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The effect of genetically enriched ( E )‐β‐ocimene and the role of floral scent in the attraction of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis to spider mite‐induced volatile blends of torenia
Author(s) -
Shimoda Takeshi,
Nishihara Masahiro,
Ozawa Rika,
Takabayashi Junji,
Arimura Genichiro
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.04018.x
Subject(s) - attraction , biology , spider mite , botany , olfactometer , green leaf volatiles , mite , predation , horticulture , herbivore , host (biology) , ecology , philosophy , linguistics
Summary• Plants under herbivore attack emit mixtures of volatiles (herbivore‐induced plant volatiles, HIPVs) that can attract predators of the herbivores. Although the composition of HIPVs should be critical for the attraction, most studies of transgenic plant‐emitted volatiles have simply addressed the effect of trans‐volatiles without embedding in other endogenous plant volatiles. • We investigated the abilities of transgenic wishbone flower plants ( Torenia hybrida and Torenia fournieri ) infested with spider mites, emitting a trans‐volatile (( E )‐β‐ocimene) in the presence or absence of endogenous volatiles (natural HIPVs and/or floral volatiles), to attract predatory mites ( Phytoseiulus persimilis ). • In both olfactory‐ and glasshouse‐based assays, P. persimilis females were attracted to natural HIPVs from infested wildtype (wt) plants of T. hybrida but not to those of T. fournieri . The trans‐volatile enhanced the ability to attract P. persimilis only when added to an active HIPV blend from the infested transgenic T. hybrida plants, in comparison with the attraction by infested wt plants. Intriguingly, floral volatiles abolished the enhanced attractive ability of T. hybrida transformants, although floral volatiles themselves did not elicit any attraction or avoidance behavior. • Predator responses to trans‐volatiles were found to depend on various background volatiles (e.g. natural HIPVs and floral volatiles) endogenously emitted by the transgenic plants.