Does mother know best? The preference–performance hypothesis and parent–offspring conflict in aboveground–belowground herbivore life cycles

1. A substantial amount of research on host‐plant selection by insect herbivores is focused around the preference–performance hypothesis (PPH). To date, the majority of studies have primarily considered insects with aboveground life cycles, overlooking insect herbivores that have both aboveground and belowground life stages, for which the PPH could be equally applicable. 2. This study investigated the factors influencing the performance of the root‐feeding vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) larvae and whether this was linked to the oviposition behaviour of the maternal adult living aboveground. 3. Maternal insects feeding aboveground reduced root biomass by 34% and increased root carbon by 4%. Larvae feeding on plants subjected to aboveground herbivory had reduced mass. Irrespective of the presence of maternal herbivory, larval mass was positively correlated with root biomass. 4. Larval mass was also reduced by conspecific larvae, previously feeding on roots (19% reduction). However, the mechanism underpinning this effect remains unclear, as in contrast to maternal herbivory aboveground, prior larval feeding did not significantly affect root biomass or root carbon concentrations. 5. Maternal insects did not distinguish between plants infested with larvae and those that were free of larvae, in terms of their egg‐laying behaviour. Conversely, maternal insects tended to lay eggs on plants with smaller root systems, a behaviour that is likely to negatively affect offspring performance. 6. The PPH is not supported by our findings for the polyphagous vine weevil feeding on the host plant raspberry (Rubus idaeus), and in fact our results suggest that there is the potential for strong parent–offspring conflict in this system.     

Interrelated effects of mycorrhiza and free‐living nitrogen fixers cascade up to aboveground herbivores

Aboveground plant performance is strongly influenced by belowground microorganisms, some of which are pathogenic and have negative effects, while others, such as nitrogen‐fixing bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, usually have positive effects. Recent research revealed that belowground interactions between plants and functionally distinct groups of microorganisms cascade up to aboveground plant associates such as herbivores and their natural enemies. However, while functionally distinct belowground microorganisms commonly co‐occur in the rhizosphere, their combined effects, and relative contributions, respectively, on performance of aboveground plant‐associated organisms are virtually unexplored. Here, we scrutinized and disentangled the effects of free‐living nitrogen‐fixing (diazotrophic) bacteria Azotobacter chroococcum (DB) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Glomus mosseae (AMF) on host plant choice and reproduction of the herbivorous two‐spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae on common bean plants Phaseolus vulgaris. Additionally, we assessed plant growth, and AMF and DB occurrence and density as affected by each other. Both AMF alone and DB alone increased spider mite reproduction to similar levels, as compared to the control, and exerted additive effects under co‐occurrence. These effects were similarly apparent in host plant choice, that is, the mites preferred leaves from plants with both AMF and DB to plants with AMF or DB to plants grown without AMF and DB. DB, which also act as AMF helper bacteria, enhanced root colonization by AMF, whereas AMF did not affect DB abundance. AMF but not DB increased growth of reproductive plant tissue and seed production, respectively. Both AMF and DB increased the biomass of vegetative aboveground plant tissue. Our study breaks new ground in multitrophic belowground–aboveground research by providing first insights into the fitness implications of plant‐mediated interactions between interrelated belowground fungi–bacteria and aboveground herbivores.     

Influence of presence and spatial arrangement of belowground insects on host‐plant selection of aboveground insects: a field study

Abstract 1. Several studies have shown that above‐ and belowground insects can interact by influencing each others growth, development, and survival when they feed on the same host‐plant. In natural systems, however, insects can make choices on which plants to oviposit and feed. A field experiment was carried out to determine if root‐feeding insects can influence feeding and oviposition preferences and decisions of naturally colonising foliar‐feeding insects. 2. Using the wild cruciferous plant Brassica nigra and larvae of the cabbage root fly Delia radicum as the belowground root‐feeding insect, naturally colonising populations of foliar‐feeding insects were monitored over the course of a summer season. 3. Groups of root‐infested and root‐uninfested B. nigra plants were placed in a meadow during June, July, and August of 2006 for periods of 3 days. The root‐infested and the root‐uninfested plants were either dispersed evenly or placed in clusters. Once daily, all leaves of each plant were carefully inspected and insects were removed and collected for identification. 4. The flea beetles Phyllotreta spp. and the aphid Brevicoryne brassicae were significantly more abundant on root‐uninfested (control) than on root‐infested plants. However, for B. brassicae this was only apparent when the plants were placed in clusters. Host‐plant selection by the generalist aphid M. persicae and oviposition preference by the specialist butterfly P. rapae, however, were not significantly influenced by root herbivory. 5. The results of this study show that the presence of root‐feeding insects can affect feeding and oviposition preferences of foliar‐feeding insects, even under natural conditions where many other interactions occur simultaneously. The results suggest that root‐feeding insects play a role in the structuring of aboveground communities of insects, but these effects depend on the insect species as well as on the spatial distribution of the root‐feeding insects.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi reduce the construction of extrafloral nectaries in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vicia faba</Emphasis>

