Z-ocimene, but not alkaloids, deters oviposition of the specialist moth Agonopterix alstroemeriana on Conium maculatum (Apiaceae)
Castells, Eva (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Farmacologia, de Terapèutica i de Toxicologia)
Berenbaum, May

Date:	2007
Abstract:	Conium maculatum (Apiaceae), a Eurasian weed naturalized in North America, contains high concentrations of piperidine alkaloids, such as γ-coniceine, coniine and conhydrinone, that are toxic for livestock and humans and might also confer resistance against phytophagous insects. One of the few herbivores that consistently consumes C. maculatum is the coevolved monophagous associate Agonopterix alstroemeriana (Oecophoridae). Previous studies suggest that piperidine alkaloid concentrations in C. maculatum could be a result of the directional selection exerted by A. alstroemeriana. Here we aimed to investigate whether selection for less well-defended C. maculatum genotypes by this coevolved herbivore occurs during oviposition. We determined the correlation between C. maculatum alkaloid and volatile compound concentrations (mono- and sesquiterpenes), which are frequently involved in plant-host choice, with the number of eggs laid for 32 plants in field conditions. Oviposition was positively correlated with leaf size and negatively correlated with the monoterpene Z-ocimene. Because the release of plant volatiles is dramatically increased after damage, the lower oviposition rate on plants with higher Z-ocimene concentrations suggests an avoidance behavior of A. alstroemeriana moths for those plants where competition by other larvae might be increased. Indeed, a laboratory assay showed that damaged plants were less likely to be used as oviposition sites compared to undamaged plants. Oviposition was not related to alkaloid concentrations. These results indicate that A. alstroemeriana does not actively select C. maculatum genotypes in relation to alkaloid content during oviposition and that monoterpenes are more important than alkaloids in determining A. alstroemeriana oviposition patterns.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Pòster de congrés
Subject:	Chemical ecology ; ISCE ; Alkaloids ; Terpenes ; Conium maculatum ; Agonopterix alstroemeriana ; Oviposition
Published in:	Annual Meeting International Society of Chemical Ecology. Jena, Germany, 23è : 2007

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Chemical Ecology and Toxicology Lab
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