1
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Kline O, Joshi NK. Microbial Symbiont-Based Detoxification of Different Phytotoxins and Synthetic Toxic Chemicals in Insect Pests and Pollinators. J Xenobiot 2024; 14:753-771. [PMID: 38921652 PMCID: PMC11204611 DOI: 10.3390/jox14020043] [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: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Insects are the most diverse form of life, and as such, they interact closely with humans, impacting our health, economy, and agriculture. Beneficial insect species contribute to pollination, biological control of pests, decomposition, and nutrient cycling. Pest species can cause damage to agricultural crops and vector diseases to humans and livestock. Insects are often exposed to toxic xenobiotics in the environment, both naturally occurring toxins like plant secondary metabolites and synthetic chemicals like herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. Because of this, insects have evolved several mechanisms of resistance to toxic xenobiotics, including sequestration, behavioral avoidance, and enzymatic degradation, and in many cases had developed symbiotic relationships with microbes that can aid in this detoxification. As research progresses, the important roles of these microbes in insect health and function have become more apparent. Bacterial symbionts that degrade plant phytotoxins allow host insects to feed on otherwise chemically defended plants. They can also confer pesticide resistance to their hosts, especially in frequently treated agricultural fields. It is important to study these interactions between insects and the toxic chemicals they are exposed to in order to further the understanding of pest insect resistance and to mitigate the negative effect of pesticides on nontarget insect species like Hymenopteran pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Neelendra K. Joshi
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
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2
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Tarvin RD, Coleman JL, Donoso DA, Betancourth-Cundar M, López-Hervas K, Gleason KS, Sanders JR, Smith JM, Ron SR, Santos JC, Sedio BE, Cannatella DC, Fitch R. Passive accumulation of alkaloids in non-toxic frogs challenges paradigms of the origins of acquired chemical defenses. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.13.593697. [PMID: 38798461 PMCID: PMC11118485 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.13.593697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the origins of novel, complex phenotypes is a major goal in evolutionary biology. Poison frogs of the family Dendrobatidae have evolved the novel ability to acquire alkaloids from their diet for chemical defense at least three times. However, taxon sampling for alkaloids has been biased towards colorful species, without similar attention paid to inconspicuous ones that are often assumed to be undefended. As a result, our understanding of how chemical defense evolved in this group is incomplete. Here we provide new data showing that, in contrast to previous studies, species from each undefended poison frog clade have measurable yet low amounts of alkaloids. We confirm that undefended dendrobatids regularly consume mites and ants, which are known sources of alkaloids. Further, we confirm the presence of alkaloids in two putatively non-toxic frogs from other families. Our data suggest the existence of a phenotypic intermediate between toxin consumption and sequestration-passive accumulation-that differs from active sequestration in that it involves no derived forms of transport and storage mechanisms yet results in low levels of toxin accumulation. We discuss the concept of passive accumulation and its potential role in the origin of chemical defenses in poison frogs and other toxin-sequestering organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca D. Tarvin
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Jeffrey L. Coleman
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Collections, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - David A. Donoso
- Grupo de Investigación en Ecología Evolutiva en los Trópicos (EETROP), Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
- Ecological Networks Lab, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | | | | | - Kimberly S. Gleason
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - J. Ryan Sanders
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - Jacqueline M. Smith
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - Santiago R. Ron
- Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Juan C. Santos
- Department of Biological Sciences, St John’s University, NY, USA 11439
| | - Brian E. Sedio
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Collections, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - David C. Cannatella
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Collections, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA
| | - Richard Fitch
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
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3
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Betz A, Bischoff R, Petschenka G. Late-instar monarch caterpillars sabotage milkweed to acquire toxins, not to disarm plant defence. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232721. [PMID: 38378155 PMCID: PMC10878802 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Sabotaging milkweed by monarch caterpillars (Danaus plexippus) is a famous textbook example of disarming plant defence. By severing leaf veins, monarchs are thought to prevent the flow of toxic latex to their feeding site. Here, we show that sabotaging by monarch caterpillars is not only an avoidance strategy. While young caterpillars appear to avoid latex, late-instar caterpillars actively ingest exuding latex, presumably to increase sequestration of cardenolides used for defence against predators. Comparisons with caterpillars of the related but non-sequestering common crow butterfly (Euploea core) revealed three lines of evidence supporting our hypothesis. First, monarch caterpillars sabotage inconsistently and therefore the behaviour is not obligatory to feed on milkweed, whereas sabotaging precedes each feeding event in Euploea caterpillars. Second, monarch caterpillars shift their behaviour from latex avoidance in younger to eager drinking in later stages, whereas Euploea caterpillars consistently avoid latex and spit it out during sabotaging. Third, monarchs reared on detached leaves without latex sequestered more cardenolides when caterpillars imbibed latex offered with a pipette. Thus, we conclude that monarch caterpillars have transformed the ancestral 'sabotage to avoid' strategy into a 'sabotage to consume' strategy, implying a novel behavioural adaptation to increase sequestration of cardenolides for defence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Betz
- Department of Applied Entomology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Robert Bischoff
- Department of Applied Entomology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Department of Applied Entomology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
- KomBioTa—Center for Biodiversity and Integrative Taxonomy, University of Hohenheim and State Museum of Natural History, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
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4
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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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5
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Negin B, Shachar L, Meir S, Ramirez CC, Rami Horowitz A, Jander G, Aharoni A. Fatty alcohols, a minor component of the tree tobacco surface wax, are associated with defence against caterpillar herbivory. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024; 47:664-681. [PMID: 37927215 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Despite decades of research resulting in a comprehensive understanding of epicuticular wax metabolism, the function of these almost ubiquitous metabolites in plant-herbivore interactions remains unresolved. In this study, we examined the effects of CRISPR-induced knockout mutations in four Nicotiana glauca (tree tobacco) wax metabolism genes. These mutations cause a wide range of changes in epicuticular wax composition, leading to altered interactions with insects and snails. Three interaction classes were examined: chewing herbivory by seven caterpillars and one snail species, phloem feeding by Myzus persicae (green peach aphid) and oviposition by Bemisia tabaci (whitefly). Although total wax load and alkane abundance did not affect caterpillar growth, a correlation across species, showed that fatty alcohols, a minor component of N. glauca surface waxes, negatively affected the growth of both a generalist caterpillar (Spodoptera littoralis) and a tobacco-feeding specialist (Manduca sexta). This negative correlation was overshadowed by the stronger effect of anabasine, a nicotine isomer, and was apparent when fatty alcohols were added to an artificial lepidopteran diet. By contrast, snails fed more on waxy leaves. Aphid reproduction and feeding activity were unaffected by wax composition but were potentially affected by altered cutin composition. Wax crystal morphology could explain the preference of B. tabaci to lay eggs on waxy wild-type plants relative to both alkane and fatty alcohol-deficient mutants. Together, our results suggest that the varied responses among herbivore classes and species are likely to be a consequence of the co-evolution that shaped the specific effects of different surface wax components in plant-herbivore interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boaz Negin
- Plant and Environmental Science Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Lior Shachar
- Plant and Environmental Science Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Sagit Meir
- Plant and Environmental Science Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Claudio C Ramirez
- Centre for Molecular and Functional Ecology in Agroecosystems, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - A Rami Horowitz
- Department of Entomology, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Gilat Research Center for Arid and Semi-Arid Agricultural Research, Rishon Lezion, Israel
- Katif Research Center, Sedot Negev, Israel
- Ministry of Science and Technology, Netivot, Israel
| | | | - Asaph Aharoni
- Plant and Environmental Science Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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6
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Hague MTJ, Miller LE, Stokes AN, Feldman CR, Brodie ED, Brodie ED. Conspicuous coloration of toxin-resistant predators implicates additional trophic interactions in a predator-prey arms race. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:4482-4496. [PMID: 36336815 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Antagonistic coevolution between natural enemies can produce highly exaggerated traits, such as prey toxins and predator resistance. This reciprocal process of adaptation and counter-adaptation may also open doors to other evolutionary novelties not directly involved in the phenotypic interface of coevolution. We tested the hypothesis that predator-prey coevolution coincided with the evolution of conspicuous coloration on resistant predators that retain prey toxins. In western North America, common garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) have evolved extreme resistance to tetrodotoxin (TTX) in the coevolutionary arms race with their deadly prey, Pacific newts (Taricha spp.). TTX-resistant snakes can retain large amounts of ingested TTX, which could serve as a deterrent against the snakes' own predators if TTX toxicity and resistance are coupled with a conspicuous warning signal. We evaluated whether arms race escalation covaries with bright red coloration in snake populations across the geographic mosaic of coevolution. Snake colour variation departs from the neutral expectations of population genetic structure and covaries with escalating clines of newt TTX and snake resistance at two coevolutionary hotspots. In the Pacific Northwest, bright red coloration fits an expected pattern of an aposematic warning to avian predators: TTX-resistant snakes that consume highly toxic newts also have relatively large, reddish-orange dorsal blotches. Snake coloration also seems to have evolved with the arms race in California, but overall patterns are less intuitively consistent with aposematism. These results suggest that interactions with additional trophic levels can generate novel traits as a cascading consequence of arms race coevolution across the geographic mosaic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael T J Hague
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
| | - Lauren E Miller
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Amber N Stokes
- Department of Biology, California State University, Bakersfield, California, USA
| | - Chris R Feldman
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Edmund D Brodie
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Edmund D Brodie
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
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7
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Experimental Suppression of Red Imported Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta) Has Little Impact on the Survival of Eggs to Third Instar of Spring-Generation Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus) Due to Buffering Effects of Host-Plant Arthropods. DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15030331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
The eastern migratory population of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) has shown evidence of declines in recent years. During early spring, when the population is at its smallest, red imported fire ants (RIFA) (Solenopsis invicta) have been implicated as having devastating effects on monarch egg and larval survival, but there are no conclusive experimental data to support this contention. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of RIFA on the survival of spring monarch eggs to third instar larvae. Three treatments were analyzed: control plots, RIFA-suppressed plots, and RIFA-enhanced plots. Other host-plant arthropods were also documented. In control plots, monarch survival was unrelated to RIFA abundance on or around the plants. For both years combined, RIFA suppression had little impact on monarch survival. In one of the two years, higher survival occurred in the suppressed treatment, but confidence in this difference was low. In control plots, monarch survival increased with increasing numbers of other arthropods (not including RIFA) on the host plant. Predator pressure did not vary relative to arthropod abundance, and RIFA only occupied plants in large numbers when large numbers of other arthropods were also present. The presence of RIFA did not affect predator pressure. RIFA artificially drawn onto host plants created artificially high predator pressure, and monarch survival was low. Long-term use of bait to control RIFA may not be cost-effective provided surrounding biodiversity is high. Efforts to promote spring monarchs should focus on promoting biodiversity in addition to planting milkweed.