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can alter the physiology and morphology of their host plant, and therefore may have indirect effects on insect herbivores and pollinators. We conducted this study to test the hypothesis that AMF can also affect insects involved in protection-for-food mutualisms. We examined the constitutive and inducible production of food rewards [extrafloral (EF) nectaries] in Vicia faba plants by manipulating the presence/absence of AMF and by simulating various levels of herbivory. Plants inoculated with AMF produced significantly fewer EF nectaries than uninoculated plants, even after accounting for differences in plant growth. In contrast to earlier studies, EF nectaries were not inducible: damaged plants produced significantly fewer EF nectaries than undamaged plants. Moreover, the effects of mycorrhizal and damage status on EF nectary production were additive. The reduction in EF nectaries in mycorrhizal plants potentially represents a mechanism for indirect effects of AMF on the protective insects that exploit EF nectaries as a food source (e.g., ants). Reduced reward size should result in reduced protection by ants, and could therefore be a previously unappreciated cost of the mycorrhizal symbiosis to host plants. However, the overall effect of AMF will depend upon the extent to which the reduction of EF nectaries affects the number and activity of ants and the extent to which AMF alter other aspects of host plant physiology. Our results emphasize the complexity of multitrophic interactions, particularly those that span belowground and aboveground ecology.     

Legacy effects of aboveground-belowground interactions

Root herbivory can greatly affect the performance of aboveground insects via changes in plant chemistry. These interactions have been studied extensively in experiments where aboveground and belowground insects were feeding on the same plant. However, little is known about how aboveground and belowground organisms interact when they feed on plant individuals that grow after each other in the same soil. We show that feeding by aboveground and belowground insect herbivores on ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) plants exert unique soil legacy effects, via herbivore-induced changes in the composition of soil fungi. These changes in the soil biota induced by aboveground and belowground herbivores of preceding plants greatly influenced the pyrrolizidine alkaloid content, biomass and aboveground multitrophic interactions of succeeding plants. We conclude that plant-mediated interactions between aboveground and belowground insects are also important when they do not feed simultaneously on the same plant.     

Identity and combinations of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal isolates influence plant resistance and insect preference

相似文献   

The ‘mother knows best’ principle: should soil insects be included in the preference–performance debate?

Abstract.  1. Few entomological studies include soil-dwelling insects in mainstream ecological theory, for example the preference–performance debate. The preference–performance hypothesis predicts that when insect herbivores have offspring with limited capacity to relocate in relation to a host plant, there is a strong selection pressure for the adult to oviposit on plants that will maximise offspring performance.
2. This paper discusses the proposition that insect herbivores that live above ground, but have soil-dwelling offspring, should be included in the preference–performance debate. Twelve relevant studies were reviewed to assess the potential for including soil insects in this framework, before presenting a preliminary case study using the clover root weevil ( Sitona lepidus ) and its host plant, white clover ( Trifolium repens ).
3. Maternal S. lepidus preferentially oviposited on T. repens plants that had rhizobial root nodules (which enhance offspring performance) rather than T. repens plants without nodules, despite plants having similar foliar nutritional quality. This suggests that adult behaviour above ground was influenced by below-ground host-plant quality.
4. A conceptual model is presented to describe how information about the suitability for offspring below ground could underpin oviposition behaviour of parental insects living above ground, via plant- and soil-mediated semiochemicals. These interactions between genetically related, but spatially separated, insect herbivores raise important evolutionary questions such as how induced plant responses above ground affect offspring living below ground and vice versa.     

