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Baum M, Dobler S. Fecal Deployment: An Alternative Way of Defensive Host Plant Cardenolide Use by Lilioceris merdigera Larvae. J Chem Ecol 2024; 50:63-70. [PMID: 38062246 PMCID: PMC10991028 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-023-01465-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The brilliant red Lilioceris merdigera (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) can spend its entire life cycle on the cardenolide-containing plant Convallaria majalis (lily of the valley) and forms stable populations on this host. Yet, in contrast to many other insects on cardenolide-containing plants L. merdigera does not sequester these plant toxins in the body but rather both adult beetles and larvae eliminate ingested cardenolides with the feces. Tracer feeding experiments showed that this holds true for radioactively labeled ouabain and digoxin, a highly polar and a rather apolar cardenolide. Both compounds or their derivatives are incorporated in the fecal shields of the larvae. The apolar digoxin, but not the polar ouabain, showed a deterrent effect on the generalist predatory ant Myrmica rubra, which occurs in the habitat of L. merdigera. The deterrent effect was detected for digoxin both in choice and feeding time assays. In a predator choice assay, a fecal shield derived from a diet of cardenolide-containing C. majalis offered L. merdigera larvae better protection from M. rubra than one derived from non-cardenolide Allium schoenoprasum (chives) or no fecal shield at all. Thus, we here present data suggesting a new way how insects may gain protection by feeding on cardenolide-containing plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Baum
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.
- Chemistry Education Department, IPN, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Olshausenstraße 62, 24118, Kiel, Germany.
| | - Susanne Dobler
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
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2
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Schnurrer F, Paetz C. Reductive Conversion Leads to Detoxification of Salicortin-like Chemical Defenses (Salicortinoids) in Lepidopteran Specialist Herbivores (Notodontidae). J Chem Ecol 2023; 49:251-261. [PMID: 37191771 PMCID: PMC10495269 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-023-01423-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Lepidopteran specialist herbivores of the Notodontidae family have adapted to thrive on poplar and willow species (Salicaceae). Previous research showed that Cerura vinula, a member of the Notodontidae family occurring throughout Europe and Asia, uses a unique mechanism to transform salicortinoids, the host plant's defense compounds, into quinic acid-salicylate conjugates. However, how the production of this conjugates relates to the detoxification of salicortinoids and how this transformation proceeds mechanistically have remained unknown. To find the mechanisms, we conducted gut homogenate incubation experiments with C. vinula and re-examined its metabolism by analyzing the constituents of its frass. To estimate the contribution of spontaneous degradation, we examined the chemical stability of salicortinoids and found that salicortinoids were degraded very quickly by midgut homogenates and that spontaneous degradation plays only a marginal role in the metabolism. We learned how salicortinoids are transformed into salicylate after we discovered reductively transformed derivatives, which were revealed to play key roles in the metabolism. Unless they have undergone the process of reduction, salicortinoids produce toxic catechol. We also studied constituents in the frass of the Notodontidae species Cerura erminea, Clostera anachoreta, Furcula furcula, Notodonta ziczac, and Pheosia tremula, and found the same metabolites as those described for C. vinula. We conclude that the process whereby salicortinoids are reductively transformed represents an important adaption of the Notodontidae to their Salicaceae host species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Schnurrer
- Department NMR/Biosynthesis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Paetz
- Department NMR/Biosynthesis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745, Jena, Germany.
