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Muchoney ND, Watanabe AM, Teglas MB, Smilanich AM. Dose-dependent dynamics of densovirus infection in two nymphalid butterfly species utilizing native or exotic host plants. J Invertebr Pathol 2024; 206:108176. [PMID: 39159850 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2024.108176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2024] [Revised: 07/27/2024] [Accepted: 08/11/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
Insects are attacked by a diverse range of microbial pathogens in the wild. In herbivorous species, larval host plants frequently play a critical role in mediating susceptibility to infection. Characterizing such plant-mediated effects on herbivore-pathogen interactions can provide insight into patterns of infection across wild populations. In this study, we investigated the effects of host plant use by two North American butterflies, Euphydryas phaeton (Nymphalidae) and Anartia jatrophae (Nymphalidae), on entomopathogen infection across a range of three doses. Both of these herbivores recently incorporated the same exotic plant, Plantago lanceolata (Plantaginaceae), into their host range and are naturally infected by the same entomopathogen, Junonia coenia densovirus (Parvoviridae), in wild populations. We performed two factorial experiments in which E. phaeton and A. jatrophae were reared on either P. lanceolata or a native host plant [Chelone glabra (Plantaginaceae) for E. phaeton; Bacopa monnieri (Plantaginaceae) for A. jatrophae] and inoculated with either a low, medium, or high dose of the virus. In E. phaeton, the outcomes of infection were highly dose-dependent, with inoculation with higher viral doses resulting in faster time to death and greater mortality. However, neither survival nor postmortem viral burdens varied depending upon the host plant that was consumed. In contrast, host plant use had a strong effect on viral burdens in A. jatrophae, with consumption of the exotic plant appearing to enhance host resistance to infection. Together, these results illustrate the variable influences of host plant use on herbivore resistance to infection, highlighting the importance of investigating plant-herbivore relationships within a tritrophic framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadya D Muchoney
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno 1664 N. Virginia Street MS 0314, Reno, NV, 89557, USA; Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno 1664 N. Virginia Street MS 0314, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
| | - Amy M Watanabe
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno 1664 N. Virginia Street MS 0314, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
| | - Mike B Teglas
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno 1664 N. Virginia Street MS 0314, Reno, NV, 89557, USA; Department of Agriculture, Veterinary and Rangeland Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno 1664 N. Virginia Street MS 0202, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
| | - Angela M Smilanich
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno 1664 N. Virginia Street MS 0314, Reno, NV, 89557, USA; Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno 1664 N. Virginia Street MS 0314, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
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Muchoney ND, Bowers MD, Carper AL, Teglas MB, Smilanich AM. Use of an exotic host plant reduces viral burden in a native insect herbivore. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:425-436. [PMID: 36688250 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Incorporation of exotic plants into the diets of native herbivores is a common phenomenon, influencing interactions with natural enemies and providing insight into the tritrophic costs and benefits of dietary expansion. We evaluated how use of an exotic plant, Plantago lanceolata, impacted immune performance, development and susceptibility to pathogen infection in the neotropical herbivore Anartia jatrophae (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Caterpillars were reared on P. lanceolata or a native plant, Bacopa monnieri, and experimentally infected with a pathogenic virus, Junonia coenia densovirus. We found that virus-challenged herbivores exhibited higher survival rates and lower viral burdens when reared on P. lanceolata compared to B. monnieri, though immune performance and development time were largely similar on the two plants. These findings reveal that use of an exotic plant can impact the vulnerability of a native herbivore to pathogen infection, suggesting diet-mediated protection against disease as a potential mechanism facilitating the incorporation of novel resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadya D Muchoney
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA.,Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - M Deane Bowers
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Adrian L Carper
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Mike B Teglas
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA.,Department of Agriculture, Veterinary and Rangeland Sciences, University of Nevada, Nevada, Reno, USA
| | - Angela M Smilanich
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA.,Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
