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Odor, Not Performance, Dictates Bemisia tabaci's Selection between Healthy and Virus Infected Plants.
- Source :
- Frontiers in Physiology; 3/16/2017, Vol. 8, p1-9, 9p
- Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- Although, insect herbivores are generally thought to select hosts that favor the fitness of their progeny, this "mother-knows-best" hypothesis may be challenged by the presence of a plant virus. Our previous study showed that the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, the obligate vector for transmitting Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), preferred to settle and oviposit on TYLCV-infected rather than healthy host plant, Datura stramonium. The performances of B. tabaci larvae and adults were indeed improved on virus-infected D. stramonium, which is consistent with "mother-knows-best" hypothesis. In this study, B. tabaci Q displayed the same preference to settle and oviposit on Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV)-infected host plants, D. stramonium and Capsicum annuum, respectively. As a non-vector of TSWV, however, insect performance was impaired since adult body size, longevity, survival, and fecundity were reduced in TSWV infected D. stramonium. This appears to be an odor-mediated behavior, as plant volatile profiles are modified by viral infection. Infected plants have reduced quantities of o-xylene and α-pinene, and increased levels of phenol and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol in their headspace. Subsequent behavior experiments showed that o-xylene and a-pinene are repellant, while phenol and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol are attractive. This indicates that the preference of B. tabaci for virus-infected plants is modulated by the dynamic changes in the volatile profiles rather than the subsequent performances on virus-infected plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1664042X
- Volume :
- 8
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Frontiers in Physiology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 121897546
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.00146