Arthropod-Plant Interactions最新文献

{"title":"Challenges in kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa) quality and its relationship with crop management factors","authors":"Facundo René Meroi Arcerito,&nbsp;Gregorio Fernández De Landa,&nbsp;Pablo Revainera,&nbsp;Mariana Paola Mazzei,&nbsp;Giulia Mitton,&nbsp;Facundo Ramos,&nbsp;Camila Corti,&nbsp;Martín Eguaras,&nbsp;Leonardo Galetto,&nbsp;Matias Maggi","doi":"10.1007/s11829-024-10076-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-024-10076-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Kiwifruit (<i>Actinidia chinensis</i> var. <i>deliciosa</i>) has become an important horticultural crop worldwide. Its dioecious nature challenges its commercial production, involving strategies for enhancing cross-pollination to reach a better fruit quality. The explanatory variables that can be linked to improving fruit quality analyzed in this work were pollination (through a hand-pollen application or by <i>Apis mellifera</i>, but also considering the ratio of female:male plants in each plot) and plant competition for resources during fruit development (controlled by thinning, but also considering plant density per plot). The response variables assessed to estimate fruit quality were fruit weight, number of seeds, and shape coefficient. We obtained different models showing how these explanatory variables influence the different indicators for fruit quality (sampling 25 fruits per plot) in seven plots. Results suggest that the female:male ratio and number of plants per hectare are the most influential explanatory variables related to fruit quality in the studied agroecosystem. The kiwifruits from plots with higher amounts of pollen manually added and higher ratios of female:male plants were significantly lighter. We recommend not settling more than 500 plants per hectare at the plot level. The natural pollination for kiwifruit production can be improved if the ratio of female:male plants per plot is ≤ 10/1 when the flowering period of both plant sexes is synchronized. Finally, we recommend that growers follow these numbers in considering the importance of planting male and female plants in close proximity but managing plant density to avoid competition for resources.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 5","pages":"991 - 998"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142451047","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":"Ladybird predators in natural and agricultural landscapes in Mexico: diversity and parasitism","authors":"W. Mendoza-Arroyo,&nbsp;E. del-Val","doi":"10.1007/s11829-024-10075-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-024-10075-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are a significant predator group that plays a role in agricultural contexts. They serve as important biocontrol agents against several agricultural pests. However, there is limited information available about how ladybirds’ populations are regulated by their natural enemies and habitat perturbation. In this study, we evaluated ladybird communities associated with natural and managed areas during the agricultural cycle of 2018 (June–September). We identified seven ladybird species; the most abundant species were <i>Hippodamia convergens</i> (70% individuals) and <i>Cycloneda sanguinea</i> (20% individuals), followed by the exotic species <i>Harmonia axyridis</i> (3.33% individuals), while <i>Paranaemia vittigera, Coleomegilla maculata, Brachiacantha</i> sp., and <i>Olla v-nigrum</i> represented less than 3% each. Ladybirds were more abundant in agricultural fields than in natural habitats. We identified several natural enemies associated with the collected ladybirds, including parasitoids (<i>Dinocampus coccinellae</i>, Hymenoptera: Braconidae), ectoparasitic Acari (<i>Coccipolipus</i> sp., Podapolipidae), and nematodes (Mermithidae). However, none of the natural enemies affected more than 10% of the ladybirds, so natural enemies do not appear to be exerting substantial control over their populations. Our results corroborated that ladybirds can efficiently thrive in anthropogenic habitats in Mexico and therefore may represent good biocontrol agents for agriculture. It is important to consider the ecology of agriculturally important ladybirds in programs for integrated pest management. This includes factors contributing to the mortality of ladybirds, including their natural enemies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 4","pages":"741 - 751"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11829-024-10075-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142414712","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":"Environmental factors driving infestations of a keystone winter fruit by an invasive and a native fruit fly","authors":"Gwenaëlle Deconninck,&nbsp;Méghan Boulembert,&nbsp;Patrice Eslin,&nbsp;Aude Couty,&nbsp;Anne Bonis,&nbsp;Nicolas Borowiec,&nbsp;Inessa Buch,&nbsp;Hervé Colinet,&nbsp;Lionel Delbac,&nbsp;Françoise Dubois,&nbsp;Vincent Foray,&nbsp;Emilie Gallet-Moron,&nbsp;Servane Lemauviel-Lavenant,&nbsp;Stéphanie Llopis,&nbsp;Jean-Francois Odoux,&nbsp;Sylvain Pincebourde,&nbsp;Marcel Thaon,&nbsp;Irène Till-Bottraud,&nbsp;Olivier Chabrerie","doi":"10.1007/s11829-024-10073-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-024-10073-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In temperate regions, most insect species overwinter in diapause while others continue to be active, feed, and possibly reproduce despite adverse climatic conditions. For fruit flies which remain active winter long, the presence of winter-available fruit is crucial for population persistence. This study aimed to disentangle the relative effects of climatic, landscape, and local factors on infestation rates of an important winter trophic resource, mistletoe (<i>Viscum album</i>) fruit, by drosophilid flies<i>.