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3
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Cardenolides, toxicity, and the costs of sequestration in the coevolutionary interaction between monarchs and milkweeds. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2024463118. [PMID: 33850021 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2024463118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
For highly specialized insect herbivores, plant chemical defenses are often co-opted as cues for oviposition and sequestration. In such interactions, can plants evolve novel defenses, pushing herbivores to trade off benefits of specialization with costs of coping with toxins? We tested how variation in milkweed toxins (cardenolides) impacted monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) growth, sequestration, and oviposition when consuming tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), one of two critical host plants worldwide. The most abundant leaf toxin, highly apolar and thiazolidine ring-containing voruscharin, accounted for 40% of leaf cardenolides, negatively predicted caterpillar growth, and was not sequestered. Using whole plants and purified voruscharin, we show that monarch caterpillars convert voruscharin to calotropin and calactin in vivo, imposing a burden on growth. As shown by in vitro experiments, this conversion is facilitated by temperature and alkaline pH. We next employed toxin-target site experiments with isolated cardenolides and the monarch's neural Na+/K+-ATPase, revealing that voruscharin is highly inhibitory compared with several standards and sequestered cardenolides. The monarch's typical >50-fold enhanced resistance to cardenolides compared with sensitive animals was absent for voruscharin, suggesting highly specific plant defense. Finally, oviposition was greatest on intermediate cardenolide plants, supporting the notion of a trade-off between benefits and costs of sequestration for this highly specialized herbivore. There is apparently ample opportunity for continued coevolution between monarchs and milkweeds, although the diffuse nature of the interaction, due to migration and interaction with multiple milkweeds, may limit the ability of monarchs to counteradapt.
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4
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Villalona E, Ezray BD, Laveaga E, Agrawal AA, Ali JG, Hines HM. The role of toxic nectar secondary compounds in driving differential bumble bee preferences for milkweed flowers. Oecologia 2020; 193:619-630. [PMID: 32671460 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04701-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
While morphological differences such as tongue length are often featured as drivers of pollinator floral preferences, differences in chemical detection and tolerance to secondary compounds may also play a role. We sought to better understand the role of secondary compounds in floral preference by examining visitation of milkweed flowers, which can contain toxic cardenolides in their nectar, by bumble bees (Bombus spp.), some of their most abundant and important pollinators. We examine bumble bee species visitation of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) compared to other flowers in the field and test whether observed preferences may be influenced by avoidance and tolerance of cardenolides, as measured by the cardenolide ouabain, in the lab. We reveal that common milkweed is visited predominantly by one bumble bee species, Bombus griseocollis, in a ratio much higher than the abundance of this species in the community. We confirmed the presence and toxicity of cardenolides in A. syriaca nectar. Lab experiments revealed that B. griseocollis, compared to the common bumble bees B. impatiens and B. bimaculatus, exhibit greater avoidance of cardenolides, but only at levels that start to induce illness, whereas the other species exhibit either no or reduced avoidance of cardenolides, resulting in illness and mortality in these bees. Toxicity experiments reveal that B. griseocollis also has a substantially higher tolerance for cardenolides than B. impatiens. Together, these results support a potential evolutionary association between B. griseocollis and milkweed that may involve increased ability to both detect and tolerate milkweed cardenolides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eris Villalona
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Briana D Ezray
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Research Informatics and Publishing, The Pennsylvania State University Libraries, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Erica Laveaga
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Anurag A Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Jared G Ali
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Heather M Hines
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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5
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Tan W, Acevedo T, Harris EV, Alcaide TY, Walters JR, Hunter MD, Gerardo NM, Roode JC. Transcriptomics of monarch butterflies (
Danaus plexippus
) reveals that toxic host plants alter expression of detoxification genes and down‐regulate a small number of immune genes. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:4845-4863. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wen‐Hao Tan
- Department of Biology Emory University Atlanta GA USA
| | - Tarik Acevedo
- Department of Biology Emory University Atlanta GA USA
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Pennsylvania State University State College PA USA
| | | | - Tiffanie Y. Alcaide
- Department of Biology Emory University Atlanta GA USA
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Pennsylvania State University State College PA USA
| | - James R. Walters
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Kansas Lawrence KS USA
| | - Mark D. Hunter
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
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6
