Abstract
In-flight orientation of the braconid Aphidius ervi in response to volatiles released from broad bean plants infested by the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, was studied in a no-choice wind-tunnel bioassay. The role of aphid infestation level and duration, systemic production of volatiles by “insect-free” parts of the plant, and the specificity of aphid-induced volatiles on the flight behavior of the foraging female parasitoids were investigated. The upper insect-free part of a three-leaved broad bean plant, which was basally infested by a population of 40 A. pisum, released synomones detectable by A. ervi females after at least 48–72 hr of infestation, resulting in both significant increases in oriented flights and landings on the source compared with uninfested control plants. This suggests that volatiles involved in host-location by A. ervi are systemically released by broad bean plants either in response to circulation of aphid saliva, circulation of saliva-induced bioactive elicitors, or circulation of the synomones themselves. Air entrainment extracts of volatiles collected from a broad bean plant infested by the nonhost Aphis fabae or an uninfested broad bean plant elicited few oriented flights and landing responses by female parasitoids. These extracts were significantly less attractive than extracts collected from a broad bean plant infested by the host A. pisum, indicating the specificity of synomones elicited by different aphid species on the same plant species.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Alborn, H. T., Turlings, T. C. J., Jones, T. H., Stenhagen, G., Loughrin, J. H., and Tumlinson, J. H. 1997. An elicitor of plant volatiles from beet army worm oral secretion. Science 276:945-949.
Battaglia, D., Pennacchio, F., Marincola, G., and Tranfaglia, A. 1993. Cornicle secretion of Acyrthosiphon pisum (Homoptera: Aphididae) as a contact kairomone for the parasitoid Aphidius ervi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Eur. J. Entomol. 90:423-428.
Battaglia, D., Pennacchio, F., Romano, A., and Tranfaglia, A. 1995. The role of physical cues in the regulation of host recognition and acceptance behavior of Aphidius ervi Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). J. Insect Behav. 8:739-750.
Blight, M. 1990. Techniques for isolation and characterization of volatile semiochemicals of phytophagous insects, pp. 281-288, in McCaffery, A. R. and Wilson, I. D. (eds.), Isolation of Insects Hormones and Pheromones. Plenum Press, New York.
Dicke, M. 1994. Local and systemic production of volatile herbivore-induced terpenoids: Their role in plant-carnivore mutualism. J. Plant Physiol. 143:465-472.
Dicke, M., van Beek, T. A., Posthumus, M. A., Ben Dom, N., van Bokhoven, H., and de Groot, A. E. 1990a. Isolation and identification of volatile kairomone that affects acarine predator-prey interactions. Involvement of host plant in its production. J. Chem. Ecol. 16:381-395.
Dicke, M., Sabelis, M. W., Takabajashi, J., Bruin, J., and Posthumus, M. A. 1990b. Plant strategies of manipulating predator-prey interactions through allelochemicals: Prospects for application in pest control. J. Chem. Ecol. 16:3091-3118.
Dicke, M., van Baarlen, P., Wessels, R., and Dijkman, H. 1993. Herbivory induces systemic production of plant volatiles that attract herbivore predators: Extraction of endogenous elicitor. J. Chem. Ecol. 19:581-599.
Du, Y., Poppy, G. M., and Powell, W. 1996. Relative importance of semiochemicals from first and second trophic levels in host foraging behavior of Aphidius ervi. J. Chem. Ecol. 22:1591-1605.
Du, Y., Poppy, G. M., Powell, W., and Wadhams, L. J. 1997. Chemically mediated associative learning in the host foraging behavior of the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). J. Insect Behav. 10:509-522.
Du, Y., Poppy, G. M., Powell, W., Pickett, J. A., Wadhams, L., and Woodcock, C. M. 1998. Identification of semiochemicals released during aphid feeding that attract parasitoid Aphidius ervi. J. Chem. Ecol. 24:1355-1368.
Geervliet, J. B. F., Vet, L. E. M., and Dicke, M. 1994. Volatiles from damaged plants as major cues in long-range host-searching by the specialist parasitoid Cotesia rubecula. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 73:289-297.
Geervliet, J. B. F., Vet, L. E. M., and Dicke, M. 1996. Innate response of the parasitoids Cotesia glomerata and C. rubecula (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) to volatiles from different plant-herbivore complexes. J. Insect Behav. 9:525-538.
Guerrieri, E., Pennacchio, F., and Tremblay, E. 1993. Flight behaviour of the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in response to plant and host volatiles. Eur. J. Entomol. 90:415-421.
Guerrieri, E., Du, Y.-J., Poppy, G., Powell, W., Pennacchio, F., and Tremblay, E. 1996. The role of host-induced synomones on in-flight orientation of the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Proceedings XX International Congress of Entomology, Frienze, Italy, August 25–31, 1996, p. 647.
Guerrieri, E., Pennacchio, F., and Tremblay, E. 1997. Effect of adult experience on in-flight orientation to plant and plant-host complex volatiles in Aphidius ervi Haliday (Hymenoptera, Braconidae). Biol. Contr. 10:159-165.
Mackauer, M. J., and Bisdee, H. E. 1965. Two simple devices for rearing aphids. J. Econ. Entomol. 58:365-366.
