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.

Entomopathogenic nematodes increase predation success by inducing cadaver volatiles that attract healthy herbivores.

Herbivore natural enemies protect plants by regulating herbivore populations. Whether they can alter the behavior of their prey to increase predation success is unknown. We investigate if and how infection by the entomopathogenic nematode changes the behavior of healthy larvae of the western corn rootworm (), a major pest of maize.

Sequestration and activation of plant toxins protect the western corn rootworm from enemies at multiple trophic levels.

Highly adapted herbivores can phenocopy two-component systems by stabilizing, sequestering and reactivating plant toxins. However, whether these traits protect herbivores against their enemies is poorly understood. We demonstrate that the western corn rootworm , the most damaging maize pest on the planet, specifically accumulates the root-derived benzoxazinoid glucosides HDMBOA-Glc and MBOA-Glc.

Benefits of jasmonate-dependent defenses against vertebrate herbivores in nature.

Endogenous jasmonates are important regulators of plant defenses. If and how they enable plants to maintain their reproductive output when facing community-level herbivory under natural conditions, however, remains unknown. We demonstrate that jasmonate-deficient Nicotiana attenuata plants suffer more damage by arthropod and vertebrate herbivores than jasmonate-producing plants in nature.