Effects of a belowground mutualism on an aboveground mutualism

Studies of multitrophic interactions between below‐ and aboveground communities have generally focused on soil organisms and antagonists of plant shoots and leaves (herbivores). Despite the widespread occurrence of plant mutualists below‐ and aboveground which can occur on the same host plant, the potential for interactions between them has not been considered. Here we demonstrate that aboveground plant mutualists, insect pollinators, are strongly influenced by belowground plant mutualists, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the roots of Chamerion angustifolium increased pollinator visitation and per cent seed set of this plant in the field by up to two times compared with non‐mycorrhizal plants. We propose that interactions between belowground and aboveground mutualisms are widespread and may play important functional roles in populations and communities.     

Tomato belowground–aboveground interactions: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhizophagus irregularis</Emphasis> affects foraging behavior and life history traits of the predator <Emphasis Type="Italic">Macrolophus pygmaeus</Emphasis> (Hemiptera: Miridae)

In recent years, studies on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been revealing that the belowground symbiosis can influence the performance of aboveground herbivores and their natural enemies through its effects on the host plant. In this study, we tested whether the colonization of tomato plants by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis (Syn. Glomus intraradices Schenk and Smith) (Glomeromycota: Glomeraceae) affects the performance of the zoophytophagous mirid bug Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur (Hemiptera: Miridae). Mycorrhizal colonization in tomato plants positively influenced the predator host-plant acceptance for feeding and oviposition, as well as nymphal survival and female weight. We hypothesize that AMF can modify mirid bug foraging behavior and performance.     

Flooding influences ovipositional and feeding behavior of the rice water weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel, is the most destructive insect pest of rice in the United States. As part of an effort to develop strategies to manage this pest, the ovipositional and feeding habits of L. oryzophilus on rice plants subjected to different flooding treatments were characterized in greenhouse studies. Presence and depth of flood had a direct influence on the ovipositional behavior of weevils in no-choice studies. More eggs were found in flooded plants than in unflooded plants. Moreover, plants flooded to a depth of 5.1 cm received more eggs than plants flooded to depths of 1.3 or 10.2 cm. Presence and depth of flood influenced both the proportion of females that oviposited in plants and the number of eggs laid by those females that did oviposit. In choice studies, female weevils showed a marked ovipositional preference for plants flooded to a depth of 10.2 cm over unflooded plants and plants flooded to a depth of 1.3 cm. In separate choice experiments, adult rice water weevils fed more on flooded plants than on unflooded plants. In a third set of experiments, flooded plants were taller and had higher concentrations of 10 of 13 plant nutrients than unflooded plants. Thus, flooding may influence rice water weevil behavior both directly, by acting as a stimulus for feeding or oviposition, and indirectly, by inducing changes in the suitability of rice plants for feeding or oviposition. These data suggest that it may be possible to manipulate populations of weevils in rice by changing water management practices.     

The impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on tomato plant resistance against Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) in greenhouse conditions

The symbiotic relationship between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) improves plant growth and increases its resistance to pests and diseases. Mycorrhizal fungi are among the specialized fungi associated with the rhizosphere and are completely dependent on plant organic carbon. In this research tomato, Solanum lycopersicum L. was used as the host plant to evaluate the interaction effects between inoculation of tomato plant with AMF and feeding of tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick). In addition, plant growth parameters and growth rate of insect were assessed. The mycorrhizal treatment included a mixture of four fungal species (Funneliformis mosseae, Rhizophagus intraradices, R. irregularis and Glomus iranicus). The results of the experiment showed that tomato plant roots were well colonized (66.29%) by AMF and there was a significant mutual relationship between the insects feeding on the plants and the fungi. Feeding by the insects on plants inoculated with the fungus increased percentage of colonization by AMF in plants infested with the insect as compared to the control plants. The results also indicated that growth parameters and phosphorus content of the plants inoculated with fungi significantly increased compared to the control group. Moreover, significantly lower growth rate and consumption index observed in the T. absoluta larvae were fed on the leaves of plants treated with AMF compared to leaves of plants not inoculated with AMF.     

Selection of large host plants for oviposition by a monophagous leaf beetle: nutritional quality or enemy‐free space?

