Plant Interaction

Host Selection for Oviposition

in Lepidopterous Insects

Advantages and disadvantages of volatile compound

emission in plant defense
 Host Selection for Oviposition in Lepidopterous Insects

Lepidopterous Insects (Lepidoptera)

from Ancient Greek lepís “scale” + pterón “wing”

+ The adult state has four wings more or less covered with tiny scales.
+ About 180,000 species are described in 126 families.
+ The order is among the four most speciose orders, along with
the Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera
 https://www.amazon.com/Butterflies-World-Poster-Lepidoptera-36/dp/B0032YVMH6

Butterflies of the World Poster, Lepidoptera

 Host selection for oviposition in lepidopterous insects
A sequence of behavioral responses to an array of stimuli
associated with host and nonhost plants

Correlations
between

The
production,
accumulation Oviposition
of particular behavior of
secondary lepidopterans
metabolites, in
plants
(such as alkaloids, terpenoids and phenolics)
Plant stimuli include visual, mechanical and chemical characteristics
in varying proportions.
 Host selection for oviposition in lepidopterous insects
Ovipositing females of lepidopteran rely, to a large extent, on
chemotactile stimuli evoked by plant secondary metabolites as
cues to assess the suitability of potential hosts

Interrelationships
between

Oviposition Chemistry of
behavior of Capsicum
Helicoverpa annuum fruits
assulta

Han-Seung Lee, Tran Trung Hieu and Young-Joon Ahn (2006), Chemoecology 16: 153-157
 Host selection for oviposition in lepidopterous insects
Oriental tobacco budworm, Helicoverpa assulta (Guenée)
(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
 An oligophagous herbivore
 Feeds primarily on plants of the family Solanaceae.
 Among approximately 20 species of arthropod pests of red pepper
(Capsicum annuum L.), H. assulta is the most economically important insect
pest.
 Causes serious yield losses (20–30%) from larvae feeding mainly on the
developing fruits.
 Damaged fruits infected with soft rot caused by Erwinia carotovora
subsp. carotovora.
 A larva feeds on 4–10 fruits during larval period (20–30 days).
 After overwintering as pupae in soil, the adults emerge in June.
 Female H. assulta lays 300–400 eggs: in leaves (76.2%), fruits (16.8%),
stems (6.5%) and flowers (0.4%).
 One of a very few insect herbivores worldwide capable of feeding on hot
pepper fruits.
 An increased physiological tolerance to capsaicin.
Oriental tobacco budworm, Helicoverpa assulta (Guenée)
(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/heli/assulta.html

http://blog.daum.net/_blog/BlogTypeView.do?blogid=0L01k&articleno=5169946&categoryId=502713&re
gdt=20140813153847
 Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
A wasp,
Helicoverpa zea, commonly known as the corn Diapetimorpha introita
earworm, is a species in the
family Noctuidae.
The larva is a major agricultural pest.
Since it is polyphagous (feeds on many different
plants) during the larval stage,
the species has been given many different
common names, including the cotton
bollworm and the tomato fruitworm. It also
consumes a wide variety of other crops.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicoverpa_zea
 Host selection for oviposition in lepidopterous insects

Fig. 1. Oviposition responses of H. assulta to each fraction of methanolic

(CH3OH) extract from C. annuum fruits in the no-choice bioassay
at 105.2 µg/cm2. N = 5 replicates of 10 females each.
Horizontal bar is the standard error.
Different letters indicate significant differences (P=0.05; Bonferroni method)
Han-Seung Lee, Tran Trung Hieu and Young-Joon Ahn (2006), Chemoecology 16: 153-157
 Host selection for oviposition in lepidopterous insects
Helicoverpa assulta,
a specialist feeding (E)-capsaicin
on Capsicum fruit,
is more tolerant to
(Z)-capsaicin Alkaloids
dietary capsaicin
than other noctuid
moths.
dihydrocapsaicin

capsanthin

Fig. 2. Structures of (E)-capsaicin (1),(Z)-capsaicin (2), dihydrocapsaicin (3) and

capsanthin 4
Han-Seung Lee, Tran Trung Hieu and Young-Joon Ahn (2006), Chemoecology 16: 153-157
 Host selection for oviposition in lepidopterous insects

Fig. 3. Oviposition responses of Helicoverpa assulta to test compounds in the no-

choice bioassay. N =5 replicates of 10 females each.
Vertical bar is the standard error. Different letters indicate significant differences
(P=0.05; Bonferroni method) at each concentration
Host selection for oviposition in lepidopterous insects

Fig. 4. Oviposition responses of Helicoverpa assulta to test

compounds in the choice bioassay at 2.6 µg/cm2.
N =5 replicates of 10 females each. Horizontal bar is the standard error.
Asterisks indicate significance of differences (**, P <0.05; ***,P <0.001;
Student’sttest)
 Host selection for oviposition in lepidopterous insects
 (E)-capsaicin was the most active oviposition stimulant and acts as a
contact oviposition stimulant of female H. assulta
 The presence of double bond and its trans configuration appeared to
play a crucial role in oviposition stimulatory activity.
 These results shows the possibility that H. assulta is using a receptor
to capsaicin that is specific to (E)-capsaicin and that is presumably
expressed in contact chemoreceptor neurons that stimulate oviposition
in this insect species.
 Further research is required on assessing whether a combination of
the test compounds better stimulates oviposition of female H. assulta
than single compounds alone.
 Also necessary is the comparison of the oviposition stimulation by
pure isolated compounds versus raw extracts at the same concentration.
 Other areas requiring attention are oviposition behaviours of H.
assulta and physiological (including sensory physiology) oviposition
mechanism (e.g. receptor) of test alkaloids.
Bằng cách nào có thể kiểm soát (sinh học) các loài côn trùng cánh vẩy?
Synthesis of secondary metabolites in plants

methylerythritol 4-
phosphate (MEP)

