Nutritional ecology of insect-plant interactions: persistent handicaps and the need for innovative approaches

The Impact of Phloem Feeding Insects on Leaf Ecophysiology Varies With Leaf Age

Herbivore insects have strong impacts on leaf gas exchange when feeding on the plant. Leaf age also drives leaf gas exchanges but the interaction of leaf age and phloem herbivory has been largely underexplored. We investigated the amplitude and direction of herbivore impact on leaf gas exchange across a wide range of leaf age in the apple tree-apple green aphid (Aphis pomi) system. We measured the gas exchange (assimilation and transpiration rates, stomatal conductance and internal CO₂ concentration) of leaves infested versus non-infested by the aphid across leaf age. For very young leaves up to 15 days-old, the gas exchange rates of infested leaves were similar to those of non-infested leaves. After few days, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate increased in infested leaves up to about the age of 30 days, and gradually decreased after that age. By contrast, gas exchanges in non-infested leaves gradually decreased across leaf age such that they were always lower than in infested leaves. Aphids were observed on relatively young leaves up to 25 days and despite the positive effect on leaf photosynthesis and leaf performance, their presence negatively affected the growth rate of apple seedlings. Indeed, aphids decreased leaf dry mass, leaf surface, and leaf carbon content except in old leaves. By contrast, aphids induced an increase in leaf nitrogen content and the deviation relative to non-infested leaves increased with leaf age. Overall, the impacts of aphids at multiple levels of plant performance depend on leaf age. While aphids cause an increase in some leaf traits (gas exchanges and nitrogen content), they also depress others (plant growth rate and carbon content). The balance between those effects, as modulated by leaf age, may be the key for herbivory mitigation in plants.

Do Aphids Alter Leaf Surface Temperature Patterns During Early Infestation?

Arthropods at the surface of plants live in particular microclimatic conditions that can differ from atmospheric conditions. The temperature of plant leaves can deviate from air temperature, and leaf temperature influences the eco-physiology of small insects. The activity of insects feeding on leaf tissues, may, however, induce changes in leaf surface temperatures, but this effect was only rarely demonstrated. Using thermography analysis of leaf surfaces under controlled environmental conditions, we quantified the impact of presence of apple green aphids on the temperature distribution of apple leaves during early infestation. Aphids induced a slight change in leaf surface temperature patterns after only three days of infestation, mostly due to the effect of aphids on the maximal temperature that can be found at the leaf surface. Aphids may induce stomatal closure, leading to a lower transpiration rate. This effect was local since aphids modified the configuration of the temperature distribution over leaf surfaces. Aphids were positioned at temperatures near the maximal leaf surface temperatures, thus potentially experiencing the thermal changes. The feedback effect of feeding activity by insects on their host plant can be important and should be quantified to better predict the response of phytophagous insects to environmental changes.

Hypoxia and hypercarbia in endophagous insects: Larval position in the plant gas exchange network is key

Gas composition is an important component of any micro-environment. Insects, as the vast majority of living organisms, depend on O2 and CO2 concentrations in the air they breathe. Low O2 (hypoxia), and high CO2 (hypercarbia) levels can have a dramatic effect. For phytophagous insects that live within plant tissues (endophagous lifestyle), gas is exchanged between ambient air and the atmosphere within the insect habitat. The insect larva contributes to the modification of this environment by expiring CO2. Yet, knowledge on the gas exchange network in endophagous insects remains sparse. Our study identified mechanisms that modulate gas composition in the habitat of endophagous insects. Our aim was to show that the mere position of the insect larva within plant tissues could be used as a proxy for estimating risk of occurrence of hypoxia and hypercarbia, despite the widely diverse life history traits of these organisms. We developed a conceptual framework for a gas diffusion network determining gas composition in endophagous insect habitats. We applied this framework to mines, galls and insect tunnels (borers) by integrating the numerous obstacles along O2 and CO2 pathways. The nature and the direction of gas transfers depended on the physical structure of the insect habitat, the photosynthesis activity as well as stomatal behavior in plant tissues. We identified the insect larva position within the gas diffusion network as a predictor of risk exposure to hypoxia and hypercarbia. We ranked endophagous insect habitats in terms of risk of exposure to hypoxia and/or hypercarbia, from the more to the less risky as cambium mines>borer tunnels≫galls>bark mines>mines in aquatic plants>upper and lower surface mines. Furthermore, we showed that the photosynthetically active tissues likely assimilate larval CO2 produced. In addition, temperature of the microhabitat and atmospheric CO2 alter gas composition in the insect habitat. We predict that (i) hypoxia indirectly favors the evolution of cold-tolerant gallers, which do not perform well at high temperatures, and (ii) normoxia (ambient O2 level) in mines allows miners to develop at high temperatures. Little is known, however, about physiological and morphological adaptations to hypoxia and hypercarbia in endophagous insects. Endophagy strongly constrains the diffusion processes with cascading consequences on the evolutionary ecology of endophagous insects.

