Open AccessThe ability to manipulate plant glucosinolates and nutrients explains the better performance of Bemisia tabaci Middle East‐Asia Minor 1 than Mediterranean on cabbage plants
Author(s) -
Cui Hongying,
Guo Litao,
Wang Shaoli,
Xie Wen,
Jiao Xiaoguo,
Wu Qingjun,
Zhang Youjun
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
ecology and evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.17
H-Index - 63
ISSN - 2045-7758
DOI - 10.1002/ece3.2921
Subject(s) - biology , glucosinolate , glucoraphanin , sinigrin , infestation , herbivore , botany , jasmonic acid , horticulture , host (biology) , fecundity , nutrient , brassica , salicylic acid , ecology , population , demography , sociology , genetics
The performance of herbivorous insects is greatly affected by host chemical defenses and nutritional quality. Some herbivores have developed the ability to manipulate plant defenses via signaling pathways. It is currently unclear, however, whether a herbivore can benefit by simultaneously reducing plant defenses and enhancing plant nutritional quality. Here, we show that the better performance of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Middle East‐Asia Minor 1 ( MEAM 1; formerly the “B” biotype) than Mediterranean ( MED ; formerly the “Q” biotype) on cabbage is associated with a suppression of glucosinolate ( GS ) content and an increase in amino acid supply in MEAM 1‐infested cabbage compared with MED ‐infested cabbage. MEAM 1 had higher survival, higher fecundity, higher intrinsic rate of increase ( r m ), a longer life span, and a shorter developmental time than MED on cabbage plants. Amino acid content was higher in cabbage infested with MEAM 1 than MED . Although infestation by either biotype decreased the levels of total GS , aliphatic GS , glucoiberin, sinigrin, glucobrassicin, and 4 OH ‐glucobrassicin, and the expression of related genes in cabbage, MED infestation increased the levels of 4 ME ‐glucobrassicin, neoglucobrassicin, progoitrin, and glucoraphanin. The GS content and expression of GS ‐related genes were higher in cabbage infested with MED than with MEAM 1. Our results suggest that MEAM 1 performs better than MED on cabbage by manipulating host defenses and nutritional quality.