Summary Plants respond to herbivory by mounting a defense. Some plant‐eating spider mites ( Tetranychus spp.) have adapted plant defenses maintain high reproductive performance. From natural populations we selected three mite strains from two species, urticae and evansi , that can suppress defenses, using fourth defense‐inducing strain as benchmark, assess which extent these differently. We characterized timing magnitude of phytohormone accumulation defense‐gene expression, determined if...

The transformation of the ovary into a fruit after successful completion pollination and fertilization has been associated with many changes at transcriptomic level. These are part dynamic complex regulatory network that is controlled by phytohormones, major role for auxin. One auxin-related genes differentially expressed upon set early development in tomato Solanum lycopersicum AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 9 (SlARF9). Here, functional analysis this ARF described. SlARF9 expression was found to be...

Plants have inducible defenses to combat attacking organisms. Hence, some herbivores adapted suppress these defenses. Suppression of plant has been shown benefit by boosting their growth and reproductive performance. We observed in field-grown tomatoes that spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) establish larger colonies on plants already infested with the tomato russet mite (Aculops lycopersici). Using laboratory assays, we a much higher performance mite-infested plants, similar jasmonic acid...

Plants are nutritious and hence herbivores phytopathogens have specialized to attack consume them. In turn, plants evolved adaptations detect withstand these attacks. Such we call 'defenses' they can operate either directly between the plant consumer or indirectly i.e. when taking effect via other organisms such as predators parasitoids of herbivores. Plant defenses put selection pressure on plant-consumers and, a result, pathogens counter-adaptations avoid, resist, manipulate defenses. Here...

In Petunia x hybrida cv. 'Mitchell Diploid' floral fragrance is comprised of 13 volatile benzenoids/phenylpropanoids derived from the aromatic amino acid phenylalanine. Several genes involved in direct synthesis individual benzenoid/phenylpropanoid (FVBP) compounds, i.e. at end pathway, have been isolated and characterized petunia through reverse genetic biochemical approaches. an effort to understand regulation 'upstream' components FVBP system, we cloned two CHORISMATE MUTASE (PhCM1 PhCM2)...

Summary Spider mites are destructive arthropod pests on many crops. The generalist herbivorous mite Tetranychus urticae induces defenses in tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) and this constrains its fitness. By contrast, the Solanaceae‐specialist evansi maintains a high reproductive performance by suppressing defenses. outcompetes T. when infesting same plant, but it is unknown whether facilitated of plant. We assessed extent to which secondary infestation competitor affects local plant defense...

Abstract Plants perceive the presence and defence status of their neighbours through light volatile cues, but how plants integrate both stimuli is poorly understood. We investigated if low Red to Far red (R:FR) ratios, indicative shading or canopy closure, affect maize ( Zea mays ) responses herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs), including green leaf Z )−3‐hexenyl acetate. modulated signalling perception by using FR supplementation a phyB1phyB2 mutant, we determined release as response...

Abstract R2R3-MYB transcription factors (TFs) are involved in diverse aspects of plant biology. Recently an was identified Petunia x hybrida line P720 to have a role the transcriptional regulation floral volatile production. We propose more foundational for TF EMISSION OF BENZENOIDS II (EOBII). The homolog EOBII isolated and characterized from P. ‘Mitchell Diploid’ (MD) Nicotiana attenuata. For both MD N. attenuata, transcript accumulates high levels tissue with maximum accumulation at...

It is well known that microbial pathogens and herbivores elicit defence responses in plants. Moreover, microorganisms associated with herbivores, such as bacteria or viruses, can modulate the plant's response to herbivores. Herbivorous spider mites harbour different species of bacterial symbionts exert a broad range effects on host-plant defences. Hence, we tested extent which affect defences induced by their mite host assessed if this translates into changes plant resistance. We communities...