Effects of elevated CO2 leaf diets on gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) respiration rates

Elevated levels of CO2 affect plant growth and leaf chemistry, which in turn can alter host plant suitability for insect herbivores. We examined the suitability of foliage from trees grown from seedlings since 1997 at Aspen FACE as diet for the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae: paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marshall) in 2004-2005, and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michaux) in 2006-2007, and measured consequent effects on larval respiration. Leaves were collected for diet and leaf chemistry (nutritional and secondary compound proxies) from trees grown under ambient (average 380 ppm) and elevated CO2 (average 560 ppm) conditions. Elevated CO2 did not significantly alter birch or aspen leaf chemistry compared with ambient levels with the exception that birch percent carbon in 2004 and aspen moisture content in 2006 were significantly lowered. Respiration rates were significantly higher (15-59%) for larvae reared on birch grown under elevated CO2 compared with ambient conditions, but were not different on two aspen clones, until larvae reached the fifth instar, when those consuming elevated CO2 leaves on clone 271 had lower (26%) respiration rates, and those consuming elevated CO2 leaves on clone 216 had higher (36%) respiration rates. However, elevated CO2 had no apparent effect on the respiration rates of pupae derived from larvae fed either birch or aspen leaves. Higher respiration rates for larvae fed diets grown under ambient or elevated CO2 demonstrates their lower efficiency of converting chemical energy of digested food stuffs extracted from such leaves into their biosynthetic processes.

An exploration on greenhouse gas and ammonia production by insect species suitable for animal or human consumption

Background

Greenhouse gas (GHG) production, as a cause of climate change, is considered as one of the biggest problems society is currently facing. The livestock sector is one of the large contributors of anthropogenic GHG emissions. Also, large amounts of ammonia (NH₃), leading to soil nitrification and acidification, are produced by livestock. Therefore other sources of animal protein, like edible insects, are currently being considered.

Methodology/Principal Findings

An experiment was conducted to quantify production of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and average daily gain (ADG) as a measure of feed conversion efficiency, and to quantify the production of the greenhouse gases methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) as well as NH₃ by five insect species of which the first three are considered edible: Tenebrio molitor, Acheta domesticus, Locusta migratoria, Pachnoda marginata, and Blaptica dubia. Large differences were found among the species regarding their production of CO₂ and GHGs. The insects in this study had a higher relative growth rate and emitted comparable or lower amounts of GHG than described in literature for pigs and much lower amounts of GHG than cattle. The same was true for CO₂ production per kg of metabolic weight and per kg of mass gain. Furthermore, also the production of NH₃ by insects was lower than for conventional livestock.

Conclusions/Significance

This study therefore indicates that insects could serve as a more environmentally friendly alternative for the production of animal protein with respect to GHG and NH₃ emissions. The results of this study can be used as basic information to compare the production of insects with conventional livestock by means of a life cycle analysis.

