Arthropod-Plant Interactions最新文献

{"title":"Comparative performance and transcriptomics of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in response to Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera, Apidae) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid","authors":"Xunbing Huang,&nbsp;Ying Huang,&nbsp;Xiaoyan Dai,&nbsp;Li Zheng,&nbsp;Hao Chen,&nbsp;Yan Liu,&nbsp;Peiqun Zhu,&nbsp;Shuer Zhang,&nbsp;Junyang Jia,&nbsp;Yifan Zhai","doi":"10.1007/s11829-023-10024-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-023-10024-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The introduction of pollinator bumblebees (<i>Bombus terrestris</i>) or using the plant hormone, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), are common methods to improve tomato production in greenhouses. In this study, we compared the performance and transcriptomics of <i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> in response to <i>B. terrestris</i> and 2,4-D in greenhouse experiments. Tomato plants exposed to bumblebees had significantly higher fruiting rate and yield, weight and seed amounts, and significantly improved vitamin C, lycopene, soluble sugar contents, compared to hormone treatment. Bumblebee-treated tomatoes had 1171 significantly up-regulated genes, mainly enriched in photosynthesis, response to wounding, flavonoid biosynthesis, and carbohydrate biosynthetic process. By contrast, a total of 718 genes of 2,4-D-treated tomatoes were significantly up-regulated, which were mainly enriched in UDP-glucosyltransferase activity, response to chemical or auxin. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of 14 candidate genes all exhibited good reproduction with the transcriptome data. These responses implied that bumblebee-treated tomatoes had improved photosynthesis and carbon-fixation capacity compared to 2,4-D-treated tomatoes. The use of bumblebees, as natural pollinators should be widely adopted in greenhouse horticulture to increase tomato yields and its nutritional contents.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 2","pages":"241 - 251"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139175066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ovicidal and oviposition deterrence properties of Tabernaemontana divaricata (Apocynaceae) against Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus in Sri Lanka","authors":"W. M. S. H. Wijesundara,&nbsp;T. C. Weeraratne,&nbsp;W. A. Priyanka P. de Silva","doi":"10.1007/s11829-023-10032-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-023-10032-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Plant-based insecticides have an increasing demand in mosquito control programs due to the eco-friendly nature of botanical products. We examined the ovicidal and oviposition deterrent properties of ethanol extracts of <i>Tabernaemontana divaricata</i> leaves against <i>Aedes albopictus</i> and <i>Culex quinquefasciatus</i> mosquitoes. Ovicidal bioassays were conducted to determine the lethal concentrations required to kill 50% and 90% of mosquito eggs (LC₅₀ and LC₉₀). Oviposition deterrent activity of leaf extracts was evaluated using 1% treatment solutions (2 g leaf powder: 200 ml distilled water). The number of eggs laid in treatments and controls was recorded for 7 days. LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ for <i>Ae. albopictus</i> were 626.6 and 892.5 ppm, respectively. For <i>Cx. quinquefasciatus</i>, LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ were 553.2 and 621.1 ppm, respectively. A strong positive correlation was reported between egg mortalities and concentrations (<i>Aedes albopictus</i> r = 0.993, p = 0.001; <i>Culex quinquefasciatus</i>, r = 0.992, p = 0.001). Eggs of <i>Cx. quinquefasciatus</i> were more susceptible to leaf extracts compared to those of <i>Ae. albopictus</i>. The deterrent properties of the plant extracts were relatively high during the first few days of the treatment (99.8% for <i>Ae. albopictus</i> and 100% for <i>Cx. quinquefasciatus</i>). The gradual reduction of the deterrent properties was observed after the second day of treatment for <i>Ae. albopictus</i> and the third day for <i>Cx. quinquefasciatus</i>. The oviposition activity index (OAI) ranged from − 0.968 to -0.120 for <i>Ae. albopictus</i> and − 1 to -0.53 for <i>Cx. quinquefasciatus</i>. The results reveal the ovicidal and oviposition deterrent properties of the leaf extracts of <i>Ta. divaricata</i> against <i>Ae. albopictus</i> and <i>Cx. quinquefasciatus.</i></p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 2","pages":"317 - 325"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139005626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bottom-up effects of apple cultivars on parasitoids via aphid hosts","authors":"Thomas Denoirjean,&nbsp;Charlotte Engels,&nbsp;Guillaume Jean Le Goff,&nbsp;Françoise Dubois,&nbsp;Kévin Tougeron,&nbsp;Géraldine Doury,&nbsp;Arnaud Ameline,&nbsp;Aude Couty","doi":"10.1007/s11829-023-10020-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-023-10020-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Variability of intraspecific host plant quality for phytophagous insects may have consequences on the structure and functioning of associated food webs. The quality of host plants can affect aphids fitness, influencing their life history traits and altering the nutritional resources available to higher trophic levels, potentially affecting the development of solitary parasitoids. Here, we assessed the potential bottom-up effects of intraspecific variability among three cultivars (Gala, Ariane, and