Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) develop strong mutualistic associations with roots of about 70% of all vascular plants. By modifying host plant nutrient uptake, growth and defense, AMF also indirectly influence the aboveground herbivorous insect community. Since plant response to AMF depends on the extent of mycorrhization, outcomes of the bottom-up effects of AMF on herbivores are extremely variable and not well understood. We thus tested whether the generalist phloem feeder Bemisia tabaci (tobacco whitefly) was affected by the colonization of habanero pepper seedlings (Capsicum chinense) by different densities of the AMF Rhizophagus irregularis. After AMF inoculation (with control, low and high doses of liquid inoculum), seedlings were grown in a greenhouse without (control) and with whiteflies (10 adults per seedling). We measured plant traits and growth and biomass allocations at 2, 16 and 30 days after transplantation of emerged seedlings. We estimated whitefly adult, egg and nymph densities 28 days after transplantation. B. tabaci abundance significantly increased after C. chinense inoculation with low AMF density (120% increase for adults, 97% for eggs) through an augmentation of seedling nutritional status. By enhancing plant tolerance and primary metabolism, the higher density of AMF did not affect B. tabaci fitness on seedlings. We highlight here that whitefly abundance on mycorrhizal C. chinense varies widely depending on AMF inoculum concentration.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Tecnológico Nacional de México [Key project 6065.17-P]. We are grateful to Alejandra González-Moreno, René Garruña-Hernández, Wilberth Xicum, Ricardo Luis and to Herberth Alcala Solis for their technical and material assistance. We are also grateful to Christiane Gallet for providing precious comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.
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Eichholtzer, J., Ballina-Gómez, H.S., Gómez-Tec, K. et al. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence whitefly abundance by modifying habanero pepper tolerance to herbivory. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 15, 861–874 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-021-09868-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-021-09868-8