</i> Mistletoe fruits were sampled between January and July 2022 in seven regions of France, across a wide range of climatic conditions from Mediterranean to temperate oceanic. The fruits were used both by the invasive <i>Drosophila suzukii</i> and by the native <i>D. subobscura</i> in the latter part of winter and throughout spring, suggesting that this resource may assist these species to overcome the winter bottleneck. Infestations by both flies were positively associated with the presence of fallen mistletoe fruit on the ground and semi-natural (forest, hedgerow) and anthropogenic (garden, park) habitats. The mistletoe’s host tree species also influenced the fruit infestation rate. <i>Drosophila suzukii</i> infestation rate was positively impacted by the accumulated thermal energy (‘degree days’) in the previous 14 days. Mistletoe could act as a catalyst for the development of spring <i>D. suzukii</i> generations and should be considered in the context of integrative pest management strategies to prevent early infestation of crop fruit.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 5","pages":"867 - 880"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142451148","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":"From bites to bytes: analyzing leaf damage area with neural networks to assess Altica oleracea's (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) preferences for native and invasive plants from the Onagraceae family","authors":"E. N. Ustinova,&nbsp;S. V. Kolpinskiy,&nbsp;S. N. Lysenkov","doi":"10.1007/s11829-024-10072-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-024-10072-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The Enemy Release Hypothesis posits that invasive plants in secondary ranges are freed from phytophage pressure, yet local phytophages may adapt to these invasive species over time. This study investigated the dietary preferences of <i>Altica oleracea</i> in relation to three native (<i>Chamaenerion angustifolium</i> (L.) Scop., <i>Epilobium montanum</i> L., and <i>E. hirsutum</i> L.) and three invasive (<i>E. adenocaulon</i> Hausskn., <i>Oenothera biennis</i> L., <i>Oe. rubricaulis</i> Kleb.) plant species from the Onagraceae family. A neural network was employed to automate the calculation of leaf damage area for assessing the phytophagous insects' dietary preferences. <i>A. oleracea</i> demonstrated a pronounced preference for <i>Chamaenerion angustifolium</i> compared to other Onagraceae species, irrespective of their invasive status. Among imago, no significant preference was observed between native and invasive <i>Epilobium</i> species or between two <i>Oenothera</i> species. However, the larvae were more discerning and avoided <i>Oe. biennis</i>, rearing on which led to the least weight gain by larvae. The adult beetles' inability to differentiate between plants unsuitable for larvae could lead to an evolutionary trap. The prevalence of <i>Wolbachia</i> infection in the <i>A. oleracea</i> population may influence the further evolution of adaptability to invasive species and the formation of dietary preferences.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 5","pages":"853 - 865"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141099332","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":"Screening candidate effectors from the salivary gland transcriptomes of brown citrus aphid, Aphis citricidus","authors":"Chaozhi Shangguan,&nbsp;Yinhui Kuang,&nbsp;Zhiqin Chen,&nbsp;Xiudao Yu","doi":"10.1007/s11829-024-10071-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-024-10071-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The brown citrus aphid, <i>Aphis citricidus</i>, stands out as an important citrus pest that is an efficient vector for <i>Citrus tristeza virus</i> (CTV), the causal agent of important economic losses in citrus. Evidence suggests that aphids deliver salivary effector proteins inside their host cells to modulate plant physiology, suppress defense responses, and consequently favor the establishment and infestation. This study employed deep sequencing of RNA libraries to create a transcriptome of the salivary gland. Screening the transcriptome identified 115 unigenes encoding putatively secreted effector proteins. Eleven <i>A. citricidus</i> effectors exhibiting relatively low sequence identities were selected for gene expression analysis. Among them, six effectors (i.e., <i>AcE1</i>, <i>AcE2</i>, <i>AcE3</i>, <i>AcE5</i>, <i>AcE8</i>, and <i>AcE9</i>) displayed remarkably high expression levels in the head with salivary glands; <i>AcE4</i> was highly expressed in both head and gut tissue. Further transient overexpression revealed that <i>AcE4</i> could effectively inhibit INF1/BAX-induced leaf chlorosis in <i>Nicotiana benthamiana</i> leaves, implying its potential role in inhibiting plant defense mechanisms against aphid feeding. The findings of this study demonstrate the in silico identification of effector proteins from <i>A. citricidus</i>. Further investigation and analysis of these effectors, like as <i>AcE4</i>, will provide valuable knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms that govern the interaction between aphids and plants.