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Sequestration of the plant secondary metabolite, colchicine, by the noctuid moth Polytela gloriosae (Fab.). CHEMOECOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00049-019-00283-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Züst T, Petschenka G, Hastings AP, Agrawal AA. Toxicity of Milkweed Leaves and Latex: Chromatographic Quantification Versus Biological Activity of Cardenolides in 16 Asclepias Species. J Chem Ecol 2018; 45:50-60. [PMID: 30523520 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-018-1040-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Revised: 11/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cardenolides are classically studied steroidal defenses in chemical ecology and plant-herbivore coevolution. Although milkweed plants (Asclepias spp.) produce up to 200 structurally different cardenolides, all compounds seemingly share the same well-characterized mode of action, inhibition of the ubiquitous Na+/K+ ATPase in animal cells. Over their evolutionary radiation, milkweeds show a quantitative decline of cardenolide production and diversity. This reduction is contrary to coevolutionary predictions and could represent a cost-saving strategy, i.e. production of fewer but more toxic cardenolides. Here we test this hypothesis by tandem cardenolide quantification using HPLC (UV absorption of the unsaturated lactone) and a pharmacological assay (in vitro inhibition of a sensitive Na+/K+ ATPase) in a comparative study of 16 species of Asclepias. We contrast cardenolide concentrations in leaf tissue to the subset of cardenolides present in exuding latex. Results from the two quantification methods were strongly correlated, but the enzymatic assay revealed that milkweed cardenolide mixtures often cause stronger inhibition than equal amounts of a non-milkweed reference cardenolide, ouabain. Cardenolide concentrations in latex and leaves were positively correlated across species, yet latex caused 27% stronger enzyme inhibition than equimolar amounts of leaf cardenolides. Using a novel multiple regression approach, we found three highly potent cardenolides (identified as calactin, calotropin, and voruscharin) to be primarily responsible for the increased pharmacological activity of milkweed cardenolide mixtures. However, contrary to an expected trade-off between concentration and toxicity, later-diverging milkweeds had the lowest amounts of these potent cardenolides, perhaps indicating an evolutionary response to milkweed's diverse community of specialist cardenolide-sequestering insect herbivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Züst
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, 3013, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Institut für Insektenbiotechnologie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Amy P Hastings
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Anurag A Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.,Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
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8
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Sajitha TP, Manjunatha BL, Siva R, Gogna N, Dorai K, Ravikanth G, Uma Shaanker R. Mechanism of Resistance to Camptothecin, a Cytotoxic Plant Secondary Metabolite, by Lymantria sp. Larvae. J Chem Ecol 2018; 44:611-620. [DOI: 10.1007/s10886-018-0960-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Revised: 04/07/2018] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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9
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Groen SC, LaPlante ER, Alexandre NM, Agrawal AA, Dobler S, Whiteman NK. Multidrug transporters and organic anion transporting polypeptides protect insects against the toxic effects of cardenolides. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2017; 81:51-61. [PMID: 28011348 PMCID: PMC5428987 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2016.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Revised: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
In the struggle against dietary toxins, insects are known to employ target site insensitivity, metabolic detoxification, and transporters that shunt away toxins. Specialized insects across six taxonomic orders feeding on cardenolide-containing plants have convergently evolved target site insensitivity via specific amino acid substitutions in the Na/K-ATPase. Nonetheless, in vitro pharmacological experiments have suggested a role for multidrug transporters (Mdrs) and organic anion transporting polypeptides (Oatps), which may provide a basal level of protection in both specialized and non-adapted insects. Because the genes coding for these proteins are evolutionarily conserved and in vivo genetic evidence in support of this hypothesis is lacking, here we used wildtype and mutant Drosophila melanogaster (Drosophila) in capillary feeder (CAFE) assays to quantify toxicity of three chemically diverse, medically relevant cardenolides. We examined multiple components of fitness, including mortality, longevity, and LD50, and found that, while the three cardenolides each stimulated feeding (i.e., no deterrence to the toxin), all decreased lifespan, with the most apolar cardenolide having the lowest LD50 value. Flies showed a clear non-monotonic dose response and experienced high levels of toxicity at the cardenolide concentration found in plants. At this concentration, both Mdr and Oatp knockout mutant flies died more rapidly than wildtype flies, and the mutants also experienced more adverse neurological effects on high-cardenolide-level diets. Our study further establishes Drosophila as a model for the study of cardenolide pharmacology and solidifies support for the hypothesis that multidrug and organic anion transporters are key players in insect protection against dietary cardenolides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon C Groen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - Erika R LaPlante
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 3040 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Nicolas M Alexandre
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 3040 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Anurag A Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Susanne Dobler
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, Biocenter Grindel, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Pl. 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Noah K Whiteman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 3040 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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10