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8
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Blount JD, Rowland HM, Mitchell C, Speed MP, Ruxton GD, Endler JA, Brower LP. The price of defence: toxins, visual signals and oxidative state in an aposematic butterfly. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222068. [PMID: 36651049 PMCID: PMC9845971 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
In a variety of aposematic species, the conspicuousness of an individual's warning signal and the quantity of its chemical defence are positively correlated. This apparent honest signalling is predicted by resource competition models which assume that the production and maintenance of aposematic defences compete for access to antioxidant molecules that have dual functions as pigments and in protecting against oxidative damage. To test for such trade-offs, we raised monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) on different species of their milkweed host plants (Apocynaceae) that vary in quantities of cardenolides to test whether (i) the sequestration of cardenolides as a secondary defence is associated with costs in the form of oxidative lipid damage and reduced antioxidant defences; and (ii) lower oxidative state is associated with a reduced capacity to produce aposematic displays. In male monarchs conspicuousness was explained by an interaction between oxidative damage and sequestration: males with high levels of oxidative damage became less conspicuous with increased sequestration of cardenolides, whereas those with low oxidative damage became more conspicuous with increased levels of cardenolides. There was no significant effect of oxidative damage or concentration of sequestered cardenolides on female conspicuousness. Our results demonstrate a physiological linkage between the production of coloration and oxidative state, and differential costs of sequestration and signalling in monarch butterflies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D. Blount
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Hannah M. Rowland
- Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Christopher Mitchell
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Michael P. Speed
- Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7BE, UK
| | - Graeme D. Ruxton
- School of Biology, Sir Harold Mitchell Building, Greenside Place, St Andrews, UK
| | - John A. Endler
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3216, Australia
| | - Lincoln P. Brower
- Department of Biology, Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, VA 24595, USA
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9
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Matignon L, Lo MM, Monpierre M, Correia MV, Valencia DP, Palmeira-Mello MV, Sylvestre MN, Pruneau L, Sylvestre M, Domenech A, Benfodda Z, Meffre P, Cebrián-Torrejón G. Phytochemical and Biological Study of Trophic Interaction between Pseudosphinx Tetrio L. Larvae and Allamanda Cathartica L. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:520. [PMID: 36771605 PMCID: PMC9921458 DOI: 10.3390/plants12030520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In this article, we propose to explore the chemical interaction between Pseudosphinx tetrio L. and Allamanda cathartica L. using different analytical methods, including an innovative electrochemical approach (called electrochemical ecology) and multivariate analysis, and we investigate the potential antimicrobial effects (antibacterial and antifungal activities) of this interaction in order to gain a better understanding of their specific interaction. The analytical study presents a similar chemical profile between the leaves of healthy and herbivorous A. cathartica and the excretions of the caterpillars. The similar analytical profile of the leaves of A. cathartica and the excretions of P. tetrio, and the difference with the caterpillar bodies, suggests a selective excretion of compounds by the caterpillar. The measured antimicrobial activities support the physicochemical tests. The natural products found selectively in the excretions (rather than in the body) could explain the ability of P. tetrio to feed on this toxic Apocynaceae species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Matignon
- COVACHIM-M2E Laboratory EA 3592, Department of Chemistry, Fouillole Campus, University of the French West Indies, UFR SEN, CEDEX, 97157 Pointe-à-Pitre, France
| | - Mame Marietou Lo
- CHROME Laboratory, EA7352, University of Nîmes, CEDEX 1, 30021 Nîmes, France
| | - Magneric Monpierre
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Department of Chemistry, Fouillole Campus, University of the French West Indies, UFR SEN, CEDEX, 97157 Pointe-à-Pitre, France
| | - Mauro Vicentini Correia
- Instituto de Química, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Drochss Pettry Valencia
- Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana sede Cali, Calle 18 No. 118-250, Cali 760031, Colombia
| | - Marcos V. Palmeira-Mello
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro S. João Batista S/N, Niterói 24020-141, Brazil
| | - Marie-Noëlle Sylvestre
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Department of Chemistry, Fouillole Campus, University of the French West Indies, UFR SEN, CEDEX, 97157 Pointe-à-Pitre, France
| | - Ludovic Pruneau
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Department of Chemistry, Fouillole Campus, University of the French West Indies, UFR SEN, CEDEX, 97157 Pointe-à-Pitre, France
| | - Muriel Sylvestre
- COVACHIM-M2E Laboratory EA 3592, Department of Chemistry, Fouillole Campus, University of the French West Indies, UFR SEN, CEDEX, 97157 Pointe-à-Pitre, France
| | - Antonio Domenech
- Departament de Química Analítica, Facultat de Química, Universitat de València, Dr. Moliner 50, 46100 Valencia, Spain
| | - Zohra Benfodda
- CHROME Laboratory, EA7352, University of Nîmes, CEDEX 1, 30021 Nîmes, France
| | - Patrick Meffre
- CHROME Laboratory, EA7352, University of Nîmes, CEDEX 1, 30021 Nîmes, France
| | - Gerardo Cebrián-Torrejón
- COVACHIM-M2E Laboratory EA 3592, Department of Chemistry, Fouillole Campus, University of the French West Indies, UFR SEN, CEDEX, 97157 Pointe-à-Pitre, France
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10
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Rubiano-Buitrago P, Pradhan S, Paetz C, Rowland HM. New Structures, Spectrometric Quantification, and Inhibitory Properties of Cardenolides from Asclepias curassavica Seeds. Molecules 2022; 28:molecules28010105. [PMID: 36615300 PMCID: PMC9822358 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28010105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac glycosides are a large class of secondary metabolites found in plants. In the genus Asclepias, cardenolides in milkweed plants have an established role in plant-herbivore and predator-prey interactions, based on their ability to inhibit the membrane-bound Na+/K+-ATPase enzyme. Milkweed seeds are eaten by specialist lygaeid bugs, which are the most cardenolide-tolerant insects known. These insects likely impose natural selection for the repeated derivatisation of cardenolides. A first step in investigating this hypothesis is to conduct a phytochemical profiling of the cardenolides in the seeds. Here, we report the concentrations of 10 purified cardenolides from the seeds of Asclepias curassavica. We report the structures of new compounds: 3-O-β-allopyranosyl coroglaucigenin (1), 3-[4'-O-β-glucopyranosyl-β-allopyranosyl] coroglaucigenin (2), 3'-O-β-glucopyranosyl-15-β-hydroxycalotropin (3), and 3-O-β-glucopyranosyl-12-β-hydroxyl coroglaucigenin (4), as well as six previously reported cardenolides (5-10). We test the in vitro inhibition of these compounds on the sensitive porcine Na+/K+-ATPase. The least inhibitory compound was also the most abundant in the seeds-4'-O-β-glucopyranosyl frugoside (5). Gofruside (9) was the most inhibitory. We found no direct correlation between the number of glycosides/sugar moieties in a cardenolide and its inhibitory effect. Our results enhance the literature on cardenolide diversity and concentration among tissues eaten by insects and provide an opportunity to uncover potential evolutionary relationships between tissue-specific defense expression and insect adaptations in plant-herbivore interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Rubiano-Buitrago
- Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knöll Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Research Group Biosynthesis/NMR, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knöll Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Correspondence: (P.R.-B.); (H.M.R.)
| | - Shrikant Pradhan
- Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knöll Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Paetz
- Research Group Biosynthesis/NMR, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knöll Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Hannah M. Rowland
- Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knöll Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Correspondence: (P.R.-B.); (H.M.R.)