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Muchoney ND, Bowers MD, Carper AL, Mason PA, Teglas MB, Smilanich AM. Use of an exotic host plant shifts immunity, chemical defense, and viral burden in wild populations of a specialist insect herbivore. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8723. [PMID: 35342612 PMCID: PMC8928866 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Defense against natural enemies constitutes an important driver of herbivore host range evolution in the wild. Populations of the Baltimore checkerspot butterfly, Euphydryas phaeton (Nymphalidae), have recently incorporated an exotic plant, Plantago lanceolata (Plantaginaceae), into their dietary range. To understand the tritrophic consequences of utilizing this exotic host plant, we examined immune performance, chemical defense, and interactions with a natural entomopathogen (Junonia coenia densovirus, Parvoviridae) across wild populations of this specialist herbivore. We measured three immune parameters, sequestration of defensive iridoid glycosides (IGs), and viral infection load in field-collected caterpillars using either P. lanceolata or a native plant, Chelone glabra (Plantaginaceae). We found that larvae using the exotic plant exhibited reduced immunocompetence, compositional differences in IG sequestration, and higher in situ viral burdens compared to those using the native plant. On both host plants, high IG sequestration was associated with reduced hemocyte concentration in the larval hemolymph, providing the first evidence of incompatibility between sequestered chemical defenses and the immune response (i.e., the "vulnerable host" hypothesis) from a field-based study. However, despite this negative relationship between IG sequestration and cellular immunity, caterpillars with greater sequestration harbored lower viral loads. While survival of virus-infected individuals decreased with increasing viral burden, it ultimately did not differ between the exotic and native plants. These results provide evidence that: (1) phytochemical sequestration may contribute to defense against pathogens even when immunity is compromised and (2) herbivore persistence on exotic plant species may be facilitated by sequestration and its role in defense against natural enemies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadya D. Muchoney
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation BiologyUniversity of NevadaRenoNevadaUSA
- Department of BiologyUniversity of NevadaRenoNevadaUSA
| | - M. Deane Bowers
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Museum of Natural HistoryUniversity of ColoradoBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Adrian L. Carper
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Museum of Natural HistoryUniversity of ColoradoBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Peri A. Mason
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Museum of Natural HistoryUniversity of ColoradoBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Mike B. Teglas
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation BiologyUniversity of NevadaRenoNevadaUSA
- Department of Agriculture, Veterinary and Rangeland SciencesUniversity of NevadaRenoNevadaUSA
| | - Angela M. Smilanich
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation BiologyUniversity of NevadaRenoNevadaUSA
- Department of BiologyUniversity of NevadaRenoNevadaUSA
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Improving Natural Enemy Selection in Biological Control through Greater Attention to Chemical Ecology and Host-Associated Differentiation of Target Arthropod Pests. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13020160. [PMID: 35206733 PMCID: PMC8877252 DOI: 10.3390/insects13020160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Host-associated differentiation (HAD) refers to cases in which genetically distinct populations of a species (e.g., herbivores or natural enemies) preferentially reproduce or feed on different host species. In agroecosystems, HAD often results in unique strains or biotypes of pest species, each attacking different species of crops. However, HAD is not restricted to pest populations, and may cascade to the third trophic level, affecting host selection by natural enemies, and ultimately leading to HAD within natural enemy species. Natural enemy HAD may affect the outcomes of biological control efforts, whether classical, conservation, or augmentative. Here, we explore the potential effects of pest and natural enemy HAD on biological control in agroecosystems, with emphases on current knowledge gaps and implications of HAD for selection of biological control agents. Additionally, given the importance of semiochemicals in mediating interactions between trophic levels, we emphasize the role of chemical ecology in interactions between pests and natural enemies, and suggest areas of consideration for biological control. Overall, we aim to jump-start a conversation concerning the relevance of HAD in biological control by reviewing currently available information on natural enemy HAD, identifying challenges to incorporating HAD considerations into biological control efforts, and proposing future research directions on natural enemy selection and HAD.
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Seasonal Variation in Host Plant Chemistry Drives Sequestration in a Specialist Caterpillar. J Chem Ecol 2021; 48:79-88. [PMID: 34738204 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-021-01321-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Sequestration of plant secondary metabolites by herbivores can vary across both host plant phenology and herbivore ontogeny, but few studies have explored how they concurrently change in the field. We explored variation in iridoid glycoside concentration and composition in white turtlehead, Chelone glabra, as well as sequestration of iridoid glycosides by its specialist herbivore, the Baltimore checkerspot, Euphydryas phaeton, across the development of both herbivore and host plant. In 2012 we sampled plants to describe seasonal variation in the concentrations of two iridoid glycosides, aucubin and catalpol. In 2017, we sampled both host plants and caterpillars over an entire growing season and explored the relationship between plant chemistry and herbivore sequestration. We also compared iridoid glycoside concentrations of plants with and without herbivory to gain insight into whether levels of secondary compounds were impacted by herbivory. We found that total plant iridoid glycosides varied across the season and that total sequestered iridoid glycosides in caterpillars closely mirrored concentration patterns in plants. However, the magnitude of sequestration by caterpillars ranged from 2 to 20 times the concentrations in host plants, with different proportions of aucubin and catalpol. In addition, plants with herbivory had lower iridoid glycoside concentrations than plants without herbivory, although this difference changed over time. These results suggest that while variation in host plant secondary metabolites may be a dominant factor driving sequestration, other ecological factors may mitigate the relationship between host plant chemistry and herbivore sequestration.
