植食性昆虫的嗅觉选食过程及其机制研究进展

植食性昆虫的嗅觉在其选择食物的过程中发挥了重要的作用,它能通过对植物挥发物的感受来定向和定位食物源并产生趋近行为,进而根据特殊的化合物或者多种化合物的特异浓度组合来区分寄主和非寄主植物.在这个过程中,昆虫嗅觉器官上相关的嗅觉感受蛋白被植物挥发物激活,形成特异的嗅觉感受通路,在行为上调控昆虫嗅觉选食的能力.本文主要从植食性昆虫嗅觉选食过程中植物挥发物的散布特征、昆虫识别植物信息的嗅觉感受机制及其相关的分子基础等方面进行叙述,同时讨论了近年的研究成果并展望了下一步的研究方向.

Olfaction in the process of herbivorous insect food selection

Olfaction plays a major role in host plant selection by herbivorous insects. The insects may behaviorally distinguish host plants from other plants based exclusively on olfactory cues and could potentially detect specific compounds or ratios to gain the precise information. Attracted by olfactory cues, insects approach food sources and make further food choice decisions. In this process, chemosensory proteins on the olfactory organs are activated by plant volatiles, forming several specific olfactory pathways that could regulate the feed selection of herbivorous insects. This paper reviews recent research on the dispersing characteristics of plant volatiles, the chemical and ecological mechanisms of insect-recognizing plants and their molecular basis. The research results in recent years are discussed and further research directions are proposed.