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11
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Dreisbach D, Heiles S, Bhandari DR, Petschenka G, Spengler B. Molecular Networking and On-Tissue Chemical Derivatization for Enhanced Identification and Visualization of Steroid Glycosides by MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging. Anal Chem 2022; 94:15971-15979. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c02694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Domenic Dreisbach
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Sven Heiles
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Analytical Sciences, ISAS−e.V., Otto-Hahn-Straße 6b, 44139 Dortmund, Germany
- Lipidomics, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Dhaka R. Bhandari
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Institute of Phytomedicine, University of Hohenheim, Otto-Sander-Straße 5, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Bernhard Spengler
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392 Giessen, Germany
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12
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Zou D, Wang Q, Chen T, Sang D, Yang T, Wang Y, Gao M, He F, Li Y, He L, Longzhu D. Bufadienolides originated from toad source and their anti-inflammatory activity. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1044027. [PMID: 36339575 PMCID: PMC9627299 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1044027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Bufadienolide, an essential member of the C-24 steroid family, is characterized by an α-pyrone positioned at C-17. As the predominantly active constituent in traditional Chinese medicine of Chansu, bufadienolide has been prescribed in the treatment of numerous ailments. It is a specifically potent inhibitor of Na+/K+ ATPase with excellent anti-inflammatory activity. However, the severe side effects triggered by unbiased inhibition of the whole-body cells distributed α1-subtype of Na+/K+ ATPase, restrict its future applicability. Thus, researchers have paved the road for the structural alteration of desirable bufadienolide derivatives with minimal adverse effects via biotransformation. In this review, we give priority to the present evidence for structural diversity, MS fragmentation principles, anti-inflammatory efficacy, and structure modification of bufadienolides derived from toads to offer a scientific foundation for future in-depth investigations and views.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denglang Zou
- School of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
- Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
| | - Qiqi Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tao Chen
- Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
| | - Duocheng Sang
- School of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
| | - Tingqin Yang
- School of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
| | - Yuhan Wang
- School of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
| | - Mengze Gao
- School of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
| | - Fangfang He
- School of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
| | - Yulin Li
- Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
| | - Liangliang He
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Duojie Longzhu
- School of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
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13
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Krueger AJ, Rault LC, Robinson EA, Weissling TJ, Vélez AM, Anderson TD. Pyrethroid insecticide and milkweed cardenolide interactions on detoxification enzyme activity and expression in monarch caterpillars. PESTICIDE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 187:105173. [PMID: 36127039 DOI: 10.1016/j.pestbp.2022.105173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Declines of the monarch butterfly population have prompted large-scale plantings of milkweed to restore the population. In North America, there are >73 species of milkweed to choose from for these nationwide plantings. However, it is unclear how different milkweed species affect monarch caterpillar physiology, particularly detoxification enzyme activity and gene expression, given the highly variable cardenolide composition across milkweed species. Here, we investigate the effects of a high cardenolide, tropical milkweed species and a low cardenolide, swamp milkweed species on pyrethroid sensitivity as well as detoxification enzyme activity and expression in monarch caterpillars. Caterpillars fed on each species through the fifth-instar stage and were topically treated with bifenthrin after reaching this final-instar stage. Esterase, glutathione S-transferase, and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase activities were quantified as well as the expression of selected esterase, glutathione S-transferase, ABC transporter, and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase transcripts. There were no significant differences in survival 24 h after treatment with bifenthrin. However, bifenthrin significantly increased glutathione S-transferase activity in caterpillars feeding on tropical milkweed and significantly decreased esterase activity in caterpillars feeding on tropical and swamp milkweed. Significant differential expression of ABC transporter, glutathione S-transferase, and esterase genes was observed for caterpillars feeding on tropical and swamp milkweed and not receiving bifenthrin treatment. Furthermore, significant differential expression of glutathione S-transferase and esterase genes was observed for bifenthrin-treated and -untreated caterpillars feeding on tropical milkweed relative to swamp milkweed. These results suggest that feeding on different milkweed species can affect detoxification and development mechanisms with which monarch caterpillars rely on to cope with their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie J Krueger
- Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Leslie C Rault
- Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Emily A Robinson
- Department of Statistics, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Thomas J Weissling
- Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Ana M Vélez
- Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Troy D Anderson
- Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA.
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14
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Jeckel AM, Beran F, Züst T, Younkin G, Petschenka G, Pokharel P, Dreisbach D, Ganal-Vonarburg SC, Robert CAM. Metabolization and sequestration of plant specialized metabolites in insect herbivores: Current and emerging approaches. Front Physiol 2022; 13:1001032. [PMID: 36237530 PMCID: PMC9552321 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.1001032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Herbivorous insects encounter diverse plant specialized metabolites (PSMs) in their diet, that have deterrent, anti-nutritional, or toxic properties. Understanding how they cope with PSMs is crucial to understand their biology, population dynamics, and evolution. This review summarizes current and emerging cutting-edge methods that can be used to characterize the metabolic fate of PSMs, from ingestion to excretion or sequestration. It further emphasizes a workflow that enables not only to study PSM metabolism at different scales, but also to tackle and validate the genetic and biochemical mechanisms involved in PSM resistance by herbivores. This review thus aims at facilitating research on PSM-mediated plant-herbivore interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Moriguchi Jeckel
- Laboratory of Chemical Ecology, Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Franziska Beran
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias Züst
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Gordon Younkin
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, United States
- Plant Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Department of Applied Entomology, Institute of Phytomedicine, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Prayan Pokharel
- Department of Applied Entomology, Institute of Phytomedicine, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Domenic Dreisbach
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Stephanie Christine Ganal-Vonarburg
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, Visceral Surgery and Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christelle Aurélie Maud Robert
- Laboratory of Chemical Ecology, Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Christelle Aurélie Maud Robert,
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15
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Pocius VM, Cibotti S, Ray S, Ankoma-Darko O, McCartney NB, Schilder RJ, Ali JG. Impacts of larval host plant species on dispersal traits and free-flight energetics of adult butterflies. Commun Biol 2022; 5:469. [PMID: 35577926 PMCID: PMC9110344 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03396-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals derive resources from their diet and allocate them to organismal functions such as growth, maintenance, reproduction, and dispersal. How variation in diet quality can affect resource allocation to life-history traits, in particular those important to locomotion and dispersal, is poorly understood. We hypothesize that, particularly for specialist herbivore insects that are in co-evolutionary arms races with host plants, changes in host plant will impact performance. From their coevolutionary arms-race with plants, to a complex migratory life history, Monarch butterflies are among the most iconic insect species worldwide. Population declines initiated international conservation efforts involving the replanting of a variety of milkweed species. However, this practice was implemented with little regard for how diverse defensive chemistry of milkweeds experienced by monarch larvae may affect adult fitness traits. We report that adult flight muscle investment, flight energetics, and maintenance costs depend on the host plant species of larvae, and correlate with concentration of milkweed-derived cardenolides sequestered by adults. Our findings indicate host plant species can impact monarchs by affecting fuel requirements for flight. The growth of muscle and flight performance in monarch butterflies is influenced by the plant species the larvae grow on.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria M Pocius
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
| | - Staci Cibotti
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Swayamjit Ray
- Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Obenewa Ankoma-Darko
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Nathaniel B McCartney
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Rudolf J Schilder
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Jared G Ali
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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16
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Li J, Yang YM, Wang Y, Yang CQ, Wang GF, Wu CS, Zhang AB. Find My Way to You: A Comparative Study of Antennal Sensilla and Olfactory Genes in Slug Moth With Different Diet Ranges (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.845922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects and plants that provide them with foods have coexisted for several hundred million years, which leads to various defense approaches and insect-feeding strategies. The host plant provides insects with food sources, shelter materials, and oviposition sites for phytophagous insects. However, they need to find the most suitable host plants in complicated plant communities. The antenna is the main sensory organ of insects, housing different types of sensilla dedicated to detecting chemical cues, motion, humidity, and temperature. Phytophagous insects with different diets may possess various adaptations in their olfactory system. We selected three species of slug moth (Narosoideus flavidorsalis, Chalcoscelides castaneipars, and Setora postornata) with different diet breadths to detect the structural diversity of antennal sensilla using the scanning electron microscope. A total of nine types of sensilla were identified in these three species, in which two types of sensilla (sensilla uniporous peg and sensilla furcatea) were the first found and reported in Limacodidae. By comparing the number of sensilla types, there was a trend of gradually decreasing the number of sensory types with the gradual expansion of feeding habitats. To better understand the vital roles of olfactory proteins in localizing host plants, we investigated the chemosensory proteins in the antennal transcriptomes of N. flavidorsalis and S. postornata. However, there was no significant correlation between the number of olfactory genes and the increase of antennal sensilla types. Combining antennal morphology, transcriptome analysis, and the prediction of suitable areas, we better understood the olfactory systems with different feeding preferences, which will provide new prospects for plant–insect interactions and population control methods.
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17
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Weinstein SB, Dearing MD. Harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis) consume monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). Ecology 2022; 103:e3607. [PMID: 34897687 PMCID: PMC8959390 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sara B. Weinstein
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112,Corresponding author.