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Steward RA, Boggs CL. Experience may outweigh cue similarity in maintaining a persistent host‐plant‐based evolutionary trap. ECOL MONOGR 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A. Steward
- Department of Biological Sciences University of South Carolina 715 Sumter Street Columbia South Carolina 29208 USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory PO Box 519 Crested Butte Colorado 81224 USA
| | - Carol L. Boggs
- Department of Biological Sciences University of South Carolina 715 Sumter Street Columbia South Carolina 29208 USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory PO Box 519 Crested Butte Colorado 81224 USA
- School of the Earth, Ocean, & Environment University of South Carolina 701 Sumter Street Columbia South Carolina 29208 USA
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Carper AL, Enger M, Bowers MD. Host Plant Effects on Immune Response Across Development of a Specialist Caterpillar. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
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Lalonde MML, Marcus JM. Entomological time travel: reconstructing the invasion history of the buckeye butterflies (genus Junonia) from Florida, USA. Biol Invasions 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-019-01948-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Sambhu H, Northfield T, Nankishore A, Ansari A, Turton S. Tropical Rainforest and Human-Modified Landscapes Support Unique Butterfly Communities That Differ in Abundance and Diversity. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2017; 46:1225-1234. [PMID: 29053788 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvx129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Tropical forests account for at least 50% of documented diversity, but anthropogenic activities are converting forests to agriculture and urban areas at an alarming rate, with potentially strong effects on insect abundance and diversity. However, the questions remain whether insect populations are uniformly affected by land conversion and if insect conservation can occur in agricultural margins and urban gardens. We compare butterfly populations in tropical secondary forests to those found in sugarcane and urban areas in coastal Guyana and evaluate the potential for particular butterfly communities to inhabit human-modified landscapes. Butterflies were sampled for 1 yr using fruit-baited traps in three separated geographical locations on the coast. We used nonmetric multidimensional scaling to assess differences in species assemblages and a generalized linear mixed model to evaluate abundance, species richness, evenness, and diversity. The secondary forests in all three locations supported higher butterfly abundance and diversity than other human-modified areas, although the magnitude of this effect varied by season and location. However, each land use supported its own type of butterfly community, as species composition was different across the three land uses. Sugarcane field margins and urban gardens supported populations of butterflies rarely found in our tropical secondary forest sites. Land management practices that encourage forest conservation along with butterfly-friendly activities in human settlements and agricultural areas could improve butterfly conservation. To this end, butterfly conservation in Guyana and other tropical landscapes would benefit from a shift from inadvertently to actively making the landscape attractive for butterflies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemchandranauth Sambhu
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns Campus, Australia
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Guyana, Guyana
| | - Tobin Northfield
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns Campus, Australia
| | | | - Abdullah Ansari
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Guyana, Guyana
| | - Stephen Turton
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns Campus, Australia
- Central Queensland University, Cnr Shields and Abbott Streets, Australia
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García-Quismondo M, Reed JM, Chew FS, Martínez-del-Amor MA, Pérez-Jiménez MJ. Evolutionary response of a native butterfly to concurrent plant invasions: Simulation of population dynamics. Ecol Modell 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.06.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Peters MJ, Marcus JM. The complete mitochondrial genome of the Bermuda buckeye butterfly Junonia coenia bergi (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). MITOCHONDRIAL DNA PART B-RESOURCES 2016; 1:739-741. [PMID: 33490418 PMCID: PMC7800380 DOI: 10.1080/23802359.2016.1159929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The Bermuda buckeye, Junonia coenia bergi, is the only butterfly endemic to Bermuda, but is largely unstudied. Whole-genome Illumina sequencing was used to obtain a complete circular mitochondrial genome sequence of 15,221 bp consisting of 22 tRNAs, 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs and a control region. Mitogenome structure and organization was found to be very similar to that of other Junonia butterfly mitogenomes. Excluding ambiguous nucleotides, the J. coenia bergi mitogenome is 99.1% identical to the J. coenia coenia mitogenome. Parsimony and maximum-likelihood phylogenetic reconstruction revealed the monophyly of subfamily Nymphalinae, genus Junonia, and species J. coenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J Peters
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Jeffrey M Marcus
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
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Yoon S, Read Q. Consequences of exotic host use: impacts on Lepidoptera and a test of the ecological trap hypothesis. Oecologia 2016; 181:985-96. [PMID: 26820566 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3560-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Investigating the effects of invasive species on native biodiversity is one of the most pressing challenges in ecology. Our goal in this study was to quantify the effects of invasive plants on butterfly and moth communities. In addition, we sought to elucidate the fitness consequences of non-native hosts on lepidopterans. We conducted a meta-analysis on a total of 76 studies which provided data on larval performance, survival, oviposition preference, abundance, and species richness of Lepidoptera on native and exotic plants. Overwhelmingly, we found that performance and survival were reduced for larvae developing on exotic hosts, relative to native hosts. At the community level, alien plant invasion was associated with a reduction in the overall abundance and richness of lepidopteran communities. We found that lepidopterans did not show strong oviposition preference for native hosts. This result suggests that many invasive plant species may decrease lepidopteran abundance by providing a target for oviposition where larvae have a relatively poor chance of survival. Among studies that tested both survival and preference on exotic hosts, 37.5 % found evidence for novel hosts that could function as ecological traps (the figure was 18 % when considering studies that only assayed larval performance). Thus, although the majority of novel hosts included in our analyses are not likely to act as ecological traps, the potential clearly exists for this effect, and the role of ecological traps should be considered along with other aspects of global change impacting natural communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Su'ad Yoon
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89512, USA. .,, PO Box 9343, Reno, NV, 89507, USA.
| | - Quentin Read
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
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Morton TAL, Thorn A, Reed JM, Van Driesche RG, Casagrande RA, Chew FS. Modeling the decline and potential recovery of a native butterfly following serial invasions by exotic species. Biol Invasions 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-014-0826-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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