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Lutein Sequestration and Furanocoumarin Metabolism in Parsnip Webworms Under Different Ultraviolet Light Regimes in the Montane West

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Abstract

Both biotic and abiotic selection pressures can contribute to geographic variation in allelochemical production in plants. We examined furanocoumarin production in western North American populations of Heracleum lanatum and Pastinaca sativa that, at different latitudes and altitudes, experience different ultraviolet (UV) light regimes. Total furanocoumarins and linear furanocoumarins of fruits were negatively correlated with UV irradiance, whereas amounts of angular furanocoumarins, which are generally less phototoxic, were not. Another factor potentially influencing furanocoumarin production is the presence of the parsnip webworm Depressaria pastinacella, (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae), an herbivore that feeds on reproductive structures of both plant species. These insects sequester lutein from their host plants; this carotenoid acts to ameliorate furanocoumarin toxicity. Although the concentration of lutein in fruits did not vary with UV irradiance, lutein sequestration by sixth instars was positively correlated with UV irradiance. Webworm populations are variably infested with the polyembryonic webworm parasitoid Copidosoma sosares Walker (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). H. lanatum fruits from populations with webworms parasitized by C. sosares had lower concentrations of furanocoumarins, with the exception of sphondin, than fruits from plants infested with webworms free from parasitism. Lower levels of these furanocoumarins may reduce negative effects on the fitness of this parasitoid. In contrast with the variation in furanocoumarin content, the ability of webworms to metabolize furanocoumarins by cytochrome P450 did not differ significantly among populations from New Mexico to Alberta.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Lynn Anderson for assistance with collections, Paul Ode for advice on C. sosares, John Noyes for wasp identification, John Erdman and Denise Deming for advice on carotenoids, and Kemin, Inc. for the lutein standard. This work was supported by National Science Foundation DEB 99-03867 and DEB 02-35773.

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  1. Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, USDA/ARS/SAA, 1600/1700 SW 16th Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32604, USA

    Mark J. Carroll

  2. Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 320 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    May R. Berenbaum

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Carroll, M.J., Berenbaum, M.R. Lutein Sequestration and Furanocoumarin Metabolism in Parsnip Webworms Under Different Ultraviolet Light Regimes in the Montane West. J Chem Ecol 32, 277–305 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-005-9002-y

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