| | - M. Denise Dearing
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112
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18
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Douglas TE, Beskid SG, Gernand CE, Nirtaut BE, Tamsil KE, Fitch RW, Tarvin RD. Trade-offs between cost of ingestion and rate of intake drive defensive toxin use. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210579. [PMID: 35135316 PMCID: PMC8826133 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals that ingest toxins can become unpalatable and even toxic to predators and parasites through toxin sequestration. Because most animals rapidly eliminate toxins to survive their ingestion, it is unclear how populations transition from susceptibility and toxin elimination to tolerance and accumulation as chemical defence emerges. Studies of chemical defence have generally focused on species with active toxin sequestration and target-site insensitivity mutations or toxin-binding proteins that permit survival without necessitating toxin elimination. Here, we investigate whether animals that presumably rely on toxin elimination for survival can use ingested toxins for defence. We use the A4 and A3 Drosophila melanogaster fly strains from the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource (DSPR), which respectively possess high and low metabolic nicotine resistance among DSPR fly lines. We find that ingesting nicotine increased A4 but not A3 fly survival against Leptopilina heterotoma wasp parasitism. Further, we find that despite possessing genetic variants that enhance toxin elimination, A4 flies accrued more nicotine than A3 individuals, likely by consuming more medium. Our results suggest that enhanced toxin metabolism can allow greater toxin intake by offsetting the cost of toxin ingestion. Passive toxin accumulation that accompanies increased toxin intake may underlie the early origins of chemical defence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler E. Douglas
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Sofia G. Beskid
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA,Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Callie E. Gernand
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - Brianna E. Nirtaut
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - Kristen E. Tamsil
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Richard W. Fitch
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - Rebecca D. Tarvin
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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19
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Whiteman NK. Evolution in small steps and giant leaps. Evolution 2022; 76:67-77. [PMID: 35040122 PMCID: PMC9387839 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The first Editor of Evolution was Ernst Mayr. His foreword to the first issue of Evolution published in 1947 framed evolution as a "problem of interaction" that was just beginning to be studied in this broad context. First, I explore progress and prospects on understanding the subsidiary interactions identified by Mayr, including interactions between parts of organisms, between individuals and populations, between species, and between the organism and its abiotic environment. Mayr's overall "problem of interaction" framework is examined in the context of coevolution within and among levels of biological organization. This leads to a comparison in the relative roles of biotic versus abiotic agents of selection and fluctuating versus directional selection, followed by stabilizing selection in shaping the genomic architecture of adaptation. Oligogenic architectures may be typical for traits shaped more by fluctuating selection and biotic selection. Conversely, polygenic architectures may be typical for traits shaped more by directional followed by stabilizing selection and abiotic selection. The distribution of effect sizes and turnover dynamics of adaptive alleles in these scenarios deserves further study. Second, I review two case studies on the evolution of acquired toxicity in animals, one involving cardiac glycosides obtained from plants and one involving bacterial virulence factors horizontally transferred to animals. The approaches used in these studies and the results gained directly flow from Mayr's vision of an evolutionary biology that revolves around the "problem of interaction."
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah K. Whiteman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720,
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20
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Petschenka G, Halitschke R, Züst T, Roth A, Stiehler S, Tenbusch L, Hartwig C, Gámez JFM, Trusch R, Deckert J, Chalušová K, Vilcinskas A, Exnerová A. Sequestration of defenses against predators drives specialized host plant associations in preadapted milkweed bugs (Heteroptera: Lygaeinae). Am Nat 2022; 199:E211-E228. [DOI: 10.1086/719196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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21
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Beran F, Petschenka G. Sequestration of Plant Defense Compounds by Insects: From Mechanisms to Insect-Plant Coevolution. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 67:163-180. [PMID: 34995091 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-062821-062319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Plant defense compounds play a key role in the evolution of insect-plant associations by selecting for behavioral, morphological, and physiological insect adaptations. Sequestration, the ability of herbivorous insects to accumulate plant defense compounds to gain a fitness advantage, represents a complex syndrome of adaptations that has evolved in all major lineages of herbivorous insects and involves various classes of plant defense compounds. In this article, we review progress in understanding how insects selectively accumulate plant defense metabolites and how the evolution of specific resistance mechanisms to these defense compounds enables sequestration. These mechanistic considerations are further integrated into the concept of insect-plant coevolution. Comparative genome and transcriptome analyses, combined with approaches based on analytical chemistry that are centered in phylogenetic frameworks, will help to reveal adaptations underlying the sequestration syndrome, which is essential to understanding the influence of sequestration on insect-plant coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Beran
- Research Group Sequestration and Detoxification in Insects, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany;
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Department of Applied Entomology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart 70599, Germany;
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22
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Pokharel P, Steppuhn A, Petschenka G. Dietary cardenolides enhance growth and change the direction of the fecundity-longevity trade-off in milkweed bugs (Heteroptera: Lygaeinae). Ecol Evol 2021; 11:18042-18054. [PMID: 35003656 PMCID: PMC8717354 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Sequestration, that is, the accumulation of plant toxins into body tissues for defense, was predicted to incur physiological costs and may require resistance traits different from those of non-sequestering insects. Alternatively, sequestering species could experience a cost in the absence of toxins due to selection on physiological homeostasis under permanent exposure of sequestered toxins in body tissues. Milkweed bugs (Heteroptera: Lygaeinae) sequester high amounts of plant-derived cardenolides. Although being potent inhibitors of the ubiquitous animal enzyme Na+/K+-ATPase, milkweed bugs can tolerate cardenolides by means of resistant Na+/K+-ATPases. Both adaptations, resistance and sequestration, are ancestral traits of the Lygaeinae. Using four milkweed bug species (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae: Lygaeinae) and the related European firebug (Heteroptera: Pyrrhocoridae: Pyrrhocoris apterus) showing different combinations of the traits "cardenolide resistance" and "cardenolide sequestration," we tested how the two traits affect larval growth upon exposure to dietary cardenolides in an artificial diet system. While cardenolides impaired the growth of P. apterus nymphs neither possessing a resistant Na+/K+-ATPase nor sequestering cardenolides, growth was not affected in the non-sequestering milkweed bug Arocatus longiceps, which possesses a resistant Na+/K+-ATPase. Remarkably, cardenolides increased growth in the sequestering dietary specialists Caenocoris nerii and Oncopeltus fasciatus but not in the sequestering dietary generalist Spilostethus pandurus, which all possess a resistant Na+/K+-ATPase. We furthermore assessed the effect of dietary cardenolides on additional life history parameters, including developmental speed, longevity of adults, and reproductive success in O. fasciatus. Unexpectedly, nymphs under cardenolide exposure developed substantially faster and lived longer as adults. However, fecundity of adults was reduced when maintained on cardenolide-containing diet for their entire lifetime but not when adults were transferred to non-toxic sunflower seeds. We speculate that the resistant Na+/K+-ATPase of milkweed bugs is selected for working optimally in a "toxic environment," that is, when sequestered cardenolides are stored in the body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prayan Pokharel
- Department of Applied EntomologyInstitute of PhytomedicineUniversity of HohenheimStuttgartGermany
| | - Anke Steppuhn
- Department of Molecular BotanyInstitute of BiologyUniversity of HohenheimStuttgartGermany
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Department of Applied EntomologyInstitute of PhytomedicineUniversity of HohenheimStuttgartGermany
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23
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Carvajal Acosta AN, Mooney K. Effects of geographic variation in host plant resources for a specialist herbivore's contemporary and future distribution. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kailen Mooney
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Irvine California USA
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24
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Prouty C, Barriga P, Davis AK, Krischik V, Altizer S. Host Plant Species Mediates Impact of Neonicotinoid Exposure to Monarch Butterflies. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12110999. [PMID: 34821799 PMCID: PMC8623494 DOI: 10.3390/insects12110999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Neonicotinoids are the most widely used insecticides in North America and many studies document the negative effects of neonicotinoids on bees. Monarch butterflies are famous for their long-distance migrations, and for their ability to sequester toxins from their milkweed host plants. The neonicotinoids imidacloprid and clothianidin were suggested to correlate with declines in North American monarchs. We examined how monarch development, survival, and flight were affected by exposure to neonicotinoids, and how these effects depend on milkweed host plant species that differ in their cardenolide toxins. Monarch survival and flight were unaffected by low and intermediate neonicotinoid doses. At the highest dose, neonicotinoids negatively affected monarch pupation and survival, for caterpillars that fed on the least toxic milkweed. Monarchs fed milkweed of intermediate toxicity experienced moderate negative effects of high insecticide doses. Monarchs fed the most toxic milkweed species had no negative consequences associated with neonicotinoid treatment. Our work shows that monarchs tolerate low neonicotinoid doses, but experience detrimental effects at higher doses, depending on milkweed species. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that host plant species potentially reduce the residue of neonicotinoid insecticides on the leaf surface, and this phenomenon warrants further investigation. Abstract Neonicotinoids are the most widely used insecticides in North America. Numerous studies document the negative effects of neonicotinoids on bees, and it remains crucial to demonstrate if neonicotinoids affect other non-target insects, such as butterflies. Here we examine how two neonicotinoids (imidacloprid and clothianidin) affect the development, survival, and flight of monarch butterflies, and how these chemicals interact with the monarch’s milkweed host plant. We first fed caterpillars field-relevant low doses (0.075 and 0.225 ng/g) of neonicotinoids applied to milkweed leaves (Asclepias incarnata), and found no significant reductions in larval development rate, pre-adult survival, or adult flight performance. We next fed larvae higher neonicotinoid doses (4–70 ng/g) and reared them on milkweed species known to produce low, moderate, or high levels of secondary toxins (cardenolides). Monarchs exposed to the highest dose of clothianidin (51–70 ng/g) experienced pupal deformity, low survival to eclosion, smaller body size, and weaker adult grip strength. This effect was most evident for monarchs reared on the lowest cardenolide milkweed (A. incarnata), whereas monarchs reared on the high-cardenolide A. curassavica showed no significant reductions in any variable measured. Our results indicate that monarchs are tolerant to low doses of neonicotinoid, and that negative impacts of neonicotinoids depend on host plant type. Plant toxins may confer protective effects or leaf physical properties may affect chemical retention. Although neonicotinoid residues are ubiquitous on milkweeds in agricultural and ornamental settings, commonly encountered doses below 50 ng/g are unlikely to cause substantial declines in monarch survival or migratory performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody Prouty
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (P.B.); (A.K.D.); (S.A.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Paola Barriga
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (P.B.); (A.K.D.); (S.A.)
| | - Andrew K. Davis
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (P.B.); (A.K.D.); (S.A.)
| | - Vera Krischik
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA;
| | - Sonia Altizer
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (P.B.); (A.K.D.); (S.A.)