14
Fig. 1. Metabolic pathways of the biosynthesis of the main plant extract active components.
Calsamiglia S, Busquet M, Cardozo PW, Castillejos L, Ferret A. Invited review: essential oils as modifiers of rumen microbial fermentation. J Dairy Sci. 2007, 90(6):2580-95.
 In the interactions between tephritid fruit flies and plants

Phenyl propanoids
Methyl eugenol (ME) (4-allyl-1, 2-dimethoxybenzene-carboxylate)
A widely distributed natural plant product and occurs in > 450 plant species in 80
families found mainly in the tropics.
Consumed by humans and animals in many plants and fruits (e.g., anise, nutmeg,
basil, blackberry essence, bananas, and citrus.
A flavoring in ice cream, cookies, pies, puddings, candy, cola soft drinks, and chewing
gum.
Ex: Clove oil contains approximately 15% ME and is generally recognized as a safe
compound by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a food additive.

Phenyl propanoids are attractive to numerous species of Dacinae fruit flies (Diptera:
Tephritidae)
Dacinae fruit flies are among the most economically important pests attacking soft fruits
worldwide.
 In the interactions between tephritid fruit flies and plants

Bactrocera is a large genus of tephritid

fruit flies, with more than 500 species
currently described.
Bactrocera dorsalis
Major pest of several fruit crops: Mango, banana, sapota, fig, guava, papaya, passion fruit,
peach, pear, pineapple, roseapple, citrus, coffee, etc.

Bactrocera sp. flies

on an Anthurium
inflorescence
Bactrocera dorsalis smelling of methyl
eugenol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactrocera

http://www.nbair.res.in/insectpests/Bactrocera-dorsalis.php
 In the interactions between tephritid fruit flies and plants
Application
The traps are laced with pheromone, a scent
that disrupts, attracts and kills male flies.

Fruit fly traps using methyl eugenol

Wee SL, Tan KH. Evidence of natural hybridization between two sympatric sibling species of Bactrocera
dorsalis complex based on pheromone analysis. Journal of Chemical Ecology. 2005 Apr 1;31(4):845-58.
 In the interactions between tephritid fruit flies and plants
Two main theories on the evolution of secondary plant
metabolites.
First, due to oxidative pressure and the possibility of photo–
damage, plants might have developed secondary plant
metabolites with antioxidant properties, namely flavonoids,
to prevent cellular damage by highly reactive chemicals
The second theory states that it arose from the relationship
between plants and various groups of herbivores or
pathogens.

Roles of Methyl Eugenol in nature:

Chemical defense of plants, such as antifungal, antibacterial,
antinematodal, or toxicant roles against pathogens and insect
herbivores, as well as its functions as an insect
antifeedant/repellant
Pollination
Semiochemicals: kairomones, allomones, and synomones
Communication chemicals (semiochemicals): semeion = signal

(A) Comunication between individuals of the same species =

intraspecific (pheromones)
(B) Comunication between different species = interspecific
(allelochemicals).

Interspecific semiochemicals may be grouped according to the

benefits they provide to the producer (emitter) and receiver:
(1) Those that benefit the receiver but disadvantage the producer
are kairomones.
(2) Allomones benefit the producer by modifying the behavior
of the receiver although having a neutral effect on the receiver.
(3) Synomones benefit both the producer and the receiver.
Semiochemicals: kairomones, allomones, and synomones
(1) Kairomones. benefit the receiver
Generally either indicate a food source for the receiver, or give warning of the
presence of a predator. A pheromone may be utilized as a kairomone by a
predator or parasitoid to locate the emitting organism
(2) Allomones. benefit the producer
A common form of defense:
- Plant species against insect herbivores
- or prey species against predators.
- Sometimes species produce the sex pheromones of the organisms they
exploit as prey or pollinators . Ex: bolas spiders and some orchids.
(3) Synomones. benefit both the producer and the receiver.
Bulbophyllum species (Orchidaceae) attracts fruit fly males (Tephritidae: Diptera)
as pollinators:
+ Orchid flowers are pollinated
+ The Dacini fruit fly males are rewarded with a sex pheromone precursor or
booster.
The floral synomone, also acts as a reward to pollinators, is either in the form of a
phenylpropanoid (methyl eugenol) or a phenylbutanoid (raspberry ketone and
zingerone).
Spider scents

Bolas spiders synthesize the female sex pheromones used by

female moths and thereby lure male moths.
American bolas spider (Mastophora
hutchinsoni) catches two unrelated
moths:
- The smoky tetanolita (Tetanolita
mynesalis)
- The bristly cutworm (Lacinipolia
renigera).
bolas
Cutworms are active - and hunted -
before about 22:30.
Tetanolitas take wing from about Bolas Spider (Mastophora sp.)
23:00 onwards.
http://www.ecoregistros.org/site_en/imagen.php?id=187578
https://www.nature.com/news/2002/020624/full/news020617-14.html