Greensleeves) of the domesticated apple tree (<i>Malus domestica</i>) with putative resistance towards the rosy apple aphid (<i>Dysaphis plantaginea</i>) on the aphid’s performance, and its cascading effects on the parasitoid <i>Ephedrus cerasicola</i>. We measured aphids pre-reproductive period, lipid, and water contents, and recorded their feeding behavior using the electropenetrography technique. Parasitoid developmental duration, sex ratio, hind tibia size, and female egg load were measured and used to evaluate <i>E. cerasicola</i> performance according to the cultivar on which their aphid hosts had been reared. Only the development time of parasitoids was found to be longer on Ariane and Green Sleeves cultivars than on the Gala cultivar. Aphid-feeding behavior variables related to phloem consumption were negatively impacted on apple tree cultivars on which the development time of parasitoids had been reduced. We discuss ways in which cultivar quality can be an important component of tritrophic interactions: the resistant Ariane and Green Sleeves cultivars negatively impacted the aphids but appeared to have limited bottom-up effects on the parasitoids.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 1","pages":"181 - 192"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138595302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seasonal variation in the strength and consistency of tritrophic interactions among treehoppers, plants, and ants may favor generalist relationships","authors":"T. William Shoenberger,&nbsp;Kasey D. Fowler-Finn","doi":"10.1007/s11829-023-10012-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-023-10012-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Organisms interact with numerous species in their environment, and these interactions can influence a variety of social and ecological processes. Thus, temporal and spatial variation in species interactions is important for understanding the fitness consequences of multi-trophic relationships. Here, we investigate how tritrophic interactions between a host plant generalist sap-feeding insect, host plant species, and ant mutualists vary in a prairie habitat. We used field transects to quantify the abundances of three host plant species, three species of ants, and the treehopper <i>Entylia carinata</i>. We repeated the transects from Spring until late Fall to quantify seasonal changes in abundances, and across three years to investigate stability of tritrophic relationships across years. In the first year of the study, we also measured plant height. Finally, we characterized variation in the tending behavior of the three species of ants. We found that certain plant-ant species combinations are more common than others. While tritrophic associations between plants, ants, and treehoppers changed seasonally, they were largely stable across years. Furthermore, we found pervasive effects of ants on <i>E. carinata</i>, including <i>E. carinata</i> presence and abundance, <i>E. carinata</i> aggregation size and abundance, <i>E. carinata</i> nest presence and abundance, and <i>E. carinata</i> nest-tending behavior. Plant species had fewer effects, but affected <i>E. carinata</i> presence and abundance as well as the likelihood of <i>E. carinata</i> aggregations occurring on a plant. Finally, significant seasonal changes in ant abundances and ant tending rates create dynamic temporal variation in tritrophic interactions. The patterns observed are likely to have significant effects on <i>E. carinata</i> populations, and—due to the importance of ant-treehopper mutualisms in local ecosystems—cascading effects on local communities.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 1","pages":"149 - 163"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138625328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Visual and chemical cues in the host plant selection of the melon ladybird Chnootriba elaterii (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)","authors":"Valerio Saitta,&nbsp;Manuela Rebora,&nbsp;Silvana Piersanti,&nbsp;Gianandrea Salerno","doi":"10.1007/s11829-023-10018-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-023-10018-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Phytophagous insects employ various sensory cues in the host plant location such as visual, olfactory, gustatory, and tactile stimuli, which are perceived by sensory systems and integrated in higher brain centres to trigger the correct behavioural responses. In the present study, the host location process of the oligophagous species <i>Chnootriba elaterii</i> (melon ladybird) is investigated in controlled conditions using both a Y-Tube olfactometer and an open Y-Track olfactometer. Olfactory and visual cues from the host plant act synergistically to lead the ladybirds towards the host plant. Females of <i>C. elaterii</i> are not able to discriminate between host and non-host plants using either olfactory or visual cues alone. Visual cues, particularly those associated with the colour green, are of higher relative importance compared to olfactory cues in the host location process. Green dummy plants made of cardboard represent strong supernormal stimuli for C<i>. elaterii</i> females. The results of the present study can shed light on the host location process of Coccinellidae and can help to develop visual or chemical traps which can be useful in monitoring and controlling this important crop pest of the Mediterranean Basin.