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25
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Acquisition of bioluminescent trait by non-luminous organisms from luminous organisms through various origins. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2021; 20:1547-1562. [PMID: 34714534 DOI: 10.1007/s43630-021-00124-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Bioluminescence is a natural light emitting phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction between luciferin and luciferase. It is primarily an innate and inherited trait in most terrestrial luminous organisms. However, most luminous organisms produce light in the ocean by acquiring luminous symbionts, luciferin (substrate), and/or luciferase (enzyme) through various transmission pathways. For instance, coelenterazine, a well-known luciferin, is obtained by cnidarians, crustaceans, and deep-sea fish through multi-level dietary linkages from coelenterazine producers such as ctenophores, decapods, and copepods. In contrast, some non-luminous Vibrio bacteria became bioluminescent by obtaining lux genes from luminous Vibrio species by horizontal gene transfer. Various examples detailed in this review show how non-luminescent organisms became luminescent by acquiring symbionts, dietary luciferins and luciferases, and genes. This review highlights three modes (symbiosis, ingestion, and horizontal gene transfer) that allow organisms lacking genes for autonomous bioluminescent systems to obtain the ability to produce light. In addition to bioluminescence, this manuscript discusses the acquisition of other traits such as pigments, fluorescence, toxins, and others, to infer the potential processes of acquisition.
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Potts AS, Hunter MD. Unraveling the roles of genotype and environment in the expression of plant defense phenotypes. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:8542-8561. [PMID: 34257915 PMCID: PMC8258211 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic variability results from interactions between genotype and environment and is a major driver of ecological and evolutionary interactions. Measuring the relative contributions of genetic variation, the environment, and their interaction to phenotypic variation remains a fundamental goal of evolutionary ecology.In this study, we assess the question: How do genetic variation and local environmental conditions interact to influence phenotype within a single population? We explored this question using seed from a single population of common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, in northern Michigan. We first measured resistance and resistance traits of 14 maternal lines in two common garden experiments (field and greenhouse) to detect genetic variation within the population. We carried out a reciprocal transplant experiment with three of these maternal lines to assess effects of local environment on phenotype. Finally, we compared the phenotypic traits measured in our experiments with the phenotypic traits of the naturally growing maternal genets to be able to compare relative effect of genetic and environmental variation on naturally occurring phenotypic variation. We measured defoliation levels, arthropod abundances, foliar cardenolide concentrations, foliar latex exudation, foliar carbon and nitrogen concentrations, and plant growth.We found a striking lack of correlation in trait expression of the maternal lines between the common gardens, or between the common gardens and the naturally growing maternal genets, suggesting that environment plays a larger role in phenotypic trait variation of this population. We found evidence of significant genotype-by-environment interactions for all traits except foliar concentrations of nitrogen and cardenolide. Milkweed resistance to chewing herbivores was associated more strongly with the growing environment. We observed no variation in foliar cardenolide concentrations among maternal lines but did observe variation among maternal lines in foliar latex exudation.Overall, our data reveal powerful genotype-by-environment interactions on the expression of most resistance traits in milkweed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail S. Potts
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMIUSA
| | - Mark D. Hunter
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMIUSA
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Evaluating toxicity of Varroa mite (Varroa destructor)-active dsRNA to monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) larvae. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0251884. [PMID: 34077444 PMCID: PMC8171953 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Varroa mites (Varroa destructor) are parasitic mites that, combined with other factors, are contributing to high levels of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony losses. A Varroa-active dsRNA was recently developed to control Varroa mites within honey bee brood cells. This dsRNA has 372 base pairs that are homologous to a sequence region within the Varroa mite calmodulin gene (cam). The Varroa-active dsRNA also shares a 21-base pair match with monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) calmodulin mRNA, raising the possibility of non-target effects if there is environmental exposure. We chronically exposed the entire monarch larval stage to common (Asclepias syriaca) and tropical (Asclepias curassavica) milkweed leaves treated with concentrations of Varroa-active dsRNA that are one- and ten-fold higher than those used to treat honey bee hives. This corresponded to concentrations of 0.025-0.041 and 0.211-0.282 mg/g leaf, respectively. Potassium arsenate and a previously designed monarch-active dsRNA with a 100% base pair match to the monarch v-ATPase A mRNA (leaf concentration was 0.020-0.034 mg/g) were used as positive controls. The Varroa mite and monarch-active dsRNA's did not cause significant differences in larval mortality, larval or pupal development, pupal weights, or adult eclosion rates when compared to negative controls. Irrespective of control or dsRNA treatment, larvae that consumed approximately 7500 to 10,500-mg milkweed leaf within 10 to 12 days had the highest pupal weights. The lack of mortality and sublethal effects following dietary exposure to dsRNA with 21-base pair and 100% base pair match to mRNAs that correspond to regulatory genes suggest monarch mRNA may be refractory to silencing by dsRNA or monarch dsRNase may degrade dsRNA to a concentration that is insufficient to silence mRNA signaling.
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Sugar transporters enable a leaf beetle to accumulate plant defense compounds. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2658. [PMID: 33976202 PMCID: PMC8113468 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22982-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Many herbivorous insects selectively accumulate plant toxins for defense against predators; however, little is known about the transport processes that enable insects to absorb and store defense compounds in the body. Here, we investigate how a specialist herbivore, the horseradish flea beetle, accumulates glucosinolate defense compounds from Brassicaceae in the hemolymph. Using phylogenetic analyses of coleopteran major facilitator superfamily transporters, we identify a clade of glucosinolate-specific transporters (PaGTRs) belonging to the sugar porter family. PaGTRs are predominantly expressed in the excretory system, the Malpighian tubules. Silencing of PaGTRs leads to elevated glucosinolate excretion, significantly reducing the levels of sequestered glucosinolates in beetles. This suggests that PaGTRs reabsorb glucosinolates from the Malpighian tubule lumen to prevent their loss by excretion. Ramsay assays corroborated the selective retention of glucosinolates by Malpighian tubules of P. armoraciae in situ. Thus, the selective accumulation of plant defense compounds in herbivorous insects can depend on the ability to prevent excretion.
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de Castro ÉCP, Musgrove J, Bak S, McMillan WO, Jiggins CD. Phenotypic plasticity in chemical defence of butterflies allows usage of diverse host plants. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20200863. [PMID: 33784874 PMCID: PMC8086984 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Host plant specialization is a major force driving ecological niche partitioning and diversification in insect herbivores. The cyanogenic defences of Passiflora plants keep most herbivores at bay, but not the larvae of Heliconius butterflies, which can both sequester and biosynthesize cyanogenic compounds. Here, we demonstrate that both Heliconius cydno chioneus and H. melpomene rosina have remarkable plasticity in their chemical defences. When feeding on Passiflora species with cyanogenic compounds that they can readily sequester, both species downregulate the biosynthesis of these compounds. By contrast, when fed on Passiflora plants that do not contain cyanogenic glucosides that can be sequestered, both species increase biosynthesis. This biochemical plasticity comes at a fitness cost for the more specialist H. m. rosina, as adult size and weight for this species negatively correlate with biosynthesis levels, but not for the more generalist H. c. chioneus. By contrast, H. m rosina has increased performance when sequestration is possible on its specialized host plant. In summary, phenotypic plasticity in biochemical responses to different host plants offers these butterflies the ability to widen their range of potential hosts within the Passiflora genus, while maintaining their chemical defences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Søren Bak
- Plant Biochemistry, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen
| | | | - Chris D. Jiggins
- Butterfly Genetics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK
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Dreisbach D, Petschenka G, Spengler B, Bhandari DR. 3D-surface MALDI mass spectrometry imaging for visualising plant defensive cardiac glycosides in Asclepias curassavica. Anal Bioanal Chem 2021; 413:2125-2134. [PMID: 33544161 PMCID: PMC7943518 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-021-03177-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Mass spectrometry-based imaging (MSI) has emerged as a promising method for spatial metabolomics in plant science. Several ionisation techniques have shown great potential for the spatially resolved analysis of metabolites in plant tissue. However, limitations in technology and methodology limited the molecular information for irregular 3D surfaces with resolutions on the micrometre scale. Here, we used atmospheric-pressure 3D-surface matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry imaging (3D-surface MALDI MSI) to investigate plant chemical defence at the topographic molecular level for the model system Asclepias curassavica. Upon mechanical damage (simulating herbivore attacks) of native A. curassavica leaves, the surface of the leaves varies up to 700 μm, and cardiac glycosides (cardenolides) and other defence metabolites were exclusively detected in damaged leaf tissue but not in different regions of the same leaf. Our results indicated an increased latex flow rate towards the point of damage leading to an accumulation of defence substances in the affected area. While the concentration of cardiac glycosides showed no differences between 10 and 300 min after wounding, cardiac glycosides decreased after 24 h. The employed autofocusing AP-SMALDI MSI system provides a significant technological advancement for the visualisation of individual molecule species on irregular 3D surfaces such as native plant leaves. Our study demonstrates the enormous potential of this method in the field of plant science including primary metabolism and molecular mechanisms of plant responses to abiotic and biotic stress and symbiotic relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenic Dreisbach
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Institute of Phytomedicine, University of Hohenheim, Otto-Sander-Straße 5, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Bernhard Spengler
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Dhaka R Bhandari
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
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Pokharel P, Sippel M, Vilcinskas A, Petschenka G. Defense of Milkweed Bugs (Heteroptera: Lygaeinae) against Predatory Lacewing Larvae Depends on Structural Differences of Sequestered Cardenolides. INSECTS 2020; 11:E485. [PMID: 32752003 PMCID: PMC7469174 DOI: 10.3390/insects11080485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Predators and parasitoids regulate insect populations and select defense mechanisms such as the sequestration of plant toxins. Sequestration is common among herbivorous insects, yet how the structural variation of plant toxins affects defenses against predators remains largely unknown. The palearctic milkweed bug Lygaeus equestris (Heteroptera: Lygaeinae) was recently shown to sequester cardenolides from Adonis vernalis (Ranunculaceae), while its relative Horvathiolus superbus also obtains cardenolides but from Digitalis purpurea (Plantaginaceae). Remarkably, toxin sequestration protects both species against insectivorous birds, but only H. superbus gains protection against predatory lacewing larvae. Here, we used a full factorial design to test whether this difference was mediated by the differences in plant chemistry or by the insect species. We raised both species of milkweed bugs on seeds from both species of host plants and carried out predation assays using the larvae of the lacewing Chrysoperla carnea. In addition, we analyzed the toxins sequestered by the bugs via liquid chromatography (HPLC). We found that both insect species gained protection by sequestering cardenolides from D. purpurea but not from A. vernalis. Since the total amount of toxins stored was not different between the plant species in H. superbus and even lower in L. equestris from D. purpurea compared to A. vernalis, the effect is most likely mediated by structural differences of the sequestered toxins. Our findings indicate that predator-prey interactions are highly context-specific and that the host plant choice can affect the levels of protection to various predator types based on structural differences within the same class of chemical compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prayan Pokharel
- Institute of Phytomedicine, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany;
| | - Marlon Sippel
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (M.S.); (A.V.)
