茉莉酸信号途径是植物抗虫研究的热点之一。过去的研究集中在茉莉酸类信号物质对植物抗性的重要性，但没有关注茉莉酸类信号对植食性昆虫反防御的影响，更加没有系统研究茉莉酸类信号连续处理昆虫多代以后对昆虫反防御能力的影响，以及茉莉酸类信号介导的植物与昆虫间相互防御的成本和受益。. 固着生长在土地上的植物通过释放茉莉酸甲酯在植物间形成化学通讯，通知邻近植株提前进行防御准备，而昆虫截获植物的通讯信号后也进行防御准备，二者在这场“军备竞赛”中究竟谁会是最终的胜利者？. 本项目以杂食性害虫斜纹夜蛾和重要蔬菜作物番茄为实验材料，以茉莉酸甲酯模拟植物间通讯信号，将植物防御与昆虫的反防御结合起来研究各自的成本与受益，并研究茉莉酸类信号物质连续处理植食性昆虫多代后对其生长发育和防御的影响，为利用植物间通讯信号控制作物害虫奠定理论基础。

The role of Jasmonic acid (JA) pathway in plant defense responses against insect is always a hot research area. However, past studies were mainly focus on the central role of jasmonates (JAs) on plants resistance against herbivorous insects, but neglecting its effects on herbivore anti-defense, and paticularly the effects of continuous JAs treatment on successive generations of herbivore, and so far, still lack attention to the cost and benefit of plant defense and herbivore anti-defense induced by JAs..The sessile plants release methyl jasmonate (MeJA) to induce neighbors for higher levels of resistance againt herbivores in nature, nevertheless, herbivores could intercept plants’ communication information and rapidly enhance anti-denfense to adapt plants’ resistance, in this case, who will be the final winner in this ‘arm race’?.In this project, we plan to take important vegetable crop tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and polyphagous pest insect Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) as experimental materials, with MeJA analog communiction signals between plants, study effects of MeJA on herbivores’ anti-defense and growth as well as effects of MeJA on plants’ defense and growth, to analysis their respective cost and benefits induced by MeJA. In addition, changes in herbivores adaptive capacities after continuous treatment with MeJA on successive generations of herbivore will be compared. The results of this project will establishe a theoretical basis for the utlization of information cues between plant-plant communication in controlling crop pests.