Abstract.  1. Oviposition site selection is crucial for the reproductive success of herbivorous insects. According to the preference–performance hypothesis, females should oviposit on host plants that enhance the performance of their offspring. More specifically, the plant vigour hypothesis predicts that females should prefer large and vigorously growing host plants for oviposition and that larvae should perform best on these plants.
2. The present study examined whether females of the monophagous leaf beetle Cassida canaliculata Laich. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) prefer to oviposit on large host plant individuals of the meadow clary and whether large host plants are of higher nutritional quality than small host plants. Subsequently, it was tested whether the female preference correlates with offspring performance and survival.
3. In the field, females preferred large host plant individuals for oviposition and host plant quality, i.e. leaf nitrogen content, was significantly higher in leaves of large than of small host plants.
4. In the laboratory, larval development time was shorter on leaves of large host plant individuals than on small host plant individuals, but this could not be shown in the field.
5. However, a predator-exclusion experiment in the field resulted in a higher survival of larvae on large host plants than on small host plants when all predators had free access to the plants. On caged host plants there was no difference in survival of larvae between plant size categories.
6. It is concluded that females of C. canaliculata select oviposition sites that enhance both performance and survival of their offspring, which meets the predictions of the plant vigour hypothesis.     

Bidirectional plant‐mediated interactions between rhizobacteria and shoot‐feeding herbivorous insects: a community ecology perspective

1. Plants interact with various organisms, aboveground as well as belowground. Such interactions result in changes in plant traits with consequences for members of the plant‐associated community at different trophic levels. Research thus far focussed on interactions of plants with individual species. However, studying such interactions in a community context is needed to gain a better understanding.
2. Members of the aboveground insect community induce defences that systemically influence plant interactions with herbivorous as well as carnivorous insects. Plant roots are associated with a community of plant‐growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). This PGPR community modulates insect‐induced defences of plants. Thus, PGPR and insects interact indirectly via plant‐mediated interactions.
3. Such plant‐mediated interactions between belowground PGPR and aboveground insects have usually been addressed unidirectionally from belowground to aboveground. Here, we take a bidirectional approach to these cross‐compartment plant‐mediated interactions.
4. Recent studies show that upon aboveground attack by insect herbivores, plants may recruit rhizobacteria that enhance plant defence against the attackers. This rearranging of the PGPR community in the rhizosphere has consequences for members of the aboveground insect community. This review focusses on the bidirectional nature of plant‐mediated interactions between the PGPR and insect communities associated with plants, including (a) effects of beneficial rhizobacteria via modification of plant defence traits on insects and (b) effects of plant defence against insects on the PGPR community in the rhizosphere. We discuss how such knowledge can be used in the development of sustainable crop‐protection strategies.

     

Trichobaris weevils distinguish amongst toxic host plants by sensing volatiles that do not affect larval performance

Herbivorous insects use plant metabolites to inform their host plant selection for oviposition. These host‐selection behaviours are often consistent with the preference–performance hypothesis; females oviposit on hosts that maximize the performance of their offspring. However, the metabolites used for these oviposition choices and those responsible for differences in offspring performance remain unknown for ecologically relevant interactions. Here, we examined the host‐selection behaviours of two sympatric weevils, the Datura (Trichobaris compacta) and tobacco (T. mucorea) weevils in field and glasshouse experiments with transgenic host plants specifically altered in different components of their secondary metabolism. Adult females of both species strongly preferred to feed on D. wrightii rather than on N. attenuata leaves, but T. mucorea preferred to oviposit on N. attenuata, while T. compacta oviposited only on D. wrightii. These oviposition behaviours increased offspring performance: T. compacta larvae only survived in D. wrightii stems and T. mucorea larvae survived better in N. attenuata than in D. wrightii stems. Choice assays with nicotine‐free, JA‐impaired, and sesquiterpene‐over‐produced isogenic N. attenuata plants revealed that although half of the T. compacta larvae survived in nicotine‐free N. attenuata lines, nicotine did not influence the oviposition behaviours of both the nicotine‐adapted and nicotine‐sensitive species. JA‐induced sesquiterpene volatiles are key compounds influencing T. mucorea females’ oviposition choices, but these sesquiterpenes had no effect on larval performance. We conclude that adult females are able to choose the best host plant for their offspring and use chemicals different from those that influence larval performance to inform their oviposition decisions.     

Chemical defense,mycorrhizal colonization and growth responses in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plantago lanceolata</Emphasis> L.

