| Title |
Response of a Predatory ant to Volatiles Emitted by Aphid- and Caterpillar-Infested Cucumber and Potato Plants
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Journal of Chemical Ecology, September 2017
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s10886-017-0887-z |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Mauro Schettino, Donato A. Grasso, Berhane T. Weldegergis, Cristina Castracani, Alessandra Mori, Marcel Dicke, Joop C. Van Lenteren, Joop J. A. Van Loon |
| Abstract |
In response to herbivory by insects, various plants produce volatiles that attract enemies of the herbivores. Although ants are important components of natural and agro-ecosystems, the importance of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) as cues for ants for finding food sources have received little attention. We investigated responses of the ant Formica pratensis to volatiles emitted by uninfested and insect-infested cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants. Cucumber plants were infested by the phloem-feeding aphid Aphis gossypii, the leaf chewer Mamestra brassicae or simultaneously by both insects. Potato plants were infested by either Aphis gossypii, by the leaf chewer Chrysodeixis chalcites or both. In olfactometer experiments, ants preferred volatile blends emitted by cucumber plants infested with M. brassicae caterpillars alone or combined with A. gossypii to volatiles of undamaged plants or plants damaged by A. gossypii only. No preference was recorded in choice tests between volatiles released by aphid-infested plants over undamaged plants. Volatiles emitted by potato plants infested by either C. chalcites or A. gossypii were preferred by ants over volatiles released by undamaged plants. Ants did not discriminate between potato plants infested with aphids and caterpillars over plants infested with aphids only. Plant headspace composition showed qualitative and/or quantitative differences between herbivore treatments. Multivariate analysis revealed clear separation between uninfested and infested plants and among herbivore treatments. The importance of HIPVs in indirect plant defence by ants is discussed in the context of the ecology of ant-plant interactions and possible roles of ants in pest management. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profile of 1 X user who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 57 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 57 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 11 | 19% |
| Researcher | 8 | 14% |
| Student > Master | 7 | 12% |
| Professor | 5 | 9% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 4 | 7% |
| Other | 9 | 16% |
| Unknown | 13 | 23% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 31 | 54% |
| Environmental Science | 4 | 7% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 2 | 4% |
| Mathematics | 1 | 2% |
| Immunology and Microbiology | 1 | 2% |
| Other | 2 | 4% |
| Unknown | 16 | 28% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 13 December 2017.
All research outputs
#20,454,971
of 23,011,300 outputs
Outputs from Journal of Chemical Ecology
#1,886
of 2,055 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#279,674
of 320,387 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Journal of Chemical Ecology
#12
of 15 outputs
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