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 5","pages":"841 - 851"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140964240","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":"Bee and plant traits drive temporal similarity of pollination interactions in areas under distinct restoration strategies","authors":"Caroline Ribeiro,&nbsp;Isabela Galarda Varassin,&nbsp;Thomaz Aurélio Pagioro,&nbsp;Jana Magaly Tesserolli de Souza","doi":"10.1007/s11829-024-10064-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-024-10064-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>One of the ways to evaluate the success of restoration strategies in degraded areas, in terms of restoring pollination, key process for the reproduction of most angiosperm species, is evaluating species traits, how they respond to changes in the environment and influence their interacting partners. In this study we asked: (i) does the phenological variation, the restoration strategy and the restoration age influence species richness, abundance, species composition and distribution of traits of bees and plants? (ii) do functionally similar species tend to interact with the same mutualistic partners? (iii) what are the most important traits that explain the similarity of interacting partners? We analyzed bee and plant communities in restored areas in the Atlantic Forest. We found that bee richness and abundance did not vary, and plant richness varied temporally. Bee and plant composition changed over time and among restoration strategies. Plant composition also varied with the restoration age. Functional composition, especially of bees, varied little among the tested factors. We also found that species with similar traits tended to interact with similar partners, and bee size, proboscis length and nesting sites were the most important traits to explain the interactions, while for plants, the most important traits were form of life, corolla color and shape. Our study demonstrated that interactions between bees and plants can be mediated by plant phenology and, considering that plant traits filter pollinators’ traits, the choice of plant traits in restoration areas is fundamental for interactions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 5","pages":"979 - 989"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140982143","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":"Diversity and assemblage patterns of ladybirds (Coccinellidae) in different crop management practices in Peninsular Malaysia","authors":"Nadia Nisha Musa,&nbsp;Siti Khairiyah Mohd Hatta,&nbsp;Salmah Yaakop","doi":"10.1007/s11829-024-10070-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-024-10070-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are important predatory insects found in many croplands, but their patterns of diversity and assemblage in diverse crop management practices remain understudied, especially in southeastern Asia. Their existence denotes a crucial need to update the diversity and assemblage pattern in diverse crop management practices. This study aims to (i) delimit ladybird species through DNA barcodes and (ii) compare the abundance of different ladybird taxa from different crop management practices. A total of 2260 ladybirds were collected and barcoded resulting in 12 species representing four subfamilies (Coccidulinae, Coccinellinae, Epilachninae, and Scymninae). Three predatory species dominated and were top contributors to the dissimilarity average for different crop management practices, i.e., <i>Coccinella transversalis</i>, <i>Micraspis discolor</i>, and <i>Cheilomenes sexmaculata</i>. Even though the effect of different crop management practices on ladybird abundance was insignificant (Kruskal Wallis, <i>p</i>-value &gt; 0.05), their diversity significantly varied across different practices (diversity <i>t</i>-test, <i>p</i>-value &lt; 0.05). Organic monocrop resulted in a higher value of Shannon index (H’), and richness than other management practices. Furthermore, monocrops comprised higher ladybird diversity than multicrops. While the species assemblage was not distinct (ANOSIM, <i>p</i>-value &gt; 0.05), a variation in assemblage composition and spatial distribution concerning the different crop management employed (NMDS, stress value = 0.12) was observed. The hierarchical dendrogram distinguished six clusters of ladybirds between organic and conventional management practices. More explorations are required to uncover the various effects of crop management practices on ladybirds’ fitness and survival in different landscapes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 4","pages":"723 - 740"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140985462","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":"Effect of faba bean nectar on longevity and fecundity of Plutella xylostella and its parasitoid Cotesia vestalis","authors":"Helena M. Ruhanen,&nbsp;Emma Räty,&nbsp;Joonas Mäkinen,&nbsp;Anne Kasurinen,&nbsp;James D. Blande","doi":"10.1007/s11829-024-10066-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-024-10066-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Intercropping faba bean with vegetables provides a possibility to promote pest control and better nutrient cycling in sustainable agriculture. Faba bean produces extrafloral nectar which supports parasitoid wasps that play a role in the biological control of pest insects. However, adult lepidopteran pests also benefit from nectar, increasing their lifespan and the number of offspring they produce. Here, a laboratory-based study was conducted to assess the role of faba bean on the components of a <i>Brassica</i>-based host-parasitoid system<i>.