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Defense of Scots pine against sawfly eggs (Diprion pini) is primed by exposure to sawfly sex pheromones

Bittner, Norbert ; Hundacker, Janik ; Achotegui-Castells, Ander ; Anderbrant, Olle LU and Hilker, Monika (2019) In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 116(49). p.24668-24675
Abstract

Plants respond to insect infestation with defenses targeting insect eggs on their leaves and the feeding insects. Upon perceiving cues indicating imminent herbivory, such as damage-induced leaf odors emitted by neighboring plants, they are able to prime their defenses against feeding insects. Yet it remains unknown whether plants can amplify their defenses against insect eggs by responding to cues indicating imminent egg deposition. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a plant strengthens its defenses against insect eggs by responding to insect sex pheromones. Our study shows that preexposure of Pinus sylvestris to pine sawfly sex pheromones reduces the survival rate of subsequently laid sawfly eggs. Exposure to pheromones does not... (More)

Plants respond to insect infestation with defenses targeting insect eggs on their leaves and the feeding insects. Upon perceiving cues indicating imminent herbivory, such as damage-induced leaf odors emitted by neighboring plants, they are able to prime their defenses against feeding insects. Yet it remains unknown whether plants can amplify their defenses against insect eggs by responding to cues indicating imminent egg deposition. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a plant strengthens its defenses against insect eggs by responding to insect sex pheromones. Our study shows that preexposure of Pinus sylvestris to pine sawfly sex pheromones reduces the survival rate of subsequently laid sawfly eggs. Exposure to pheromones does not significantly affect the pine needle water content, but results in increased needle hydrogen peroxide concentrations and increased expression of defense-related pine genes such as SOD (superoxide dismutase), LOX (lipoxygenase), PAL (phenylalanine ammonia lyase), and PR-1 (pathogenesis related protein 1) after egg deposition. These results support our hypothesis that plant responses to sex pheromones emitted by an herbivorous insect can boost plant defensive responses to insect egg deposition, thus highlighting the ability of a plant to mobilize its defenses very early against an initial phase of insect attack, the egg deposition.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Diprion pini, hydrogen peroxide, induced plant defense, insect oviposition, priming
in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
volume
116
issue
49
pages
8 pages
publisher
National Academy of Sciences
external identifiers
  • pmid:31748269
  • scopus:85076126140
ISSN
1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1910991116
project
Chemical communication in sawflies
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0ba375d9-972a-453f-b8e6-582b5f3ff250
date added to LUP
2019-12-19 12:51:57
date last changed
2024-06-13 09:08:17
@article{0ba375d9-972a-453f-b8e6-582b5f3ff250,
  abstract     = {{<p>Plants respond to insect infestation with defenses targeting insect eggs on their leaves and the feeding insects. Upon perceiving cues indicating imminent herbivory, such as damage-induced leaf odors emitted by neighboring plants, they are able to prime their defenses against feeding insects. Yet it remains unknown whether plants can amplify their defenses against insect eggs by responding to cues indicating imminent egg deposition. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a plant strengthens its defenses against insect eggs by responding to insect sex pheromones. Our study shows that preexposure of Pinus sylvestris to pine sawfly sex pheromones reduces the survival rate of subsequently laid sawfly eggs. Exposure to pheromones does not significantly affect the pine needle water content, but results in increased needle hydrogen peroxide concentrations and increased expression of defense-related pine genes such as SOD (superoxide dismutase), LOX (lipoxygenase), PAL (phenylalanine ammonia lyase), and PR-1 (pathogenesis related protein 1) after egg deposition. These results support our hypothesis that plant responses to sex pheromones emitted by an herbivorous insect can boost plant defensive responses to insect egg deposition, thus highlighting the ability of a plant to mobilize its defenses very early against an initial phase of insect attack, the egg deposition.</p>}},
  author       = {{Bittner, Norbert and Hundacker, Janik and Achotegui-Castells, Ander and Anderbrant, Olle and Hilker, Monika}},
  issn         = {{1091-6490}},
  keywords     = {{Diprion pini; hydrogen peroxide; induced plant defense; insect oviposition; priming}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{49}},
  pages        = {{24668--24675}},
  publisher    = {{National Academy of Sciences}},
  series       = {{Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}},
  title        = {{Defense of Scots pine against sawfly eggs (Diprion pini) is primed by exposure to sawfly sex pheromones}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1910991116}},
  doi          = {{10.1073/pnas.1910991116}},
  volume       = {{116}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}