Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence belowground interactions between a specialist root-feeder and its natural enemy
As primary producers, plants play a central role in mediating interactions across trophic levels. Although plants are the primary food source for herbivorous insects, they can protect themselves from herbivore damage. Many plants produce toxic compounds that directly reduce herbivore feeding, but pl...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Academic Press
2024
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117507/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117507/1/117507.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848867267727589376 |
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| author | Davidson-Lowe, Elizabeth Zainuddin, Nursyafiqi Trase, Olivia McCarthy, Nathaniel Ali, Jared Gregory |
| author_facet | Davidson-Lowe, Elizabeth Zainuddin, Nursyafiqi Trase, Olivia McCarthy, Nathaniel Ali, Jared Gregory |
| author_sort | Davidson-Lowe, Elizabeth |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | As primary producers, plants play a central role in mediating interactions across trophic levels. Although plants are the primary food source for herbivorous insects, they can protect themselves from herbivore damage. Many plants produce toxic compounds that directly reduce herbivore feeding, but plants also protect themselves indirectly by attracting natural enemies of the attacking herbivore through volatile signaling. These so-called tri-trophic interactions have historically been documented aboveground in aerial plant parts but are also known to occur belowground in root systems. In addition to herbivores, plants directly interact with other organisms, which can influence the outcomes of tri-trophic interactions. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are symbiotic soil microbes that colonize the roots of plants and facilitate nutrient uptake. These microbes can alter plant chemistry and subsequent resistance to herbivores. Few studies, however, have shown how AMF affect tri-trophic interactions above- or belowground. This study examines how AMF colonization affects the emission of root volatiles when plants are under attack by western corn rootworm, a problematic pest of corn, and subsequent attraction of entomopathogenic nematodes, a natural enemy of western corn rootworm. Mycorrhizal fungi increased rootworm survival but decreased larval weight. Differences were detected across root volatile profiles, but there was not a clear link between volatile signaling and nematode behavior. Nematodes were more attracted to non-mycorrhizal plants without rootworms and AMF alone in soil, suggesting that AMF may interfere with cues that are used in combination with volatiles which nematodes use to locate prey. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:33:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-117507 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:33:47Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publisher | Academic Press |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-1175072025-07-09T06:32:35Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117507/ Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence belowground interactions between a specialist root-feeder and its natural enemy Davidson-Lowe, Elizabeth Zainuddin, Nursyafiqi Trase, Olivia McCarthy, Nathaniel Ali, Jared Gregory As primary producers, plants play a central role in mediating interactions across trophic levels. Although plants are the primary food source for herbivorous insects, they can protect themselves from herbivore damage. Many plants produce toxic compounds that directly reduce herbivore feeding, but plants also protect themselves indirectly by attracting natural enemies of the attacking herbivore through volatile signaling. These so-called tri-trophic interactions have historically been documented aboveground in aerial plant parts but are also known to occur belowground in root systems. In addition to herbivores, plants directly interact with other organisms, which can influence the outcomes of tri-trophic interactions. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are symbiotic soil microbes that colonize the roots of plants and facilitate nutrient uptake. These microbes can alter plant chemistry and subsequent resistance to herbivores. Few studies, however, have shown how AMF affect tri-trophic interactions above- or belowground. This study examines how AMF colonization affects the emission of root volatiles when plants are under attack by western corn rootworm, a problematic pest of corn, and subsequent attraction of entomopathogenic nematodes, a natural enemy of western corn rootworm. Mycorrhizal fungi increased rootworm survival but decreased larval weight. Differences were detected across root volatile profiles, but there was not a clear link between volatile signaling and nematode behavior. Nematodes were more attracted to non-mycorrhizal plants without rootworms and AMF alone in soil, suggesting that AMF may interfere with cues that are used in combination with volatiles which nematodes use to locate prey. Academic Press 2024 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117507/1/117507.pdf Davidson-Lowe, Elizabeth and Zainuddin, Nursyafiqi and Trase, Olivia and McCarthy, Nathaniel and Ali, Jared Gregory (2024) Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence belowground interactions between a specialist root-feeder and its natural enemy. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 207. art. no. 108200. pp. 1-8. ISSN 0022-2011; eISSN: 1096-0805 https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0022201124001435 10.1016/j.jip.2024.108200 |
| spellingShingle | Davidson-Lowe, Elizabeth Zainuddin, Nursyafiqi Trase, Olivia McCarthy, Nathaniel Ali, Jared Gregory Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence belowground interactions between a specialist root-feeder and its natural enemy |
| title | Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence belowground interactions between a specialist root-feeder and its natural enemy |
| title_full | Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence belowground interactions between a specialist root-feeder and its natural enemy |
| title_fullStr | Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence belowground interactions between a specialist root-feeder and its natural enemy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence belowground interactions between a specialist root-feeder and its natural enemy |
| title_short | Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence belowground interactions between a specialist root-feeder and its natural enemy |
| title_sort | arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence belowground interactions between a specialist root-feeder and its natural enemy |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117507/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117507/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117507/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117507/1/117507.pdf |