Abstract
This chapter discusses whether plant chemical communication is a mechanism by which plant genetic diversity can affect the natural enemies of herbivores. Plant genetic diversity influences natural enemies, and these insects use volatile chemical cues to locate suitable habitats. However, the importance of chemical communication for these interactions has not been considered. In this chapter, the latest research on chemical communication between undamaged plants is reviewed. Evidence for the fact that volatile chemical communication between weeds and barley, and between different barley genotypes, can influence host plant and habitat selection by aphid natural enemies, polyphagous ladybirds and parasitic wasps, is presented. The results suggest that aphid natural enemies may recognise the effects of plant–plant volatile interaction and volatile mixing as cues denoting favourable habitats. This represents a new aspect of the ecology of plant communication that may be exploited for sustainable plant protection.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Andow DA (1991) Vegetational diversity and arthropod population responses. Annu Rev Entomol 36:561–586
Bach CE (1980) Effect of plant diversity and time of colonization on an herbivore–plant interaction. Oecologia 44:319–326
Cadet P, Berry SD, Leslie GW, Spaull VW (2007) Management of nematodes and a stalk borer by increasing within-field sugarcane cultivar diversity. Plant Pathol 56:526–535
Cook SM, Khan ZR, Pickett JA (2007) The use of push–pull strategies in integrated pest management. Annu Rev Entomol 52:375–400
Elliott NC, Kieckhefer RW, Michels GJ, Giles KL (2002) Predator abundance in alfalfa fields in relation to aphids, within-field vegetation, and landscape matrix. Environm Entomol 31:253–260
Glinwood RT, Pettersson J, Ninkovic V, Ahmed E, Birkett M, Pickett JA (2003) Change in acceptability of barley plants to aphids after exposure to allelochemicals from couch-grass (Elytrigia repens). J Chem Ecol 29:259–272
Glinwood R, Ninkovic V, Ahmed E, Pettersson J (2004) Barley exposed to aerial allelopathy from thistles (Cirsium spp.) becomes less acceptable to aphids. Ecol Entomol 29:188–195
Glinwood RT, Gradin T, Karpinska B, Ahmed E, Jonsson LMV, Ninkovic V (2007) Aphid acceptance of barley exposed to volatile phytochemicals differs between plants exposed in daylight and darkness. Plant Signal Behav 2:205–210
Glinwood R, Ahmed E, Qvarfordt E, Ninkovic V, Pettersson J (2009) Airborne interactions between undamaged plants of different cultivars affect insect herbivores and natural enemies. Arthropod–Plant Interact 3:219–224
Haddad NM, Tilman D, Haarstad J, Ritchie M, Knops JMH (2001) Contrasting effects of plant richness and composition on insect communities: a field experiment. Am Nat 158:17–35
Halitschke R, Stenberg JA, Kessler D, Kessler A, Baldwin IT (2008) Shared signals – ‘alarm calls’ from plants increase apparency to herbivores and their enemies in nature. Ecol Lett 11:24–34
Heil M, Bueno JCS (2007) Within-plant signaling by volatiles leads to induction and priming of an indirect plant defense in nature. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104:5467–5472
Heil M, Ton J (2008) Long-distance signalling in plant defence. Trends Plant Sci 13:264–272
Hodek I, Honek A (1996) Ecology of coccinellidae. Kulwer, Dordrecht
Hooper DU, Chapin FS III, Ewel JJ, Hector A, Inchausti P, Lavorel S, Lawton JH, Lodge DM, Loreau M, Naeem S, Schmid B, Setälä H, Symstad AJ, Vandermeer J, Wardle DA (2005) Effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning: a consensus of current knowledge. Ecol Monogr 75:3–35
Johnson MTA, Agrawal AA (2005) Plant genotype and environment interact to shape a diverse arthropod community in evening primrose (Oenothera biennis). Ecology 86:875–885
Johnson MTA (2008) Bottom-up effects of plant genotype on aphids, ants, and predators. Ecology 89:145–154
Koricheva J, Mulder CPH, Schmid B, Joshi J, Huss-Danell K (2000) Numerical responses of different trophic groups of invertebrates to manipulations of plant diversity in grasslands. Oecologia 125:271–282