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Lynch SP, Martin RA. Cardenolide content and thin-layer chromatography profiles of monarch butterflies,danaus plexippus L., and their larval host-plant milkweed,asclepias viridis walt., in northwestern louisiana. J Chem Ecol 2013; 13:47-70. [PMID: 24301359 DOI: 10.1007/bf01020351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/1985] [Accepted: 01/13/1986] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This paper is the first in a series on cardenolide fingerprinting of monarch butterflies and their host-plant milkweeds in the eastern United States. Spectrophotometric determinations of the gross cardenolide content of 60Asclepias viridis plants in northwestern Louisiana indicate a positively skewed variation ranging from 95 to 432 υg/0.1 g dry weight with a mean of 245 υg/0.1 g. Butterflies reared individually on these plants contained a normal cardenolide distribution ranging from 73 to 591 υg/0.1 g dry weight with a mean of 337 υg/0.1 g. The uptake of cardenolide by the butterflies best fit a logarithmic function of the plant concentration. Female monarchs (385 υg/0.l g) contained significantly greater mean cardenolide concentrations than did males (287 υg/0.1 g). No indications of a metabolic cost for either cardenolide ingestion or storage were adduced from size or dry weight data. Thin-layer chromatograms of 24 individual plant-butterfly pairs developed in two solvent systems resolved 21 individual spots in the plants and 15 in the butterflies.A. viridis plants appear to contain several relatively nonpolar cardenolides of the calotropagenin series which are metabolized to the more polar 3'-hydroxy derivatives calactin and calotropin as well as to calotropagenin in the butterflies. The epoxy cardenolides labriformin and labriformidin were absent, although desglucosyrioside (a 3'-hydroxy derivative) appeared present in both plants and butterflies. Quantitative evaluation of theR f values, spot intensities, and probabilities of occurrence in the chloroform-methanol-formamide TLC system produced a cardenolide fingerprint clearly distinct from those previously established for monarchs reared on otherAsclepias species, supporting the use of fingerprints to make ecological predictions concerning larval host-plant utilization.A. viridis is the predominant early spring milkweed throughout most of the south central United States and may be important in providing chemical protection to spring and early summer generation monarchs in the eastern United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- S P Lynch
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 71115, Shreveport, Louisiana
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11
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Selective sequestration of cardenolide isomers by two species of Danaus butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Danainae). CHEMOECOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00049-012-0109-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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12
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Agrawal AA, Petschenka G, Bingham RA, Weber MG, Rasmann S. Toxic cardenolides: chemical ecology and coevolution of specialized plant-herbivore interactions. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2012; 194:28-45. [PMID: 22292897 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.04049.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Cardenolides are remarkable steroidal toxins that have become model systems, critical in the development of theories for chemical ecology and coevolution. Because cardenolides inhibit the ubiquitous and essential animal enzyme Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase, most insects that feed on cardenolide-containing plants are highly specialized. With a huge diversity of chemical forms, these secondary metabolites are sporadically distributed across 12 botanical families, but dominate the Apocynaceae where they are found in > 30 genera. Studies over the past decade have demonstrated patterns in the distribution of cardenolides among plant organs, including all tissue types, and across broad geographic gradients within and across species. Cardenolide production has a genetic basis and is subject to natural selection by herbivores. In addition, there is strong evidence for phenotypic plasticity, with the biotic and abiotic environment predictably impacting cardenolide production. Mounting evidence indicates a high degree of specificity in herbivore-induced cardenolides in Asclepias. While herbivores of cardenolide-containing plants often sequester the toxins, are aposematic, and possess several physiological adaptations (including target site insensitivity), there is strong evidence that these specialists are nonetheless negatively impacted by cardenolides. While reviewing both the mechanisms and evolutionary ecology of cardenolide-mediated interactions, we advance novel hypotheses and suggest directions for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurag A Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Biozentrum Grindel, Molekulare Evolutionsbiologie, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Robin A Bingham
- Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Western State College of Colorado, Gunnison, CO 81231, USA
| | - Marjorie G Weber
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Sergio Rasmann
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Bâtiment Biophore, University of Lausanne, CH - 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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13
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Després L, David JP, Gallet C. The evolutionary ecology of insect resistance to plant chemicals. Trends Ecol Evol 2007; 22:298-307. [PMID: 17324485 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2007.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 482] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2006] [Revised: 01/30/2007] [Accepted: 02/15/2007] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the diversity of insect responses to chemical pressures (e.g. plant allelochemicals and pesticides) in their local ecological context represents a key challenge in developing durable pest control strategies. To what extent do the resistance mechanisms evolved by insects to deal with the chemical defences of plants differ from those that have evolved to resist insecticides? Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of insect resistance to plant chemicals, with a special emphasis on their underlying molecular basis, evaluate costs associated with each resistance trait, and discuss the ecological and evolutionary significance of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Després
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine, LECA UMR CNRS 5553, Université Joseph Fourier, BP 53 38041, Grenoble Cedex 09, France.
