Chemosensory basis of feeding and oviposition behaviour in herbivorous insects: a glance at the periphery

Recent advances in our understanding of the relationship between chemosensory and behavioural responses to phytochemicals come from a number of studies on ovipositional and food selection behaviour of flies, butterflies, moths and beetles. Establishing input-output relationships has provided insight into the way in which the activity of chemoreceptors is translated into host-plant selection behaviour. This was achieved for both the qualitative contrast acceptance/rejection and for quantifiable preference hierarchies. By now it is clear that the subtlety of coding the complex phytochemical profiles offered by potential host plants relies on across-fibre patterns or ensemblefiring of taste neurons. Progress along these lines depends on unravelling processing pathways in the central nervous system, still a largely unexplored area in herbivorous insects. Increased interest can be noted for the mechanisms operating during the most peripheral events of chemoreception: the interaction of phytochemical and chemoreceptor, determining the specificity of recognition. Evidence for peripheral integration has accumulated. Deterrent receptors have an especially puzzling nature. Although such cells respond to a wide array of structurally diverse secondary plant metabolites, their sensitivity profile differs between closely related species. To what extent membrane-bound receptor molecules are involved and what degree of specificity is conferred by these, is largely unknown. Sensitivity to a certain group or class of compounds is determined by single genes in several cases. This allows for a scenario in which single gene mutations affect stimulus-receptor interactions, which might concurrently affect host-plant selection behaviour.