Herbivores in Disguise--the Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

植物面临着潜在入侵者的猛攻。 为了成功地进行防御，植物会专门识别威胁（微生物与草食动物）并进行适当的防御。 作为有效的对策，食草动物可以解除植物的化学防御，甚至避开这些植物。核心假设是，作为一种反策略，一些食草动物以“伪装”的方式出现，从而避免被植物发现。 研究人员将研究食草动物，这些食草动物通过在植物上的口腔分泌物中释放肠道细菌来利用它们，从而被“错误地”识别为微生物。 因此，植物开启了对这些入侵者基本无效的错误防御。 这一假设将使用生物化学和分子方法进行测试，以确定负责抑制植物防御的特定口腔细菌。 该实验系统将包括食叶甲虫和毛虫以及几种作物物种（玉米，大豆，番茄）和野生植物物种（野生茄属，白杨和拟南芥）。 食草动物口腔分泌物的细菌群落将被饮食抗生素改变，然后测试抑制植物防御的活性。 负责抑制的特定细菌将在分子水平上进行鉴定和充分表征。 因此，这项研究工作在扩大对食草动物如何利用其宿主植物的理解方面具有变革性。由于研究系统涉及主要农作物/害虫，从这些研究中获得的知识可能对可持续害虫管理产生深远影响。 害虫肠道微生物区系的作用在很大程度上被忽视，但可以为害虫管理提供新的目标。 PI将把这项研究纳入本科课程，互动教育模块将在K-12学生的各种外联机会中展示。 调查人员还将在以前的外展/教育计划的基础上，为包括自闭症谱系障碍儿童和非洲裔美国人在内的服务不足的受众提供服务。

Plants face an onslaught of potential invaders. In order to mount successful defenses, plants specifically recognize the threat (microbe vs. herbivore) and mount the proper defense. As effective counterploys, herbivores may detoxify the chemical defenses of plants or even avoid these plants. The central hypothesis is that as a counterploy, some herbivores present themselves in "disguise" and thus avoid detection by plants. The investigators will study herbivores that exploit their gut bacteria by releasing them in their oral secretions on plants, and thus be "mistakenly" recognized as microbes. Consequently, plants turn on the incorrect defenses that are largely ineffective against these intruders. The hypothesis will be tested using biochemical and molecular approaches to identify specific oral bacteria responsible for suppressing plant defenses. The experimental system will include leaf-feeding beetles and caterpillars and several crop species (corn, soybeans, tomato) and wild plant species (wild Solanum, poplar, and Arabidopsis). The bacterial community of the oral secretions of the herbivores will be altered by dietary antibiotics and then tested for activity in suppressing plant defenses. Specific bacteria responsible for suppression will be identified and fully characterized at the molecular level. Thus the research work is transformative in expanding the understanding of how herbivores exploit their host plants. Because the study system involves key agricultural crops/pests, the knowledge gained from these studies may have far-reaching impact on informing sustainable pest management. The role of the gut microflora of pest insects has largely been ignored, but could offer new targets that for pest management. The PIs will incorporate this research in an undergraduate course and interactive educational modules will be presented at various outreach opportunities for K-12 students. The investigators will also build upon previous outreach/educational programs to underserved audiences including children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and African-Americans.