Allelochemicals defend plants against herbivore and pathogen attack aboveground and belowground. Whether such plant defenses incur ecological costs by reducing benefits from plant mutualistic symbionts is largely unknown. We explored a potential trade-off between inherent plant chemical defense and belowground mutualism with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in Plantago lanceolata L., using plant genotypes from lines selected for low and high constitutive levels of the iridoid glycosides (IG) aucubin and catalpol. As selection was based on IG concentrations in leaves, we first examined whether IG concentrations covaried in roots. Root and leaf IG concentrations were strongly positively correlated among genotypes, indicating genetic interdependence of leaf and root defense. We then found that root AMF arbuscule colonization was negatively correlated with root aucubin concentration. This negative correlation was observed both in plants grown with monocultures of Glomus intraradices and in plants colonized from whole-field soil inoculum. Overall, AMF did not affect total biomass of plants; an enhancement of initial shoot biomass was offset by a lower root biomass and reduced regrowth after defoliation. Although the precise effects of AMF on plant biomass varied among genotypes, plants with high IG levels and low AMF arbuscule colonization in roots did not produce less biomass than plants with low IG and high AMF arbuscule colonization. Therefore, although an apparent trade-off was observed between high root chemical defense and AMF arbuscule colonization, this did not negatively affect the growth responses of the plants to AMF. Interestingly, AMF induced an increase in root aucubin concentration in the high root IG genotype of P. lanceolata. We conclude that AMF does not necessarily stimulate plant growth, that direct plant defense by secondary metabolites does not necessarily reduce potential benefits from AMF, and that AMF can enhance concentrations of root chemical defenses, but that these responses are plant genotype-dependent.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis increases host plant acceptance and population growth rates of the two-spotted spider mite <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tetranychus urticae</Emphasis>

Most terrestrial plants live in symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Studies on the direct interaction between plants and mycorrhizal fungi are numerous whereas studies on the indirect interaction between such fungi and herbivores feeding on aboveground plant parts are scarce. We studied the impact of AM symbiosis on host plant choice and life history of an acarine surface piercing-sucking herbivore, the polyphagous two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae. Experiments were performed on detached leaflets taken from common bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris) colonized or not colonized by the AM fungus Glomus mosseae. T. urticae females were subjected to choice tests between leaves from mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants. Juvenile survival and development, adult female survival, oviposition rate and offspring sex ratio were measured in order to estimate the population growth parameters of T. urticae on either substrate. Moreover, we analyzed the macro- and micronutrient concentration of the aboveground plant parts. Adult T. urticae females preferentially resided and oviposited on mycorrhizal versus non-mycorrhizal leaflets. AM symbiosis significantly decreased embryonic development time and increased the overall oviposition rate as well as the proportion of female offspring produced during peak oviposition. Altogether, the improved life history parameters resulted in significant changes in net reproductive rate, intrinsic rate of increase, doubling time and finite rate of increase. Aboveground parts of colonized plants showed higher concentrations of P and K whereas Mn and Zn were both found at lower levels. This is the first study documenting the effect of AM symbiosis on the population growth rates of a herbivore, tracking the changes in life history characteristics throughout the life cycle. We discuss the AM-plant-herbivore interaction in relation to plant quality, herbivore feeding type and site and the evolutionary implications in a multi-trophic context.     

Effect of leaf nitrogen content of tomato plants on preference and performance of a leafmining fly

Summary In a study on intraspecific host plant acceptability, Liriomyza trifolii females that had previously been exposed to plants of high nitrogen content, showed a feeding and oviposition preference for plants of high nitrogen (Minkenberg and Fredrix 1989). Females showed a preference to feed and oviposit on the high middle leaves within plants. It was hypothesized that the preference between plants was related to a better performance of females and offspring on high nitrogen plants compared to low nitrogen plants. Different nitrogen dosages were applied to tomato plants, resulting in plants containing 3.4, 3.9, 4.6 or 4.9% leaf nitrogen. L. trifolii females responded to increased leaf nitrogen with significantly increased feeding and fecundity, longer oviposition periods, and higher feeding and oviposition rates. Their offspring on the same plants showed reduced developmental time, lower mortality and increased pupal size. Consequently, intrinsic rate of increase was positively linearly related to leaf nitrogen. Size of L. trifolii females appeared to be independent of fecundity, longevity and developmental time. Pupal length of males increased with increasing developmental time. These results indicate that L. trifolii is well adapted in its intraspecific host plant selection, because the ability to distinguish between plants with differences in leaf nitrogen content will directly lead to an increase in their fecundity, longevity and overall fitness. The implications of leaf nitrogen as a significant factor in the behavior and population dynamics of L. trifolii are discussed.     

