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The effects of qualitative and quantitative variation of aristolochic acids on preference and performance of a generalist herbivore
Author(s) -
Jeude Samantha E.,
Fordyce James A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
entomologia experimentalis et applicata
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1570-7458
pISSN - 0013-8703
DOI - 10.1111/eea.12159
Subject(s) - herbivore , generalist and specialist species , aristolochic acid , biology , exigua , larva , aristolochia , botany , ecology , biochemistry , habitat , spodoptera , gene , genetics , recombinant dna
Nearly all plants possess chemicals that are inferred to play a role in anti‐herbivore defense or resistance. The effects of various chemical defenses can vary among herbivores. Often, plant defensive compounds are examined in broad, inclusive categories, with an emphasis on total quantity, which might ignore qualitative variation in activity. Aristolochic acids are alkaloids characteristic of plants of the genus A ristolochia ( A ristolochiaceae). Although aristolochic acids have been documented as effective herbivore deterrents, it remains unknown whether different kinds of aristolochic acid vary in their efficacy as defense against herbivores. We manipulated the aristolochic acid content of artificial diet to examine the effects of four aristolochic acids on larval preference and performance of the generalist herbivore S podoptera exigua H übner ( L epidoptera: N octuidae). Using choice tests, we observed that the four aristolochic acids tested varied in their deterrent effectiveness, with AA ‐I having the strongest effect and AA ‐ II having the weakest effect. No‐choice tests were used to examine larval performance. The effect on performance varied among the aristolochic acids tested. Higher concentrations of aristolochic acid were generally associated with reduced larval developmental rate and larger size at pupation. These results indicate that various forms of aristolochic acid can vary in their effect on herbivores and that simple aggregate measures of total concentration might not reflect the chemical defensive phenotype of the plant.