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Variation in Cyanogenic Glycosides Across Populations of Wild Lima Beans (Phaseolus lunatus) Has No Apparent Effect on Bruchid Beetle Performance

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Abstract

Cyanogenic glycosides (CNGs) act as feeding or oviposition deterrents and are toxic after enzymatic hydrolysis, thus negatively affecting herbivore performance. While most studies on CNGs focus on leaf herbivores, here we examined seeds from natural populations of Phaseolus lunatus in Mexico. The predominant CNGs, linamarin and lotaustralin, were quantified for each population by using ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We also examined whether there was a correlation between the concentration of CNGs and the performance of the Mexican bean beetle, Zabrotes subfasciatus, on seeds from each population. The concentrations of CNGs in the seeds were relatively high compared to the leaves and were significantly variable among populations. Surprisingly, this had little effect on the performance of the bruchid beetles. Zabrotes subfasciatus can tolerate high concentrations of CNGs, most likely because of the limited β-glucosidase activity in the seeds. Seed herbivory does not appear to liberate hydrogen cyanide due to the low water content in the seed. This study illustrates the importance of quantifying the natural variation and activity of toxic compounds in order to make relevant biological inferences about their role in defense against herbivores.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Johnattan Hernández Cumplido, Geraldine Mudavadi, and John Riordan for their assistance with collections, experiments, chemical analysis, and general support throughout this study. We also thank Stefan Pentzold for advice and guidance on β-glucosidase activity and Ted Turlings and two anonymous reviewers for feedback on the manuscript. We express our gratitude to the Universidad del Mar Campus in Puerto Escondido for providing logistic support and infrastructure during the field work in Mexico. This research was financially supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Project No. 31003A_127364) awarded to BB.

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  1. Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland

    J. Gwen Shlichta, Gaetan Glauser & Betty Benrey

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  1. J. Gwen Shlichta
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  2. Gaetan Glauser
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  3. Betty Benrey
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Correspondence to Betty Benrey.

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Shlichta, J.G., Glauser, G. & Benrey, B. Variation in Cyanogenic Glycosides Across Populations of Wild Lima Beans (Phaseolus lunatus) Has No Apparent Effect on Bruchid Beetle Performance. J Chem Ecol 40, 468–475 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-014-0434-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-014-0434-0

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