Plant-associated CO mediates long-distance host location and foraging behaviour of a root herbivore.

Insect herbivores use different cues to locate host plants. The importance of CO in this context is not well understood. We manipulated CO perception in western corn rootworm (WCR) larvae through RNAi and studied how CO perception impacts their interaction with their host plant.

Defense suppression benefits herbivores that have a monopoly on their feeding site but can backfire within natural communities.

Background: Plants have inducible defenses to combat attacking organisms. Hence, some herbivores have adapted to suppress these defenses. Suppression of plant defenses has been shown to benefit herbivores by boosting their growth and reproductive performance.