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14
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Frankfater C, Schühly W, Fronczek FR, Slattery M. Processing of a Sesquiterpene Lactone by Papilio glaucus Caterpillars. J Chem Ecol 2005; 31:2541-50. [PMID: 16273427 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-005-7612-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2005] [Revised: 06/22/2005] [Accepted: 07/09/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Papilio glaucus caterpillars encounter a diverse array of sesquiterpene lactones, including parthenolide, in the leaves of host plants Liriodendron tulipifera and Magnolia virginiana. These compounds are toxic to unadapted herbivores, and the development of P. glaucus caterpillars likely depends on their ability to excrete or detoxify them efficiently. A new metabolite of parthenolide, 2-alpha-hydroxydihydroparthenolide, identified by crystal structure determination and nuclear magnetic resonance, was present in the waste of the caterpillars. The parent compound was modified by the reduction of an alpha-methylene group, rendering the compound less reactive, and the addition of a hydroxyl group, which increases the polarity and prepares it for the conjugation reactions of phase II metabolism. Unmetabolized parthenolide was also present in large amounts in waste. P. glaucus larvae are apparently capable of excreting intact sesquiterpene lactones and sesquiterpene lactone metabolites during consumption of foliage rich in these compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl Frankfater
- Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA.
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15
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Abstract
A number of aposematic butterfly and diurnal moth species sequester unpalatable or toxic substances from their host plants rather than manufacturing their own defensive substances. Despite a great diversity in their life histories, there are some general features in the selective utilization of plant secondary metabolites to achieve effective protection from predators. This review illustrates the biochemical, physiological, and ecological characteristics of phytochemical-based defense systems that can shed light on the evolution of the widely developed sequestering lifestyles among the Lepidoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritsuo Nishida
- Laboratory of Chemical Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
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16
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Biochemical detoxication: mechanism of differential tiger swallowtail tolerance to phenolic glycosides. Oecologia 1989; 81:219-224. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00379809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/1989] [Accepted: 06/04/1989] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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17
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Cardenolide connection between overwintering monarch butterflies from Mexico and their larval food plant,Asclepias syriaca. J Chem Ecol 1986; 12:1157-70. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01639002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/1985] [Accepted: 01/16/1986] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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18
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Ahmad S. Enzymatic adaptations of herbivorous insects and mites to phytochemicals. J Chem Ecol 1986; 12:533-60. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01020571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/1985] [Accepted: 08/01/1985] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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19
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Selective sequestration of milkweed (Asclepias sp.) cardenolides inOncopeltus fasciatus (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae). J Chem Ecol 1985; 11:667-87. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00988575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/1984] [Accepted: 09/11/1984] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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20
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Brower LP, Seiber JN, Nelson CJ, Lynch SP, Hoggard MP, Cohen JA. Plant-determined variation in cardenolide content and thin-layer chromatography profiles of monarch butterflies,Danaus plexippus reared on milkweed plants in California. J Chem Ecol 1984; 10:1823-57. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00987364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/1984] [Revised: 04/26/1984] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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