| | - Andreas Vilcinskas
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany; (M.S.); (A.V.)
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Institute of Phytomedicine, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany;
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Ding T, Wang S, Gao Y, Li C, Wan F, Zhang B. Toxicity and effects of four insecticides on Na +, K +-ATPase of western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2020; 29:58-64. [PMID: 31784922 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-019-02139-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis, has become an important pest of vegetables worldwide, due to its economic damage to crop production. In order to control WFT, chemical insecticides are widely used. However, WFT has developed a high resistance against many kinds of insecticides. Na+, K+-ATPase, playing an important role in the ionic transmission across the membrane, is commonly considered to be the target of several xenobiotic compounds. However, whether the Na+, K+-ATPase can be used as one of the target sites for controlling WFT is still unknown. In this study, resistance levels of WFT to four insecticides (chlorpyrifos, beta cypermethrin, abamectin, and thiamethoxam) were measured. It was found that all four insecticides exhibited significant inhibitory effects on WFT, especially on nymphs. The activity of Na+, K+-ATPase was estimated after the treatment of four insecticides. Additionally, mRNA expression levels of three Na+, K+-ATPase α-subunit isoforms (X1, X2 and X3) were detected using RT-qPCR. The transcription profile of three Na+, K+-ATPase α-subunit isoforms were diverse after treatment by these four insecticides, which indicated that these isoforms might play different roles in the tolerance to insecticides. The results suggested that Na+, K+-ATPase can obviously be inhibited by these four classes of insecticide, and may serve as the new target for controlling WFT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianbo Ding
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong, College of Agronomy and Plant Protection, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, PR China
- China-Australia Joint Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Health, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, PR China
| | - Sifang Wang
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong, College of Agronomy and Plant Protection, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, PR China
- China-Australia Joint Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Health, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, PR China
| | - Yulin Gao
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, PR China
| | - Changyou Li
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong, College of Agronomy and Plant Protection, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, PR China
- China-Australia Joint Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Health, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, PR China
| | - Fanghao Wan
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong, College of Agronomy and Plant Protection, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, PR China
- China-Australia Joint Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Health, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, PR China
- Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, 518120, PR China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong, College of Agronomy and Plant Protection, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, PR China.
- China-Australia Joint Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Health, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, PR China.
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Bessho-Uehara M, Yamamoto N, Shigenobu S, Mori H, Kuwata K, Oba Y. Kleptoprotein bioluminescence: Parapriacanthus fish obtain luciferase from ostracod prey. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaax4942. [PMID: 31934625 PMCID: PMC6949039 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax4942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Through their diet, animals can obtain substances essential for imparting special characteristics, such as toxins in monarch butterflies and luminescent substances in jellyfishes. These substances are typically small molecules because they are less likely to be digested and may be hard for the consumer to biosynthesize. Here, we report that Parapriacanthus ransonneti, a bioluminescent fish, obtains not only its luciferin but also its luciferase enzyme from bioluminescent ostracod prey. The enzyme purified from the fish's light organs was identical to the luciferase of Cypridina noctiluca, a bioluminescent ostracod that they feed upon. Experiments where fish were fed with a related ostracod, Vargula hilgendorfii, demonstrated the specific uptake of the luciferase to the fish's light organs. This "kleptoprotein" system allows an organism to use novel functional proteins that are not encoded in its genome and provides an evolutionary alternative to DNA-based molecular evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manabu Bessho-Uehara
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
- Department of Environmental Biology, Chubu University, Kasugai, Aichi 487-8501, Japan
| | - Naoyuki Yamamoto
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
| | - Shuji Shigenobu
- NIBB Core Research Facilities, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Mori
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
| | - Keiko Kuwata
- Graduate School of Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
| | - Yuichi Oba
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
- Department of Environmental Biology, Chubu University, Kasugai, Aichi 487-8501, Japan
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Singer MS, Clark RE, Johnson ER, Lichter‐Marck IH, Mooney KA, Whitney KD. Dietary specialization is conditionally associated with increased ant predation risk in a temperate forest caterpillar community. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:12099-12112. [PMID: 31844517 PMCID: PMC6854387 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Revised: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The enemy-free space hypothesis (EFSH) contends that generalist predators select for dietary specialization in insect herbivores. At a community level, the EFSH predicts that dietary specialization reduces predation risk, and this pattern has been found in several studies addressing the impact of individual predator taxa or guilds. However, predation at a community level is also subject to combinatorial effects of multiple-predator types, raising the question of how so-called multiple-predator effects relate to dietary specialization in insect herbivores. Here, we test the EFSH with a field experiment quantifying ant predation risk to insect herbivores (caterpillars) with and without the combined predation effects of birds. Assessing a community of 20 caterpillar species, we use model selection in a phylogenetic comparative framework to identify the caterpillar traits that best predict the risk of ant predation. A caterpillar species' abundance, dietary specialization, and behavioral defenses were important predictors of its ant predation risk. Abundant caterpillar species had increased risk of ant predation irrespective of bird predation. Caterpillar species with broad diet breadth and behavioral responsiveness to attack had reduced ant predation risk, but these ant effects only occurred when birds also had access to the caterpillar community. These findings suggest that ant predation of caterpillar species is density- or frequency-dependent, that ants and birds may impose countervailing selection on dietary specialization within the same herbivore community, and that contingent effects of multiple predators may generate behaviorally mediated life-history trade-offs associated with herbivore diet breadth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Kailen A. Mooney
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of California at IrvineIrvineCAUSA
| | - Kenneth D. Whitney
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of New MexicoAlbuquerqueNMUSA
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Karageorgi M, Groen SC, Sumbul F, Pelaez JN, Verster KI, Aguilar JM, Hastings AP, Bernstein SL, Matsunaga T, Astourian M, Guerra G, Rico F, Dobler S, Agrawal AA, Whiteman NK. Genome editing retraces the evolution of toxin resistance in the monarch butterfly. Nature 2019; 574:409-412. [PMID: 31578524 PMCID: PMC7039281 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1610-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Identifying the genetic mechanisms of adaptation requires the elucidation of links between the evolution of DNA sequence, phenotype, and fitness1. Convergent evolution can be used as a guide to identify candidate mutations that underlie adaptive traits2-4, and new genome editing technology is facilitating functional validation of these mutations in whole organisms1,5. We combined these approaches to study a classic case of convergence in insects from six orders, including the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), that have independently evolved to colonize plants that produce cardiac glycoside toxins6-11. Many of these insects evolved parallel amino acid substitutions in the α-subunit (ATPα) of the sodium pump (Na+/K+-ATPase)7-11, the physiological target of cardiac glycosides12. Here we describe mutational paths involving three repeatedly changing amino acid sites (111, 119 and 122) in ATPα that are associated with cardiac glycoside specialization13,14. We then performed CRISPR-Cas9 base editing on the native Atpα gene in Drosophila melanogaster flies and retraced the mutational path taken across the monarch lineage11,15. We show in vivo, in vitro and in silico that the path conferred resistance and target-site insensitivity to cardiac glycosides16, culminating in triple mutant 'monarch flies' that were as insensitive to cardiac glycosides as monarch butterflies. 'Monarch flies' retained small amounts of cardiac glycosides through metamorphosis, a trait that has been optimized in monarch butterflies to deter predators17-19. The order in which the substitutions evolved was explained by amelioration of antagonistic pleiotropy through epistasis13,14,20-22. Our study illuminates how the monarch butterfly evolved resistance to a class of plant toxins, eventually becoming unpalatable, and changing the nature of species interactions within ecological communities2,6-11,15,17-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianthi Karageorgi
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,These authors contributed equally: Marianthi Karageorgi, Simon C. Groen
| | - Simon C. Groen
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.,These authors contributed equally: Marianthi Karageorgi, Simon C. Groen
| | - Fidan Sumbul
- LAI, U1067 Aix-Marseille Université, Inserm, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Julianne N. Pelaez
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Kirsten I. Verster
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jessica M. Aguilar
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Amy P. Hastings
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Susan L. Bernstein
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Teruyuki Matsunaga
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Michael Astourian
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Geno Guerra
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Felix Rico
- LAI, U1067 Aix-Marseille Université, Inserm, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Susanne Dobler
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, Biocenter Grindel, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anurag A. Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Noah K. Whiteman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to N.K.W.