Inducible anti-herbivore defenses in plants are predominantly regulated by jasmonic acid (JA). On tomato plants, most genotypes of the herbivorous generalist spider mite Tetranychus urticae induce JA and perform poorly on it, whereas Solanaceae specialist evansi, who suppresses defenses, performs well it. We asked to which extent these mites predatory Phytoseiulus longipes preying eggs affected induced JA-defenses. By artificially inducing JA-response JA-biosynthesis mutant def-1 using...

When two related species interbreed, their hybrid offspring frequently suffer from reduced fitness. The genetics of incompatibility are described by the Bateson-Dobzhansky-Muller (BDM) model, where fitness is epistatic interactions between alleles heterospecific origin. Unfortunately, most empirical evidence for BDM model comes a few well-studied organisms, restricting our genetic understanding incompatibilities to limited taxa. These systems predominantly diploid and often complete, which...

Tomato plants are attacked by diverse herbivorous arthropods, including cell-content-feeding mites, such as the extreme generalist Tetranychus urticae and specialists like evansi Aculops lycopersici. Mite feeding induces plant defense responses that reduce mite performance. However, T. A. lycopersici suppress defenses via poorly understood mechanisms and, consequently, maintain a high performance on tomato. On shared host, can be facilitated either of specialist likely due to suppression...

Insect herbivores use different cues to locate host plants. The importance of CO2 in this context is not well understood. We manipulated perception western corn rootworm (WCR) larvae through RNAi and studied how impacts their interaction with plant. expression a carbon dioxide receptor, DvvGr2, specifically required for dose-dependent larval responses CO2. Silencing or scrubbing plant-associated has no effect on the ability WCR plants at short distances (<9 cm), but impairs location greater...

Herbivore population dynamics are strongly influenced by the interactions established through their shared host. Such plant-mediated can occur between different herbivore species and life developmental stages of same herbivore. However, whether these leaf-feeding herbivores soil-dwelling pupae is unknown. We studied tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaf herbivory American serpentine leafminer Liriomyza trifolii affects performance conspecific exposed to soil headspace plant. To gain mechanistic...

Plants produce complex mixtures of primary and secondary metabolites. Herbivores use these metabolites as behavioral cues to increase their fitness. However, how herbivores combine integrate different metabolite classes into fitness-relevant foraging decisions in planta is poorly understood. We developed a molecular manipulative approach modulate the availability sugars benzoxazinoid for specialist maize herbivore, western corn rootworm. By disrupting sugar perception rootworm production...

When feeding from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), the generalist spider mite Tetranychus urticae induces jasmonate (JA)- and salicylate (SA)-regulated defense responses that hamper its performance. The related T. evansi, a Solanaceae-specialist, suppresses these defenses, thereby upholding high On shared leaf, can be facilitated by likely via suppression of defenses latter. Yet, when infesting same plant, evansi outcompetes urticae. Recently, we found intensifies locally, i.e., at site, after...

Plant leaves that are exposed to herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) respond by increasing their defenses, a phenomenon referred as priming. Whether this also occurs in the roots is unknown. Using maize plants, Zea mays, whose strongly leaf HIPVs, we measured impact of belowground emanating from infested banded cucumber beetle, Diabrotica balteata, on constitutive and levels defense-related gene expression, phytohormones, volatile non-volatile primary secondary metabolites, growth...

Plant defensive substances can affect the quality of herbivores as prey for predators either directly or indirectly. Directly when has become toxic since it ingested plant material and indirectly these defences have affected size and/or nutritional value (both parameters) their abundance. To disentangle direct indirect effects JA-defences on predators, we used larvae omnivorous thrips Frankliniella occidentalis because are not by jasmonate-(JA)-regulated tomato. We offered eggs spider mites...

SUMMARY Plant leaves that are exposed to herbivore induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) respond by increasing their defenses. Whether this phenomenon also occurs in the roots is unknown. Using maize ( Zea mays ), whose strongly leaf HIPVs, we measured impact of root emanating from plants infested banded cucumber beetle Diabrotica balteata on constitutive and herbivore-induced levels soluble sugars, starch, total proteins, free amino acids, volatile non-volatile secondary metabolites, defense gene...