Plant stress and insect behavior: cottonwood,ozone and the feeding and oviposition preference of a beetle

Summary Adults and larvae of the beetle Plagiodera versicolora preferred to feed on and consumed more of cottonwood, Populus deltoides, plant material that had been previously exposed to an acute dose of ozone (0.20 ppm, 5 h), compared to controls in choice experiments. However, females preferred to oviposit on the unexposed controls. Results were consistent for 2 cottonwood clones over 3 years in disc, leaf and whole-plant choice tests. The differential feeding and oviposition response of this insect to stressed plants could have at least 3 unexpected consequences: 1. An immediate increase in damage to stressed trees, but a subsequent decrease in damage. 2. A subsequent increase in damage to unstressed adjacent trees. 3. Changes in the insect and pathogen communities of both stressed and unstressed trees. These complex scenarios show that predicting outcomes of plant stress on plant-insect interactions will require comprchensive examination of behavioral, growth and reproductive responses of insects to stressed plants.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence life history traits of a lepidopteran herbivore

Results from pot and microcosm studies in the greenhouse have shown that plant growth and foliar chemistry is altered by the presence and species composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The growth and survival of herbivores which feed on plants could, as a consequence, also be affected by these mutualistic soil fungi. Consequently, interactions between AMF, plants and herbivores could occur. To test this, larvae of the common blue butterfly, Polyommatus icarus (Lycaenidae), were fed with sprigs of Lotus corniculatus (Fabaceae) plants which were inoculated with one of two different AMF species, with a mixture of these AMF species or with sprigs of plants which were not inoculated with AMF. Survival and larval weight of third instar larvae fed with plants colonised by AMF were greater than those of larvae fed with non-mycorrhizal plants. Survival of larvae feeding on non-mycorrhizal plants was 1.6 times lower than that of larvae feeding on plants inoculated with a mixture of AMF species and 3.8 times lower than that of larvae feeding on plants inoculated with single AMF species. Furthermore, larvae fed with non-mycorrhizal plants attained only about half the weight of larvae fed with mycorrhizal plants after 11 days of growth. These differences in larval performance might be explained by differences in leaf chemistry, since mycorrhizal plants had a 3 times higher leaf P concentration and a higher C/N-ratio. Our results, thus, show that the presence of belowground mutualistic soil fungi influences the performance of aboveground herbivores by altering their food quality. Larval consumption, larval food use and adult lipid concentrations of the common blue butterfly differed between larvae which were fed with plants inoculated with different AMF species. This suggests that the performance of herbivores is not only influenced by the presence of AMF but also depends on the identity of the AMF species colonising the host plants. Moreover, a significant interaction term between AMF species and maternal identity of the larvae occurred for adult dry weight, indicating that the performance of offspring from different females was differently influenced by AMF species composition. To our knowledge, these results show for the first time that the species composition of AMF communities can influence life-history traits of butterfly larvae and possibly herbivores in general.     

Plant‐mediated interactions among above‐ground and below‐ground life stages of a root‐feeding weevil

1. Interactions among herbivores mediated by plant responses to herbivore injury may have large impacts on herbivore population densities. Responses may persist for weeks after injury and may affect not only the initial (inducing) herbivore, but also herbivores that are spatially or temporally separated from the initial attacker. 2. In many plant–insect interactions, multiple life stages of the insect may be associated with the same plant, and these various stages may interact indirectly with one another via induced responses. The rice water weevil (RWW), Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus, a serious global pest of rice, is one such insect. A series of experiments were performed with root‐feeding larvae and leaf‐feeding adults of the RWW using three conventional rice varieties. 3. The first objective of this study was to test whether RWW adult feeding on rice leaves resulted in altered oviposition by subsequent adults. The hypothesis for the first objective was that RWW adult feeding would decrease plant suitability, resulting in reduced oviposition by subsequent adults. 4. The second objective was to test whether injury by RWW larvae to rice roots resulted in altered oviposition by subsequent adults. The hypothesis for the second objective was that below‐ground RWW larval feeding would decrease plant suitability of rice to above‐ground RWW adults, resulting in decreased oviposition. 5. Results provided inconsistent support for the first hypothesis, indicating that responses differed among combinations of variety and injury level. Conversely, consistent support for the second hypothesis was found, indicating that larval feeding on roots decreased suitability of rice plants for oviposition.