Elevated CO₂ Concentrations Impact the Semiochemistry of Aphid Honeydew without Having a Cascade Effect on an Aphid Predator

Honeydew is considered a cornerstone of the interactions between aphids and their natural enemies. Bacteria activity occurring in aphid honeydew typically results in the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are used by the natural enemies of aphids to locate their prey. Because atmosphe...

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Published inInsects (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 9; no. 2; p. 47
Main Authors Boullis, Antoine, Blanchard, Solène, Francis, Frédéric, Verheggen, François
Format Journal Article Web Resource
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland MDPI AG 20.04.2018
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
MDPI
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Summary:Honeydew is considered a cornerstone of the interactions between aphids and their natural enemies. Bacteria activity occurring in aphid honeydew typically results in the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are used by the natural enemies of aphids to locate their prey. Because atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration directly impacts the physiology of plants, we raise the hypothesis that elevated CO₂ concentrations impact the quantity of honeydew produced by aphids, as well as the diversity and quantity of honeydew VOCs, leading to cascade effects on the foraging behavior of aphids' natural enemies. Using solid-phase microextraction, we analyzed the VOCs emitted by honeydew from pea aphids ( Harris) reared under 450 ± 50 ppm of CO₂ (aCO₂) or 800 ± 50 ppm CO₂ (eCO₂). While the total amount of honeydew excreted was only slightly reduced by eCO₂ concentrations, we detected qualitative and quantitative differences in the semiochemistry of aphid honeydew between CO₂ conditions. Three VOCs were not found in the honeydew of eCO₂ aphids: 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, and isobutanol. However, no difference was observed in the searching and oviposition behaviors of hoverfly ( (De Geer)) females exposed to plants covered with honeydew originating from the different CO₂ conditions. The present work showed the effect of a particular aspect of atmospheric changes, and should be extended to other abiotic parameters, such as temperature.
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scopus-id:2-s2.0-85046487809
These authors contributed equally to this work.
ISSN:2075-4450
2075-4450
DOI:10.3390/insects9020047