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Response of the lichen-eating moth Cleorodes lichenaria larvae to varying amounts of usnic acid in the lichens

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Abstract

Lichens are characterized by a great variety of secondary metabolites. The function of these substances remains partly unknown. In this study, we propose that some of these metabolites may expel insect herbivores. To test this hypothesis, we reared larvae of the lichenivorous moth Cleorodes lichenaria on three selected lichens, Cladonia arbuscula subsp. mitis, Usnea hirta, and Usnea dasypoga. In experimental setup, the secondary metabolite usnic acid was removed from the lichens with acetone prior to feeding, whereas a control was left untreated. On all three lichens, removal of usnic acid from the lichens using acetone significantly prolonged survival of larvae and increased their viability. Larvae reared on control lichens contained significantly more usnic acid than those reared on treated lichens, both in their biomass and their faeces. These results support the hypothesis that usnic acid serves as a repellent against insect feeding, besides its well established functions of UV protection and antimicrobial properties.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by Slovak Grant Agency (VEGA 1/1238/12). Thanks are expressed to Ass. Prof. Mag. Dr. Ingeborg Lang (Core Facility Cell Imaging and Ultrastructure Research, University of Vienna) for critical reading and reviewing this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Šafárik University, Mánesova 23, 041 67, Kosice, Slovak Republic

    Michal Goga & Martin Bačkor

  2. Department of Biology, University of Oulu, POB 3000, 90014, Oulu, Finland

    Heikki Pöykkö

  3. Core Facility Cell Imaging and Ultrastructure Research, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Michal Goga & Wolfram Adlassnig

Authors
  1. Michal Goga
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  2. Heikki Pöykkö
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  3. Wolfram Adlassnig
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  4. Martin Bačkor
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Correspondence to Martin Bačkor.

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Handling Editor: Jarmo Holopainen.

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Goga, M., Pöykkö, H., Adlassnig, W. et al. Response of the lichen-eating moth Cleorodes lichenaria larvae to varying amounts of usnic acid in the lichens. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 10, 71–77 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-015-9409-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-015-9409-5

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