Arabidopsis, tobacco, nightshade and elm take insect eggs as herbivore alarm and show similar transcriptomic alarm responses.

Plants respond to insect eggs with transcriptional changes, resulting in enhanced defence against hatching larvae. However, it is unknown whether phylogenetically distant plant species show conserved transcriptomic responses to insect eggs and subsequent larval feeding. We used Generally Applicable Gene set Enrichment (GAGE) on gene ontology terms to answer this question and analysed transcriptome data from Arabidopsis thaliana, wild tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata), bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) and elm trees (Ulmus minor) infested by different insect species.

Slug Feeding Triggers Dynamic Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Responses Leading to Induced Resistance in .

Induced plant responses to insect herbivores are well studied, but we know very little about responses to gastropod feeding. We aim to identify the temporal dynamics of signaling- and defense-related plant responses after slug feeding in relation to induced resistance. We exposed plants to feeding by the gray field slug (GFS; ) for different periods and tested disks of local and systemic leaves in preference assays.

Oviposition by on Alters the Plant's Response to Herbivory and Impairs Larval Performance.

Plant resistance traits against insect herbivores are extremely plastic. Plants respond not only to the herbivory itself, but also to oviposition by herbivorous insects. How prior oviposition affects plant responses to larval herbivory is largely unknown.

Interactive Responses of to Drought and Insect Feeding are Herbivore Species-Specific.

In nature, plants are frequently subjected to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses, resulting in a convergence of adaptive responses. We hypothesised that hormonal signalling regulating defences to different herbivores may interact with drought responses, causing distinct resistance phenotypes. To test this, we studied the hormonal and transcriptomic responses of subjected to drought and herbivory by the generalist (beet armyworm; BAW) or the specialist (Colorado potato beetle; CPB).

Insect egg deposition renders plant defence against hatching larvae more effective in a salicylic acid-dependent manner.

Plants can improve their antiherbivore defence by taking insect egg deposition as cue of impending feeding damage. Previous studies showed that Pieris brassicae larvae feeding upon egg-deposited Brassicaceae perform worse and gain less weight than larvae on egg-free plants. We investigated how P.

Moth oviposition shapes the species-specific transcriptional and phytohormonal response of Nicotiana attenuata to larval feeding.

Oviposition by lepidopteran herbivores on Nicotiana attenuata primes plant defence responses that are induced by the feeding larvae. While oviposition by both the generalist Spodoptera exigua and the specialist Manduca sexta primes the production of defensive phenylpropanoids, their larvae are differentially affected. We investigate here the impact of prior oviposition on the transcriptome and phytohormone levels of plants that were later attacked by larvae to find regulatory signals of this priming.

The Plant Immunity Regulating F-Box Protein Supports Plastid Function in Absence of Pathogens.

The mutant ( of was isolated in a genetic screening approach for mutants with defects in chloroplast-to-nucleus redox signaling. It has an atypically low activation status of the 2-Cys peroxiredoxin-A promoter in the seedling stage. shows wildtype-like germination, seedling development and greening, but slower growth and reduced biomass in the rosette stage.

Solanum dulcamara's response to eggs of an insect herbivore comprises ovicidal hydrogen peroxide production.

Plants can respond to insect oviposition, but little is known about which responses directly target the insect eggs and how. Here, we reveal a mechanism by which the bittersweet nightshade Solanum dulcamara kills the eggs of a generalist noctuid herbivore. The plant responded at the site of oviposition by Spodoptera exigua with formation of neoplasms and chlorotic tissue, accumulation of reactive oxygen species and induction of defence genes and proteins.

Transcriptomic responses of Solanum dulcamara to natural and simulated herbivory.

Plants are attacked by diverse herbivores and respond with manifold defence responses. To study transcriptional and other early regulation events of these plant responses, herbivory is often simulated to standardize the temporal and spatial dynamics that vary tremendously for natural herbivory. Yet, to what extent such simulations of herbivory are able to elicit the same plant response as real herbivory remains largely undetermined.

Sequential above- and belowground herbivory modifies plant responses depending on herbivore identity.

Background: Herbivore-induced changes in plant traits can cause indirect interactions between spatially and/or temporally separated herbivores that share the same host plant. Feeding modes of the herbivores is one of the major factors that influence the outcome of such interactions. Here, we tested whether the effects of transient aboveground herbivory for seven days by herbivores of different feeding guilds on tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) alters their interaction with spatially as well as temporally separated belowground herbivores.

Jasmonate signalling in plants shapes plant-insect interaction ecology.

The phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA) regulates the induction of direct and indirect defences against herbivores. By now, the biochemical pathway of JA-signalling has been well resolved, allowing the use of an interdisciplinary toolbox and spurring the mechanistic investigation of plant-insect interactions. Recent advances show that JA-mediated plant responses are involved in the competitive and trophic interactions between various organisms throughout at least four trophic levels and therefore likely shape natural communities.

Extrafloral nectar secretion from wounds of Solanum dulcamara.

Plants usually close wounds rapidly to prevent infections and the loss of valuable resources such as assimilates(1). However, herbivore-inflicted wounds on the bittersweet nightshade Solanum dulcamara appear not to close completely and produce sugary wound secretions visible as droplets. Many plants across the plant kingdom secrete sugary nectar from extrafloral nectaries(2) to attract natural enemies of herbivores for indirect defence(3,4).

Drought and flooding have distinct effects on herbivore-induced responses and resistance in Solanum dulcamara.

In the field, biotic and abiotic stresses frequently co-occur. As a consequence, common molecular signalling pathways governing adaptive responses to individual stresses can interact, resulting in compromised phenotypes. How plant signalling pathways interact under combined stresses is poorly understood.