Park Si-Hyun, Jang Jae Yeon, Lim Hangah, Kim Sang-Gyu, Kim Jae Geun
Center for Education Research Seoul National University Seoul Republic of Korea.
Department of Biology Education Seoul National University Seoul Republic of Korea.
Ecol Evol. 2025 Apr 2;15(4):e71175. doi: 10.1002/ece3.71175. eCollection 2025 Apr.
In the evolutionary arms race between plants and herbivores, sophisticated mechanisms of indirect plant defense play a pivotal role. This study investigated the role of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in attracting the parasitoid spp. to , while also providing insights into the interactions among , the herbivore , and spp. in a tritrophic context. This study utilized field surveys, olfactometer experiments, and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis to investigate the role of VOCs. Field surveys showed a 54.6% egg parasitism rate, with quadrats containing and larvae attracting more spp. than those with the plant alone. In olfactometer bioassays, spp. preferred leaves damaged by a pattern wheel simulating herbivore damage, with 46.8% choosing these leaves over undamaged controls. Leaves treated with larval saliva were similarly attractive, drawing in 48.7% of spp.; however, the difference in attraction between saliva-treated and untreated leaves was not statistically significant, suggesting saliva may not be central to spp. attraction. GC-MS analysis identified VOCs in damaged leaves, including hexyl acetate, cyclohexene, δ-cadinene, α-pinene, and β-caryophyllene, while saliva-treated leaves showed minimal amounts of exo-isocitral and β-pinene. Despite complex responses, our analysis suggests these saliva-induced compounds do not significantly boost spp. attraction. This finding implies that while the VOC response to damage and saliva application is multifaceted, serving multiple defensive functions, the amount of these saliva-induced compounds may be insufficient to substantially influence the behavior of spp. toward damaged leaves. Our results emphasize the role of VOCs in 's indirect defense mechanisms and contribute to understanding the ecological dynamics within plant-parasitoid-herbivore interactions. Moreover, our findings suggest new avenues for exploring the ecological and evolutionary roles of chemical signals, highlighting the complex interactions facilitated by these cues in plant defenses.
在植物与食草动物的进化军备竞赛中，复杂的间接植物防御机制起着关键作用。本研究调查了挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）在吸引寄生蜂物种方面的作用，同时也深入探讨了在三级营养关系中，植物、食草动物以及寄生蜂物种之间的相互作用。本研究利用实地调查、嗅觉仪实验以及气相色谱 - 质谱联用（GC - MS）分析来研究VOCs的作用。实地调查显示卵寄生率为54.6%，含有植物和幼虫的样方比仅含有植物的样方吸引了更多的寄生蜂物种。在嗅觉仪生物测定中，寄生蜂物种更喜欢被模拟食草动物损伤的花纹轮损伤的叶片，46.8%的寄生蜂选择这些损伤叶片而非未损伤的对照叶片。用幼虫唾液处理的叶片同样具有吸引力，吸引了48.7%的寄生蜂物种；然而，唾液处理叶片和未处理叶片在吸引力上的差异无统计学意义，这表明唾液可能并非吸引寄生蜂物种的关键因素。GC - MS分析鉴定出损伤叶片中的VOCs，包括乙酸己酯、环己烯、δ - 杜松烯、α - 蒎烯和β - 石竹烯；而用唾液处理的叶片中仅显示出少量的异柠檬醛和β - 蒎烯。尽管反应复杂，但我们的分析表明这些由唾液诱导产生的化合物并不能显著增强对寄生蜂物种的吸引力。这一发现意味着，虽然VOCs对损伤和唾液处理的反应是多方面的，具有多种防御功能，但这些由唾液诱导产生的化合物的量可能不足以显著影响寄生蜂物种对损伤叶片的行为。我们的结果强调了VOCs在植物间接防御机制中的作用，并有助于理解植物 - 寄生蜂 - 食草动物相互作用中的生态动态。此外，我们的研究结果为探索化学信号的生态和进化作用开辟了新途径，突出了这些线索在植物防御中所促成的复杂相互作用。