Leather SR, Cooker RCA, Fellowes MDE, Rombe R (1999) Distribution and abundance of ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in non-crop habitats. Eur J Entomol 96:23–27
Mundt CC (2002) Use of multiline cultivars and cultivar mixtures for disease management. Annu Rev Phytopathol 40:381–410
Ninkovic V (2003) Volatile communication between barley plants affects biomass allocation. J Exp Bot 54:1931–1939
Ninkovic V, Åhman I (2009) Aphid acceptance of Hordeum genotypes is affected by plant volatile exposure and is correlated with aphid growth. Euphytica 169:177–185
Ninkovic V, Pettersson J (2003) Searching behaviour of sevenspotted ladybird, Coccinella septempunctata – effects of plant–plant odour interaction. Oikos 100:65–70
Ninkovic V, Olsson U, Pettersson J (2002) Mixing barley cultivars affects aphid host plant acceptance in field experiments. Entomol Exp Appl 102:177–182
Ninkovic V, Glinwood R, Pettersson J (2006) Communication between undamaged plants by volatiles: the role of allelobiosis. In: Baluška F, Mancuso S, Volkmann D (eds) Communication in plants: neuronal aspects of plant life. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp 421–434
Otway SJ, Hector A, Lawton JH (2005) Resource dilution effects on specialist insect herbivores in a grassland biodiversity experiment. J Anim Ecol 74:234–240
Pettersson J, Ninkovic V, Ahmed E (1999) Volatiles from different barley cultivars affect aphid acceptance of neighbouring plants. Acta Agric Scand Sect B 49:152–157
Pettersson J, Ninkovic V, Glinwood R (2003) Plant activation of barley by intercropped conspecifics and weeds: allelobiosis. BCPC Crop Sci Technol 2:1135–1144
Pettersson J, Ninkovic V, Glinwood R, Birkett MA, Pickett JA (2005) Foraging in a complex environment – semiochemicals support searching behaviour of the seven spot ladybird. Eur J Entomol 102:365–370
Pettersson J, Ninkovic V, Glinwood R, Al Abassi S, Birkett M, Pickett J, Wadhams L (2008) Chemical stimuli supporting foraging behaviour of Coccinella septempunctata L (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): volatiles and allelobiosis – a minireview. Appl Entomol Zool 43:315–321
Power AG (1991) Virus spread and vector dynamics in genetically diverse plant populations. Ecology 72:232–241
Rice EL (1984) Allelopathy, 2nd edn. Academic, New York
Root RB (1973) Organization of plant-arthropod association in simple and diverse habitats: The fauna of collards (Brassica oleraceae). Ecol Mon 43:95–124
Runyon JB, Mescher MC, Moraes CMD (2006) Volatile chemical cues guide host location and host selection by parasitic plants. Science 313:964–1967
Russell EP (1989) Enemies hypothesis: a review of the effects of vegetational diversity on predatory insects and parasitoids. Environ Entomol 18:590–599
Siemann E, Tilman D, Haarstad J, Ritchie M (1998) Experimental tests of the dependence of arthropod diversity on plant diversity. Am Nat 152:738–750
Uvah III, Coaker TH (1984) Effect of mixed cropping on some insect pests of carrots and onions. Entomol Exp Appl 36:159–167
Vet LEM, Dicke M (1992) Ecology of infochemical use by natural enemies in a tritophic context. Annu Rev Entomol 37:141–172
Vinson SB (1999) Parasitoid manipulation as a plant defense strategy. Ann Ent Soc Am 92:812–828
Weston LA, Duke SO (2003) Weed and crop allelopathy. Crit Rev Plant Sci 22:367–389
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Glinwood, R. (2010). Volatile Chemical Interaction Between Undamaged Plants: Effects at Higher Trophic Levels. In: Baluška, F., Ninkovic, V. (eds) Plant Communication from an Ecological Perspective. Signaling and Communication in Plants. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12162-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12162-3_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-12161-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-12162-3
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)