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 4","pages":"637 - 649"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11829-023-10018-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139216084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Are expanding rolled leaves of aroids used as shelter sites by arthropods? Effects of leaf size and environmental context","authors":"Rodrigo Lucas-García,&nbsp;Armando Aguirre-Jaimes,&nbsp;Luis G. Quijano-Cuervo,&nbsp;Samuel Novais","doi":"10.1007/s11829-023-10017-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-023-10017-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In nature, leaf rolls form during the expansion of young leaves of some plant species but their importance as shelter structures for arthropods is unknown. We examined the role of expanding rolled leaves of aroid species as shelter sites for arthropods and evaluated the effect of leaf size and environmental context (natural forest vs pastures) on the occupation of these leaves. In a Mexican tropical rainforest, arthropods were sampled from 25 fully expanded and 25 expanding rolled leaves of each of three aroid species (<i>Rhodospatha wendlandii, Dieffenbachia oerstedii,</i> and <i>Spathiphyllum ortgiesii</i>), that differ in the size of their leaves. In addition, for <i>D. oerstedii</i> we also collected leaves from a pasture area. We recorded 120 arthropods (44 in expanded and 76 in rolled leaves) from 53 unique morphospecies (21 and 38). Average arthropod abundance was greater in rolled leaves compared with expanded leaves. Average arthropod species richness and abundance, and colonization frequency were lower in the aroid species with smaller leaves (<i>R. wendlandii</i>). Although we found no significant effects of habitat type on arthropods in rolled leaves of <i>D. oerstedii</i>, 3.4 times more individuals (34) and 2.11 times more morphospecies (19) were found in the rolled leaves in the forest compared with those in pasture (10 and 9). This study demonstrates that expanding rolled leaves of aroids, despite being an ephemeral resource, represent suitable leaf shelters used by a diverse arthropod fauna, and that leaf size and environmental context are important factors that affect the colonization of these leaves by arthropods.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 1","pages":"43 - 53"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139233014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Speciose nonpollinating wasp community and parasitic pressure: crops without pollinators in figs of Ficus subpisocarpa","authors":"Yun-Peng Chiang,&nbsp;Lien-Siang Chou,&nbsp;Anthony Bain","doi":"10.1007/s11829-023-10016-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-023-10016-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Wasp communities are often complex and speciose and often associated with plant and herbivorous hosts. Nonpollinating wasps are one example of these communities: these communities can reach 20 species on a single species of <i>Ficus</i> trees. Such diversity implies that the number of interactions is high, and the trophic web may be complicated to disentangle. Some of wasp species may be gall wasps whereas the majority of them are parasitoid wasps feeding on other wasp species larvae. To understand the nonpollinating fig wasp community associated with <i>Ficus subpisocarpa</i> in Northern Taiwan, the oviposition timing of the fig wasps has been monitored and a bagging experiment has been done on several crops. Twenty-one morphospecies were found, and three fig crops type were defined by the wasp composition and fig traits as “typical” crops, “rare NPFWs” crops (RN), and “rare pollinators” (RP) crops. The diversity indexes showed that the typical type has the highest diversity and the RN type, which is the most dissimilar crop from the others, has the lowest diversity. From their oviposition time along the fig development, the nonpollinating fig wasps can be easily divided into two guilds: gall wasps and parasitoid wasps. Moreover, one of the most striking results of this study is the presence of figs that do not produce any pollinator in RP crops. The implications of this type of crops on the mutualism between <i>Ficus subpisocarpa</i> and its pollinator are discussed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 1","pages":"165 - 180"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139241049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Damage caused by Tetranychus urticae and Frankliniella occidentalis on rose plant: effect of different initial population densities","authors":"Samaneh Yari,&nbsp;Hamidreza Hajiqanbar,&nbsp;Yaghoub Fathipour,&nbsp;Azadeh Farazmand,&nbsp;Arash Rashed","doi":"10.1007/s11829-023-10014-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-023-10014-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The western flower thrips, <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i> (Pergand) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), and the two-spotted spider mite, <i>Tetranychus urticae</i> Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), are major economic pests of many ornamental plants including roses. We investigated the effects of the initial population densities of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 <i>T. urticae, F. occidentalis,</i> and <i>T. urticae/F. occidentalis</i> (co-infestation) on the final pest densities on leaves and petals, the leaf chlorophyll content, and flower shelf life on <i>Rosa hybrida,</i> under controlled conditions. We also evaluated <i>F. occidentalis</i> damage to the flower petals in the presence and absence of <i>T. urticae</i>. The evaluations were made 5, 10, or 15 days after infestations. The final