2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Evolutionary interactions between insects and plants mediated by phytochemicals
| Project/Area Number |
10460049
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Bioproduction chemistry/Bioorganic chemistry
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| Research Institution | KYOTO UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
NISHIDA Ritsuo Gradutate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Associate professor, 農学研究科, 助教授 (30135545)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1998 – 2001
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| Keywords | phytophagous insects / plant allelochemicals / chemical ecology / host selection / coevolution / oviposition stimulant / pest management / pheromone |
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| Research Abstract |
Plants produce a vast array of secondary metabolites as a result, in part, of revolutionary interactions with phytophagous organisms. A number of insects have not only overcome these chemical barriers but positively utilize them as host-finding cues and for other purposes. Suites of contact opposition stimulants/larval phagostimulants have been characterized for several butterfly species, which included flavonoids and other polyphenols as the important ingredients, suggesting the class of chemicals to provide tokens for the high selectivity in host recognition! Likewise novel flavonoids were characterized as feeding stimulants of bean aphids. Some of phytochemicals in non-host plants strongly deterred both opposition and larval feeding (e.g. Papilio spp. by polyphenols ; Epilachna spp. by a flavonoid). In other instances, insects sequestered toxic compounds instead of detoxifying plant poisons, thereby obtaining immediate defensive advantage, enabling them to establish new adaptive zones (e.g. pipevine swallowtails and aristolochic acids ; danaine butterflies and alkaloids). Some of the tropical orchid flowers attract Bactrocera fruit flies to get pollination by the insects ; the fruit flies get pheromone precursors (phenylpropanoids) from the flowers ; thus both organisms obtain advantages directly benefiting their reproduce systems. During the evolutionary interactions between the insects and plants, these herbivores seem to have developed highly adapted sensory, physiological biochemical and ecological mechanisms to cope with a diverse array of plant . allelochemicals as host-finding cues (kairomones), to avoid noxious plants (plant allomones), as defensive measures (insect allomones) and as floral synomones within the specific mutualistic interactions.
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