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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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Dobler S, Wagschal V, Pietsch N, Dahdouli N, Meinzer F, Romey-Glüsing R, Schütte K. New ways to acquire resistance: imperfect convergence in insect adaptations to a potent plant toxin. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190883. [PMID: 31387508 PMCID: PMC6710594 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolution of insensitivity to the toxic effects of cardiac glycosides has become a model in the study of convergent evolution, as five taxonomic orders of insects use the same few similar amino acid substitutions in the otherwise highly conserved Na,K-ATPase α. We show here that insensitivity in pyrgomorphid grasshoppers evolved along a slightly divergent path. As in other lineages, duplication of the Na,K-ATPase α gene paved the way for subfunctionalization: one copy maintains the ancestral, sensitive state, while the other copy is resistant. Nonetheless, in contrast with all other investigated insects, the grasshoppers' resistant copy shows length variation by two amino acids in the first extracellular loop, the main part of the cardiac glycoside-binding pocket. RT-qPCR analyses confirmed that this copy is predominantly expressed in tissues exposed to the toxins, while the ancestral copy predominates in the nervous tissue. Functional tests with genetically engineered Drosophila Na,K-ATPases bearing the first extracellular loop of the pyrgomorphid genes showed the derived form to be highly resistant, while the ancestral state is sensitive. Thus, we report convergence in gene duplication and in the gene targets for toxin insensitivity; however, the means to the phenotypic end have been novel in pyrgomorphid grasshoppers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Dobler
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Vera Wagschal
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Niels Pietsch
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nadja Dahdouli
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Fee Meinzer
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Renja Romey-Glüsing
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kai Schütte
- Animal Ecology and Conservation, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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Beran F, Köllner TG, Gershenzon J, Tholl D. Chemical convergence between plants and insects: biosynthetic origins and functions of common secondary metabolites. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 223:52-67. [PMID: 30707438 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Despite the phylogenetic distance between plants and insects, these two groups of organisms produce some secondary metabolites in common. Identical structures belonging to chemical classes such as the simple monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, iridoid monoterpenes, cyanogenic glycosides, benzoic acid derivatives, benzoquinones and naphthoquinones are sometimes found in both plants and insects. In addition, very similar glucohydrolases involved in activating two-component defenses, such as glucosinolates and cyanogenic glycosides, occur in both plants and insects. Although this trend was first noted many years ago, researchers have long struggled to find convincing explanations for such co-occurrence. In some cases, identical compounds may be produced by plants to interfere with their function in insects. In others, plant and insect compounds may simply have parallel functions, probably in defense or attraction, and their co-occurrence is a coincidence. The biosynthetic origin of such co-occurring metabolites may be very different in insects as compared to plants. Plants and insects may have different pathways to the same metabolite, or similar sequences of intermediates, but different enzymes. Further knowledge of the ecological roles and biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites may shed more light on why plants and insects produce identical substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Beran
- Research Group Sequestration and Detoxification in Insects, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Str 8, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias G Köllner
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Str 8, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Jonathan Gershenzon
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Str 8, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Dorothea Tholl
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 409 Latham Hall, 220 Ag Quad Lane, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
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Boutte J, Fishbein M, Liston A, Straub SCK. NGS-Indel Coder: A pipeline to code indel characters in phylogenomic data with an example of its application in milkweeds (Asclepias). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2019; 139:106534. [PMID: 31212081 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Revised: 05/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Targeted genome sequencing approaches allow characterization of evolutionary relationships using a considerable number of nuclear genes and informative characters. However, most phylogenomic analyses only utilize single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Studies at the species level, especially in groups that have recently radiated, often recover low amounts of phylogenetically informative variation in coding regions, and require non-coding sequences, which are richer in indels, to resolve gene trees. Here, NGS-Indel Coder, a pipeline to detect and omit false positive indels inferred from assemblies of short read sequence data, was developed to resolve the relationships among and within major clades of the American milkweeds (Asclepias), which are the result of a rapid and recent evolutionary radiation, and whose phylogeny has been difficult to resolve. This pipeline was applied to a Hyb-Seq data set of 768 loci including targeted exons and flanking intron regions from 33 milkweed species. Robust species tree inference was improved by excluding small alignment partitions (<100 bp) that increased gene tree ambiguity and incongruence. To further investigate the robustness of indel coding, data sets that included small and large indels were explored, and species trees derived from concatenated loci versus coalescent methods based on gene trees were compared. The phylogeny of Asclepias obtained using nuclear data was well resolved, and phylogenetic information from indels improved resolution of specific nodes. The Temperate North American, Mexican Highland, and Incarnatae clades were well supported as monophyletic. Asclepias coulteri, which has been considered part of the Sonoran Desert clade based on plastome analyses, was placed as sister to all the other milkweed species studied here, rather than as a member of that clade. Two groups within the Temperate North American and Mexican clades were not resolved, and the inferred relationships strongly conflicted when comparing results based on data sets that did or did not include indel characters. This new pipeline represents a step forward in making maximal use of the information content in phylogenomic data sets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Boutte
- Department of Biology, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, USA
| | - Mark Fishbein
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Aaron Liston
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Shannon C K Straub
- Department of Biology, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, USA.
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Jones PL, Petschenka G, Flacht L, Agrawal AA. Cardenolide Intake, Sequestration, and Excretion by the Monarch Butterfly along Gradients of Plant Toxicity and Larval Ontogeny. J Chem Ecol 2019; 45:264-277. [PMID: 30793231 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-019-01055-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2018] [Revised: 12/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, migrate long distances over which they encounter host plants that vary broadly in toxic cardenolides. Remarkably little is understood about the mechanisms of sequestration in Lepidoptera that lay eggs on host plants ranging in such toxins. Using closely-related milkweed host plants that differ more than ten-fold in cardenolide concentrations, we mechanistically address the intake, sequestration, and excretion of cardenolides by monarchs. We show that on high cardenolide plant species, adult butterflies saturate in cardenolides, resulting in lower concentrations than in leaves, while on low cardenolide plants, butterflies concentrate toxins. Butterflies appear to focus their sequestration on particular compounds, as the diversity of cardenolides is highest in plant leaves, lower in frass, and least in adult butterflies. Among the variety of cardenolides produced by the plant, sequestered compounds may be less toxic to the butterflies themselves, as they are more polar on average than those in leaves. In accordance with this, results from an in vitro assay based on inhibition of Na+/K+ ATPase (the physiological target of cardenolides) showed that on two milkweed species, including the high cardenolide A. perennis, extracts from butterflies have lower inhibitory effects than leaves when standardized by cardenolide concentration, indicating selective sequestration of less toxic compounds from these host plants. To understand how ontogeny shapes sequestration, we examined cardenolide concentrations in caterpillar body tissues and hemolymph over the course of development. Caterpillars sequestered higher concentrations of cardenolides as early instars than as late instars, but within the fifth instar, concentration increased with body mass. Although it appears that large amounts of sequestration occurs in early instars, a host switching experiment revealed that caterpillars can compensate for feeding on low cardenolide host plants with substantial sequestration in the fifth instar. We highlight commonalities and striking differences in the mechanisms of sequestration depending on host plant chemistry and developmental stage, which have important implications for monarch defense.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Lara Flacht
- Department for Structural Infection Biology, Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany & Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anurag A Agrawal
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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Easton-Calabria A, Demary KC, Oner NJ. Beyond Pollination: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) as Zootherapy Keystone Species. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
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Petschenka G, Fei CS, Araya JJ, Schröder S, Timmermann BN, Agrawal AA. Relative Selectivity of Plant Cardenolides for Na +/K +-ATPases From the Monarch Butterfly and Non-resistant Insects. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:1424. [PMID: 30323822 PMCID: PMC6172315 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
A major prediction of coevolutionary theory is that plants may target particular herbivores with secondary compounds that are selectively defensive. The highly specialized monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) copes well with cardiac glycosides (inhibitors of animal Na+/K+-ATPases) from its milkweed host plants, but selective inhibition of its Na+/K+-ATPase by different compounds has not been previously tested. We applied 17 cardiac glycosides to the D. plexippus-Na+/K+-ATPase and to the more susceptible Na+/K+-ATPases of two non-adapted insects (Euploea core and Schistocerca gregaria). Structural features (e.g., sugar residues) predicted in vitro inhibitory activity and comparison of insect Na+/K+-ATPases revealed that the monarch has evolved a highly resistant enzyme overall. Nonetheless, we found evidence for relative selectivity of individual cardiac glycosides reaching from 4- to 94-fold differences of inhibition between non-adapted Na+/K+-ATPase and D. plexippus-Na+/K+-ATPase. This toxin receptor specificity suggests a mechanism how plants could target herbivores selectively and thus provides a strong basis for pairwise coevolutionary interactions between plants and herbivorous insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Petschenka
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus-Liebig-Universität, Giessen, Germany
| | - Colleen S. Fei
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Juan J. Araya
- Centro de Investigaciones en Productos Naturales, Escuela de Química, Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacéuticas, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica
| | - Susanne Schröder
- Institut für Medizinische Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, Universität Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Barbara N. Timmermann
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Anurag A. Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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Züst T, Mou S, Agrawal AA. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger: The burdens and benefits of toxin sequestration in a milkweed aphid. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Züst
- Institute of Plant Sciences University of Bern Bern Switzerland
| | - Sophie Mou
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Cornell University Ithaca New York
| | - Anurag A. Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Cornell University Ithaca New York
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Meier AR, Hunter MD. Mycorrhizae Alter Toxin Sequestration and Performance of Two Specialist Herbivores. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Agrawal AA, Ali A, Daisy Johnson M, Hastings AP, Burge D, Weber MG. Toxicity of the spiny thick-foot Pachypodium. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2018; 105:677-686. [PMID: 29683473 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Pachypodium (Apocynaceae) is a genus of iconic stem-succulent and poisonous plants endemic to Madagascar and southern Africa. We tested hypotheses about the mode of action and macroevolution of toxicity in this group. We further hypothesized that while monarch butterflies are highly resistant to cardenolide toxins (a type of cardiac glycoside) from American Asclepias, they may be negatively affected by Pachypodium defenses, which evolved independently. METHODS We grew 16 of 21 known Pachypodium spp. and quantified putative cardenolides by HPLC and also by inhibition of animal Na+ /K+ -ATPase (the physiological target of cardiac glycosides) using an in vitro assay. Pachypodium extracts were tested against monarch caterpillars in a feeding bioassay. We also tested four Asclepias spp. and five Pachypodium spp. extracts, contrasting inhibition of the cardenolide-sensitive porcine Na+ /K+ -ATPase to the monarch's resistant form. KEY RESULTS We found evidence for low cardenolides by HPLC, but substantial toxicity when extracts were assayed on Na+ /K+ -ATPases. Toxicity showed phylogenetic signal, and taller species showed greater toxicity (this was marginal after phylogenetic correction). Application of Pachypodium extracts to milkweed leaves reduced monarch growth, and this was predicted by inhibition of the sensitive Na+ /K+ -ATPase in phylogenetic analyses. Asclepias extracts were 100-fold less potent against the monarch compared to the porcine Na+ /K+ -ATPase, but this difference was absent for Pachypodium extracts. CONCLUSIONS Pachypodium contains potent toxicity capable of inhibiting sensitive and cardenolide-adapted Na+ /K+ -ATPases. Given the monarch's sensitivity to Pachypodium, we suggest that these plants contain novel cardiac glycosides or other compounds that facilitate toxicity by binding to Na+ /K+ -ATPases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurag A Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - Aliya Ali
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - M Daisy Johnson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - Amy P Hastings
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - Dylan Burge
- Southern Oregon University, 1250 Siskiyou Boulevard, Ashland, Oregon, 97520, USA
| | - Marjorie G Weber
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823, USA
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Livshultz T, Kaltenegger E, Straub SCK, Weitemier K, Hirsch E, Koval K, Mema L, Liston A. Evolution of pyrrolizidine alkaloid biosynthesis in Apocynaceae: revisiting the defence de-escalation hypothesis. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2018; 218:762-773. [PMID: 29479722 PMCID: PMC5873419 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Plants produce specialized metabolites for their defence. However, specialist herbivores adapt to these compounds and use them for their own benefit. Plants attacked predominantly by specialists may be under selection to reduce or eliminate production of co-opted chemicals: the defence de-escalation hypothesis. We studied the evolution of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in Apocynaceae, larval host plants for PA-adapted butterflies (Danainae, milkweed and clearwing butterflies), to test if the evolutionary pattern is consistent with de-escalation. We used the first PA biosynthesis specific enzyme (homospermidine synthase, HSS) as tool for reconstructing PA evolution. We found hss orthologues in diverse Apocynaceae species, not all of them known to produce PAs. The phylogenetic analysis showed a monophyletic origin of the putative hss sequences early in the evolution of one Apocynaceae lineage (the APSA clade). We found an hss pseudogene in Asclepias syriaca, a species known to produce cardiac glycosides but no PAs, and four losses of an HSS amino acid motif. APSA clade species are significantly more likely to be Danainae larval host plants than expected if all Apocynaceae species were equally likely to be exploited. Our findings are consistent with PA de-escalation as an adaptive response to specialist attack.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana Livshultz
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental SciencesAcademy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University1900 Benjamin Franklin ParkwayPhiladelphiaPA19103USA
| | - Elisabeth Kaltenegger
- Biochemical Ecology and Molecular EvolutionBotanical InstituteChristian‐Albrechts University KielOlshausenstrasse 4024098KielGermany
| | | | - Kevin Weitemier
- Department of Botany & Plant PathologyOregon State University2082 Cordley HallCorvallisOR97331USA
| | - Elliot Hirsch
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental SciencesAcademy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University1900 Benjamin Franklin ParkwayPhiladelphiaPA19103USA
| | - Khrystyna Koval
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental SciencesAcademy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University1900 Benjamin Franklin ParkwayPhiladelphiaPA19103USA
| | - Lumi Mema
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental SciencesAcademy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University1900 Benjamin Franklin ParkwayPhiladelphiaPA19103USA
| | - Aaron Liston
- Department of Botany & Plant PathologyOregon State University2082 Cordley HallCorvallisOR97331USA
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Lohr JN, Meinzer F, Dalla S, Romey-Glüsing R, Dobler S. The function and evolutionary significance of a triplicated Na,K-ATPase gene in a toxin-specialized insect. BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:256. [PMID: 29246105 PMCID: PMC5732401 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-1097-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The Na,K-ATPase is a vital animal cell-membrane protein that maintains the cell’s resting potential, among other functions. Cardenolides, a group of potent plant toxins, bind to and inhibit this pump. The gene encoding the α-subunit of the pump has undergone duplication events in some insect species known to feed on plants containing cardenolides. Here we test the function of these duplicated gene copies in the cardenolide-adapted milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus, which has three known copies of the gene: α1A, α1B and α1C. Results Using RT-qPCR analyses we demonstrate that the α1C is highly expressed in neural tissue, where the pump is generally thought to be most important for neuron excitability. With the use of in vivo RNAi in adult bugs we found that α1C knockdowns suffered high mortality, where as α1A and α1B did not, supporting that α1C is most important for effective ion pumping. Next we show a role for α1A and α1B in the handling of cardenolides: expression results find that both copies are primarily expressed in the Malpighian tubules, the primary insect organ responsible for excretion, and when we injected either α1A or α1B knockdowns with cardenolides this proved fatal (whereas not in controls). Conclusions These results show that the Na,K-ATPα gene-copies have taken on diverse functions. Having multiple copies of this gene appears to have allowed the newly arisen duplicates to specialize on resistance to cardenolides, whereas the ancestral copy of the pump remains comparatively sensitive, but acts as a more efficient ion carrier. Interestingly both the α1A and α1B were required for cardenolide handling, suggesting that these two copies have separate and vital functions. Gene duplications of the Na,K-ATPase thus represent an excellent example of subfunctionalization in response to a new environmental challenge. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-017-1097-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer N Lohr
- Universität Hamburg, Biozentrum Grindel, Zoologisches Institut, Martin-Luther-King Pl. 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany. .,Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, WC1E 6BT, London, UK.
| | - Fee Meinzer
- Universität Hamburg, Biozentrum Grindel, Zoologisches Institut, Martin-Luther-King Pl. 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Safaa Dalla
- Universität Hamburg, Biozentrum Grindel, Zoologisches Institut, Martin-Luther-King Pl. 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Renja Romey-Glüsing
- Universität Hamburg, Biozentrum Grindel, Zoologisches Institut, Martin-Luther-King Pl. 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Dobler
- Universität Hamburg, Biozentrum Grindel, Zoologisches Institut, Martin-Luther-King Pl. 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
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Coevolution takes the sting out of it: Evolutionary biology and mechanisms of toxin resistance in animals. Toxicon 2017; 140:118-131. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2017.10.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Revised: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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50
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Aluthwattha ST, Harrison RD, Ranawana KB, Xu C, Lai R, Chen J. Does spatial variation in predation pressure modulate selection for aposematism? Ecol Evol 2017; 7:7560-7572. [PMID: 28944039 PMCID: PMC5606884 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Revised: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
It is widely believed that aposematic signals should be conspicuous, but in nature, they vary from highly conspicuous to near cryptic. Current theory, including the honest signal or trade‐off hypotheses of the toxicity–conspicuousness relationship, cannot explain why adequately toxic species vary substantially in their conspicuousness. Through a study of similarly toxic Danainae (Nymphalidae) butterflies and their mimics that vary remarkably in their conspicuousness, we show that the benefits of conspicuousness vary along a gradient of predation pressure. Highly conspicuous butterflies experienced lower avian attack rates when background predation pressure was low, but attack rates increased rapidly as background predation pressure increased. Conversely, the least conspicuous butterflies experienced higher attack rates at low predation pressures, but at high predation pressures, they appeared to benefit from crypsis. Attack rates of intermediately conspicuous butterflies remained moderate and constant along the predation pressure gradient. Mimics had a similar pattern but higher attack rates than their models and mimics tended to imitate the signal of less attacked model species along the predation pressure gradient. Predation pressure modulated signal fitness provides a possible mechanism for the maintenance of variation in conspicuousness of aposematic signals, as well as the initial survival of conspicuous signals in cryptic populations in the process of aposematic signal evolution, and an alternative explanation for the evolutionary gain and loss of mimicry.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Tharanga Aluthwattha
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Mengla Yunnan China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Rhett D Harrison
- World Agroforestry Centre, East & Southern Africa Region Woodlands, Lusaka Zambia
| | | | - Cheng Xu
- Kunming Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming Yunnan China
| | - Ren Lai
- Kunming Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming Yunnan China
| | - Jin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Mengla Yunnan China
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