population densities of <i>T. urticae</i> and <i>F. occidentalis</i> on leaves and petals were influenced by the initial population density treatment and the duration of infestation. <i>Tetranychus urticae</i> primarily colonized the leaf tissue and considerably fewer mites were present on petals whereas <i>F. occidentalis</i> primarily colonized flower petals; these patterns remained consistent for the <i>T. urticae</i>/<i>F. occidentalis</i> co-infestations. The chlorophyll content was influenced by the initial population density and the infestation duration of <i>T. urticae</i> and <i>T. urticae/F. occidentalis</i>. However, the initial population density and the infestation duration of <i>F. occidentalis</i> did not significantly affect the leaf chlorophyll content. Although flower shelf life was not influenced by the <i>T. urticae</i> presence or density, the initial population densities of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 <i>F. occidentalis</i> reduced flower shelf life by 6.4, 17.5, 23.9, 32.6, 36.7, and 43.5%, respectively, in flowers harvested 5 days after infestation. The initial density of <i>F. occidentalis</i> also influenced the necrotic surface area and the number of damaged petals in the absence or presence of <i>T. urticae</i>. The damage threshold in cut roses is considerably lower for <i>F. occidentalis</i> compared to <i>T. urticae</i> and preventive methods are recommended to minimize losses to this pest.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 1","pages":"117 - 127"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139244247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Response of P450 gene of Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in succession adaptation to broad bean plant","authors":"Li Liu,&nbsp;Wenbo Yue,&nbsp;Wen Xie,&nbsp;Tao Zhang,&nbsp;Junrui Zhi","doi":"10.1007/s11829-023-10015-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-023-10015-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In insects, cytochrome P450 (CYP), an important detoxification enzyme, is crucial in host plant adaptation. In this study, we discerned the alterations in the expression of <i>CYP</i> genes in western flower thrips (WFT; <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>) in developing adaptation to broad bean plants. The alterations in the expression levels of <i>CYP4</i> and <i>CYP6</i> were examined after transferring the WFT reared on kidney bean pods (control) to broad bean plants and rearing for three generations (treatments). The findings showed that <i>CYP6-2</i> in 2nd instar nymphs, <i>CYP4-3,</i> and <i>CYP6-2</i> in adults were significantly upregulated in the F₁ generation, while other genes did not show significant changes. Furthermore, in the F₂ 2nd instar nymphs, most <i>CYP</i> genes were highly expressed, whereas, in the F₂ and F₃ generations, four <i>CYP4</i> and two <i>CYP6</i> genes in the 2nd instar nymphs and five <i>CYP4</i> and three <i>CYP6</i> genes in the adults showed a similar level of expressions. These results revealed that expression of <i>P450</i> genes in WFT was related to their developmental stages and adaptive generations. Overall, the study provides insights into the understanding of the evolution of host adaptability of WFT and could assist in the integrated control of WFT.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 1","pages":"33 - 42"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139250193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adaptive phenotypic plasticity of mandibles with respect to host plants","authors":"Indukala Prasannakumar,&nbsp;Ullasa Kodandaramaiah","doi":"10.1007/s11829-023-10013-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-023-10013-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Polyphagous butterflies, i.e., those that feed on multiple host plants, need to evolve adaptations against the defenses of many plants. Studies have focused on chemical defenses of host plants and counter-adaptations of their herbivores. Physical defenses, despite being the first line of defense of many plants, have received little attention. Grass feeding butterflies are among the most speciose adaptive radiations among insects. Grasses rely primarily on physical rather than chemical defenses. Therefore, it is interesting to understand how butterflies have adapted to grass feeding. Mandibles are the principal biting and chewing organs in insect larvae, and mandible morphology should affect the ability of butterflies to effectively feed on their host plants. We here ask whether grass feeding butterflies have plasticity in mandibular morphology to cope with grass physical defenses, using the widespread grass feeding butterfly <i>Mycalesis mineus</i> as a model. We first show that physical defenses of grasses, such as leaf toughness, presence of silica deposits and trichomes, negatively affect body size of the butterfly. Our results further indicate that larvae of <i>M. mineus</i> show mandible plasticity, with increased mandibular length and relative mass investment, when feeding on tougher leaves and leaves with silica deposits. We suggest that the evolution of mandible plasticity may have been a key component of the coevolutionary arms race between grasses and herbivorous insects. This plasticity may have also allowed butterflies such as <i>M. mineus</i> to colonize a broad range of habitats and geographic regions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 1","pages":"77 - 88"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139247053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}