Larval feeding induced defensive responses in tobacco: comparison of two sibling species of Helicoverpa with different diet breadths

• Published in: Planta Vol. 226; no. 1; pp. 215 - 224
• Main Authors: Zong, Na, Wang, Chen-Zhu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01.06.2007; Springer-Verlag; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Catechol Oxidase - metabolism; Caterpillars; Cyclopentanes - metabolism; Defense protein; Defensive behavior; Diet; Ecosystem; Enzymes; Feeding; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Generalities. Disease free stocks; Herbivores; Host plants; Infestation; Insect larvae; Insects; Jasmonic acid; Larva - metabolism; Larvae; Leaves; Lipoxygenase; Lipoxygenase - metabolism; Liquid oxygen; Moths - metabolism; Nicotiana - chemistry; Nicotiana - metabolism; Nicotine; Nicotine - metabolism; Noctuid; Oxylipins; Peroxidase; Peroxidase - metabolism; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Phytophagous insects; Plant Leaves; Plant Proteins - chemistry; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plants; Polyphenol oxidase; Protease Inhibitors - metabolism; Proteinase; Proteinase inhibitors; Sibling species; Species Specificity; Tobacco; Wounding; Tobacco; Defense protein; Jasmonic acid; Noctuid; Nicotine
• ISSN: 0032-0935; 1432-2048
• DOI: 10.1007/s00425-006-0459-x

Plants respond differently to damage by different herbivorous insects. We speculated that sibling herbivorous species with different host ranges might also influence plant responses differently. Such differences may be associated with the diet breadth (specialization) of herbivores within a feeding guild, and the specialist may cause less intensive plant responses than the generalist. The tobacco Nicotinana tabacum L. is the common host plant of a generalist Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and a specialist H. assulta Guenée (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). The induced responses of tobacco to feeding of these two noctuid herbivores and mechanical wounding were compared. The results showed that the feeding of the specialist H. assulta and the generalist H. armigera resulted in the same inducible defensive system, but response intensity of plants was different to these two species. Inductions of jasmonic acid (JA), lipoxygenase (LOX), and proteinase inhibitors (PIs) were not significantly different concerning these two species, but H. assulta caused the less intensive foliar polyphenol oxidase (PPO) increase, more intensive nicotine and peroxidase (POD) increases in tobacco than H. armigera. The defensive response of plant to herbivores with different diet breadth seems to be more complicated than we expected, and the specialist does not necessarily cause less intensive plant responses than the generalist.