</i> We measured how access to faba bean affected the longevity and fecundity of the brassica pest <i>Plutella xylostella</i> and its parasitoid <i>Cotesia vestalis</i>. It was also studied if odors of flowering faba bean disrupt host finding by <i>C. vestalis</i> in Y-tube bioassays and volatile organic compounds were analyzed to explain the olfaction-based choices made by the parasitoids. The longevity of <i>C. vestalis</i> was 6.6 times longer and the number of pupae produced almost 10 times greater when they had access to faba bean. Meanwhile, the longevity of <i>P. xylostella</i> was 3.6 times longer and it laid 4.6 times more eggs when provided access to faba bean. In Y-tube bioassays, <i>C. vestalis</i> females also oriented toward host-related odors of the damaged cabbage more than intact cabbage when odors of faba bean were mixed with both of them. In conclusion, faba bean provided sustenance to both pest insects and their natural enemies that prolonged their lifespans and their reproductive capacity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 3","pages":"455 - 468"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11829-024-10066-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141000388","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":"Functional plants supporting predatory ladybirds in a peach orchard agroecosystem","authors":"Changbing Wu,&nbsp;Séverin Hatt,&nbsp;Da Xiao,&nbsp;Song Wang,&nbsp;Su Wang,&nbsp;Xiaojun Guo,&nbsp;Qingxuan Xu","doi":"10.1007/s11829-024-10069-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-024-10069-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Predatory ladybirds are key natural enemies of a diversity of crop pests. Conserving ladybirds in agroecosystems to benefit from their biocontrol potential requires to understand the ecological interactions between them and functional plants. A diversity of functional plants is known to offer resources improving ladybirds’ fitness and pest control effects. Yet, there is a lack of knowledge on the relationship between a diversity of functional plants found at the field scale and the dynamic of ladybird population. In this study conducted over three consecutive years, we investigated from early May to mid-August, the weekly abundance of predatory ladybirds on 15 functional plants and peach trees (<i>Prunus persica</i>) in a peach orchard agroecosystem in the Beijing Province of China. Seven plant species hosted 90% of the ladybird population throughout the study period. Through them, two abundance peaks of ladybirds were observed, with <i>Vitex negundo</i> and <i>Prunus persica</i> supporting the ladybirds in the first peak, <i>Artemisia sieversiana</i>, <i>Vigna unguiculata</i>, <i>Cosmos bipinnata</i>, <i>Zea mays</i> and <i>Helianthus annuus</i> playing a major role in the second peak. The plant species were either at their seedling, blooming or fructification stage when hosting the ladybirds, suggesting that these lasts used the diversity of resources (prey, nectar and pollen of flowers and extra-floral nectar) offered at the agroecosystem level. The present results enrich the screening of functional plants supporting predatory ladybirds in perennial agroecosystems and emphasize the need to pay attention to the long-standing plants in the surrounding habitats. It suggests that maintaining and managing a diversity of functional plants at the field scale is needed to offer a spatial and temporal continuity of resources to ladybirds.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 4","pages":"713 - 721"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141009941","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":"Vulnerability of seedlings to herbivore and pathogen attack: the importance of plant vigor and plant nutritional quality in Hymenaea courbaril","authors":"G. Wilson Fernandes,&nbsp;Letícia Ramos,&nbsp;Jean Carlos Santos,&nbsp;Ramón Perea,&nbsp;Rennan Garcias Moreira,&nbsp;Pablo Cuevas-Reyes,&nbsp;Rodolfo Dirzo","doi":"10.1007/s11829-024-10067-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11829-024-10067-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The Plant Vigor Hypothesis (PVH) predicts that herbivorous insects will preferentially feed on large plants with more vigorous growth, or on more vigorous parts of the plant. However, we still need to understand how these predictions work throughout the ontogenic stages of plants and with other groups of natural plant enemies. We tested the PVH using gall-inducing insects, free-living herbivorous insects, and pathogenic fungi associated with <i>Hymenaea courbaril</i> seedlings of the same age cohort (six months) from seeds germinated in greenhouses. We classified the plants into three different sizes: small, medium, and large seedlings, and then measured above and belowground biomass, plant height, leaf area, and leaf area consumed by free-living herbivores. We also measured nutrient partitioning among roots, stems, and leaves and estimated hypersensitive responses. We found no differences in leaf area consumed by free-living herbivorous insects between plant size groups. However, we observed that larger seedlings were more vigorous and had greater nutritional value and, thus, represented adequate niches for colonization by pathogens and gall-inducing insects, confirming the PVH for both groups. The hypersensitive response was greater in medium and large seedlings, proving to be an effective defense mechanism against gall-inducing insects. Therefore, we highlight that nutritional quality, plant vigor and hypersensitivity response are factors that influence the incidence of pathogens and galling insects on <i>H. courbaril</i> seedlings.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8409,"journal":{"name":"Arthropod-Plant Interactions","volume":"18 5","pages":"829 - 840"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141013613","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}