Physiological approach to explain the ecological success of 'superclones' in aphids: interplay between detoxification enzymes, metabolism and fitness

'Superclones' are predominant and time-persistent genotypes, exhibiting constant fitness across different environments. However, causes of this ecological success are still unknown. Therefore, we studied the physiological mechanisms that could explain this success, evaluating the effects of wheat chemical defences on detoxification enzymes [cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450), glutathione S-transferases (GST), esterases (EST)], standard metabolic rate (SMR), and fitness-related traits [adult body mass and intrinsic rate of increase (r(m))] of two 'superclones' (Sa1 and Sa2) of the grain aphid, Sitobion avenae. Additionally, we compared 'superclones' with a less-frequent genotype (Sa46). Genotypes were reared on three wheat cultivars with different levels of hydroxamic acids (Hx; wheat chemical defences). Detoxification enzymes and SMR did not differ between wheat hosts. However, GST and EST were different between 'superclones' and Sa46, while Sa1 showed a higher SMR than Sa2 or Sa46 (p=0.03). Differences between genotypes were found for r(m), which was higher for Sa1 than for Sa2 or Sa46. For all cases, genotype-host interactions were non-significant, except for aphid body mass. In conclusion, 'superclones' exhibit a broad host range, flat energetic costs for non-induced detoxification enzymes, and low variation in their reproductive performance on different defended hosts. However, physiological specialization of 'superclones' that could explain their ecological success was not evident in this study.

Bioenergetic strategy of a xylem-feeder

To understand the efficiency of energy flow through an organism living in a nutrient poor environment, the bioenergetics of a xylem-feeding beetle Aredolpona rubra was investigated. The larvae of different ages were kept at a constant high, constant low and seasonally variable temperature or in agar plates and agar+nitrogen plates. Bioenergetic parameters were measured during the course of 1 year. The results showed (i) a very strong influence of food moisture on the bioenergetic parameters of A. rubra, (ii) the influence of temperature depends on whether it is fluctuating or constant, (iii) opposite mechanisms regulate growth in a shortage of water and at a suboptimal temperature: in the former case, consumption does not change while the metabolic rate decreases, and at a suboptimal temperature the metabolic rate is dictated by temperature and the consumption rate is altered and (iv) a nitrogen-rich diet results in a decreased metabolic rate, suggesting the existence of energetically costly adaptations to low quality wood as a food source. The study results have broad implications for environmental influences on insect life histories.

Insect herbivore nutrient regulation

The primary reason animals, including insect herbivores, eat is to acquire a mix of nutrients needed to fuel the processes of growth, development, and reproduction. Most insect herbivores strongly regulate their nutrient intake when given the opportunity. When they are restricted to imbalanced diets, they employ regulatory rules that govern the extent to which nutrients occurring in excess or deficit are eaten. Insect herbivores also regularly encounter allelochemicals as they eat, and recent work indicates the effect an allelochemical has on nutrient regulation, and insect herbivore performance, is modified depending on a food's nutrient composition. Comparative studies of nutrient regulation suggest coexisting generalist herbivores occupy unique nutritional feeding niches, and work with pathogens and parasitoids has revealed the manner in which top-down pressures influence patterns of nutrient intake. Insect herbivores regulate their nutrient intake using pre- and postingestive mechanisms, plus learning, and there is evidence that some of these mechanisms are shaped by natural selection.

Leaf miner-induced changes in leaf transmittance cause variations in insect respiration rates

Very little is known about alterations in microclimate when an herbivore feeds on host plant. Modifications of leaf transmittance properties induced by feeding activity of the leaf miner Phyllonorycter blancardella F. were measured using a spectrometer. Their effects on the herbivore's body temperature and respiration rate have been determined under controlled conditions and varying radiation level employing an infrared gas analyser. By feeding within leaf tissues, a miner induces the formation of feeding windows which transmit a large portion of incoming radiations within a mine. As a result, body temperature and respiration rate increase with radiation level when positioned below feeding windows. Therefore, the miner is not always protected from radiations despite living within plant tissues. The amount of CO(2) released by larvae below feeding windows at high radiation levels is about five-fold that recorded in the dark. By contrast, body temperature and respiration rate increase only slightly with radiation level when the insect is positioned below intact tissues through which radiation is only weakly transmitted. A mine offers its inhabitant a heterogeneous light environment that allows the insect larva to thermoregulate through behavioural modification. Our results highlight the importance of physical feedbacks induced by herbivory which alter significantly an insect's metabolism independently of its nutritional state.