Objective
Herbivores can interact with each other indirectly via the shared host plant, for instance via the induction of plant defenses. Indirect plant-mediated interactions strongly influence herbivore behavior and performance and shape plant-associated arthropod communities. The order of herbivore arrival is often critical for the outcome of plant-mediated interactions, yet the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, a specialist belowground herbivore of maize, refuses to feed when a plant is already attacked aboveground by the specialist leaf feeder Spodoptera frugiperda. This host-avoidance behavior is attributed to changes in root-emitted volatiles upon leaf herbivory, in particular the increased production of a nitrophenol (“NP1”), which was not previously known to be synthesized by plants. However, D. v. virgifera suppresses the leaf-herbivory-induced production of NP1 when it arrives on the plant first, and hence, keeps on feeding. HECAN will investigate the genetic and biochemical bases of NP1 biosynthesis in maize in order to understand how the production of NP1 is suppressed by D. v. virgifera.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinator
3012 Bern
Switzerland