Mattiacci, L., Dicke, M., and Posthumus, M. A. 1994. Induction of parasitoid attracting synomone in Brussels sprouts plants by feeding Pieris brassicae larvae: Role of mechanical damage and herbivore elicitor. J. Chem. Ecol. 20:2229-2247.
Miller, J. R., and Roelofs, W. L. 1978. Sustained-flight tunnel for measuring insect responses to wind-borne sex pheromones. J. Chem. Ecol. 4:187-198.
ParÉ, P. W., and Tumlinson, J. H. 1997. Induced synthesis of plant volatiles. Nature 385:30-31.
Pennacchio, F. 1990. The Italian species of the genus Aphidius Nees (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae). Boll. Lab. Entomol. Agric. Filippo Silvestri 46:75-106.
Pennacchio, F., Digilio, M. C., Tremblay, E., and Tranfaglia, A. 1994. Host recognition and acceptance behaviour in two aphid parasitoid species: Aphidius ervi and Aphidius microlophii (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Bull. Entomol. Res. 84:57-64.
Poppy, G., Guerrieri, E., Powell, W., Pennacchio, F., and Tremblay, E. 1997a. Proceedings of the 6th European Workshop on Insect Parasitoids, Valencia, March, 1–4, 1997, p. 135.
Poppy, G., Powell, W., and Pennacchio, F. 1997b. Aphid parasitoid responses to semiochemicals — genetic, conditioned or learnt? Entomophaga 42:193-199.
Potting, R. P. J., Vet, L. E. M., and Dicke, M. 1995. Host microhabitat location by the stemborer parasitoid Cotesia flavipes: The role of locally and systemically induced plant volatiles. J. Chem. Ecol. 21:525-539.
Powell, W. 1982. The identification of hymenopterous parasitoids attacking cereal aphids in Britain. Syst. Entomol. 7:465-473.
Powell, W., Pennacchio, F., Poppy, G., and Tremblay, E. 1998. Strategies involved in the location of hosts by the parasitoid Aphidius ervi Haliday (Hymenoptera, Braconidae). Biol. Contr. 11:104-112.
Sabelis, M. W., and Van de Baan, H. E. 1983. Location of distant spider mite colonies by phytoseiid predators: Demonstration of specific kairomones emitted by Tetranychus urticae and Panonychus ulmi. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 33:303-314.
Steinberg, S., Dicke, M., and Vet, L. E. M. 1993. Relative importance of infochemicals from first and second trophic level in long-range host location by the larval parasitoid Cotesia glomerata. J. Chem. Ecol. 19:47-59.
Takabayashi, J., Dicke, M., and Posthumus, M. A. 1991. Variation in the composition of predator-attracting allelochemicals emitted by herbivore-infested plants: Relative influence of plant and herbivore. Chemoecology 2:1-6.
Takabayashi, J., Dicke, M., Takahashi, S., Posthumus, M. A., and van Beek, T. A. 1994. Leaf age affects composition of herbivore-induced synomones and attraction of predatory mites. J. Chem. Ecol. 20:373-386.
Takabayashi, J., Takahashi, S., Dicke, M., and Posthumus, M. A. 1995. Developmental stage of herbivore Pseudaletia separata affects production of herbivore-induced synomone by corn plants. J. Chem. Ecol. 21:273-287.
Tumlinson, J. H., Lewis, W. J., and Vet, L. E. M. 1993. How parasitic wasps find their hosts. Sci. Am. 268:100-106.
Turlings, T. C. J., and Tumlinson, J. H. 1992. Systemic release of chemical signals by herbivore-injured corn. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89:8399-8402.
Turlings, T. C. J., Tumlinson, J. H., and Lewis, W. J. 1990. Exploitation of herbivore-induced plant odors by host-seeking parasitic wasps. Science 250:1251-1253.
Turlings, T. C. J., Tumlinson, J. H., Eller, F. J., and Lewis, W. J. 1991. Larval damaged plants: Source of volatile synomones that guide the parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris (Cresson), to the micro-habitat of its hosts. J. Chem. Ecol. 17:2235-2251.
Turlings, T. C. J., McCall, P. J., Alborn, H. T., and Tumlinson, J. H. 1993. An elicitor in caterpillar oral secretions that induces corn seedlings to emit chemical signals attractive to parasitic wasps. J. Chem. Ecol. 19:411-425.
Vet, L. E. M., and Dicke, M. 1992. Ecology of infochemicals use by natural enemies in a tritrophic context. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 37:141-172.
Vinson, S. B. 1985. The behavior of parasitoids, pp. 417-489, in G. A. Kerkut and L. I. Gilbert (eds.). Comprehensive Insect Physiology Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Vol. 9. Pergamon Press, Oxford.
Vinson, S. B. 1991. Chemical signals used by parasitoids. Proceedings of the 4th European Workshop on Insects Parasitoids. Redia 74:15-42.
Wickremasinghe, M. G. V., and Van Emden, H. F. 1992. Reactions of adult female parasitoids, particularly Aphidius rhopalosiphi, to volatile cues from the host plant of their aphid prey. Physiol. Entomol. 17:297-304.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Guerrieri, E., Poppy, G.M., Powell, W. et al. Induction and Systemic Release of Herbivore-Induced Plant Volatiles Mediating In-Flight Orientation of Aphidius ervi . J Chem Ecol 25, 1247–1261 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020914506782
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020914506782