicators of herbivore presence, herbivore-induced plant volatiles may convey herbivore-specific information that allows parasitoids to discriminate even closely-related herbivore species at long range. Here we give an overview of the recent developments in the investigation of plant-parasitoid interactions.

Translated abstract

A demonstração de que os parasitóides são atraídos pelos compostos voláteis liberados pelas plantas, em resposta ao ataque dos insetos herbívoros, gerou considerável interesse nos últimos dez anos. A liberação dos compostos voláteis pelas plantas ocorre não somente em resposta aos danos causados aos seus tecidos, mas ela é também, especificamente, iniciada pela exposição às secreções salivares dos herbívoros. Alguns compostos voláteis são armazenados nos tecidos vegetais e liberados no momento em que o dano ocorre, outros são induzidos pelo dano causado pelo herbívoro e são, geralmente, liberados, não apenas pelo tecido lesado, mas também pelas folhas não atacadas. Desse modo o dano causado em somente algumas folhas, resulta numa resposta sistêmica e na liberação de compostos voláteis por toda a planta. Novas evidências sugerem que os compostos voláteis induzidos pelos insetos herbívoros, além de facilmente detectáveis e de serem indicadores seguros da presença de herbívoros, podem ainda, transmitir informação específica, que permite aos parasitóides discriminarem a longa distância, espécies de herbívoros muito próximas. Daremos aqui uma visão geral dos desenvolvimentos mais recentes na investigação das interações plantas-parasitóides.

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How caterpillar-damaged plants protect themselves by attracting parasitic wasps.

P McCall, S. W. Lewis, John Loughrin … (1995)

Parasitic and predatory arthropods often prevent plants from being severely damaged by killing herbivores as they feed on the plants. Recent studies show that a variety of plants, when injured by herbivores, emit chemical signals that guide natural enemies to the herbivores. It is unlikely that herbivore-damaged plants initiate the production of chemicals solely to attract parasitoids and predators. The signaling role probably evolved secondarily from plant responses that produce toxins and deterrents against herbivores and antibiotics against pathogens. To effectively function as signals for natural enemies, the emitted volatiles should be clearly distinguishable from background odors, specific for prey or host species that feed on the plant, and emitted at times when the natural enemies forage. Our studies on the phenomena of herbivore-induced emissions of volatiles in corn and cotton plants and studies conducted by others indicate that (i) the clarity of the volatile signals is high, as they are unique for herbivore damage, produced in relatively large amounts, and easily distinguishable from background odors; (ii) specificity is limited when different herbivores feed on the same plant species but high as far as odors emitted by different plant species and genotypes are concerned; (iii) the signals are timed so that they are mainly released during the daytime, when natural enemies tend to forage, and they wane slowly after herbivory stops.