Parsnip Webworms as Selective Agents On Primary Metabolites of Wild Parsnip

防风草网虫作为野生防风草初级代谢物的选择剂

• 批准号: 9509826
• 负责人: May Berenbaum
• 金额: $ 9.25万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1995
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1995-07-15 至 1996-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9509826&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Parsnip; Webworms; Selective; Agents; Primary

9509826 Berenbaum The interactions between the parsnip webworm, an introduced plant-feeding insect, and the wild parsnip, an introduced weed that serves as its principal host throughout its range, is one of very few natural systems in which estimates have been made of the ability of an insect to select for chemically based resistance in its hostplant. To date, attention in this system has focused on the role of furanocoumarins, insecticidal compounds produced by the plant, in conferring resistance against the insect. The focus of this proposal is to determine whether plant primary metabolites, which may serve as nutrients for insects, are under selection by insect herbivores. The hypothesis that plant nutritional quality can evolve in response to insect herbivory has remained effectively untested for almost two decades. This study is one of few to examine the consequences of variation in plant primary metabolites on insect resistance and as such can be used to evaluate that hypothesis and its implication for studies of plant/insect interactions. In addition to its importance to basic studies, this project has implications for the management of crop-consuming pest species. There is currently interest in developing novel mechanisms to reduce pest problems in agroecosystems and at the same time reduce chemical inputs to those systems. Because humans do not feed exclusively on a single plant species, as do many phytophagous insects, selective breeding for altered nutrient levels in plants may lead to reductions in insect damage in the absence of chemical inputs, with little or no adverse impacts on human consumers.

[509826] Berenbaum引进的植食昆虫防风草网虫和野生防风草之间的相互作用是为数不多的自然系统之一，在这种系统中，昆虫对其寄主植物的化学抗性进行了选择。迄今为止，这一系统的注意力集中在呋喃香豆素的作用上，呋喃香豆素是由植物产生的杀虫化合物，在赋予对昆虫的抗性方面。本研究的重点是确定植物初级代谢物是否受到昆虫食草动物的选择，这些代谢物可能作为昆虫的营养物质。近二十年来，植物营养质量可以随着昆虫食草性的变化而进化的假设一直没有得到有效的验证。这项研究是少数研究植物初级代谢物变异对昆虫抗性影响的研究之一，因此可以用来评估这一假设及其对植物/昆虫相互作用研究的意义。除了对基础研究的重要性外，该项目还对作物消耗害虫的管理具有启示意义。目前有兴趣发展新的机制，以减少农业生态系统中的有害生物问题，同时减少对这些系统的化学投入。由于人类不像许多食植物昆虫那样只以单一植物物种为食，因此在没有化学物质投入的情况下，通过选择性育种改变植物的营养水平可能会减少昆虫的危害，对人类消费者几乎没有不利影响。