Defense of Scots Pine Against Sawfly Eggs (Diprion Pini) Is Primed by Exposure to Sawfly Sex Pheromones
Defense of Scots pine against sawfly eggs (Diprion pini) is primed by exposure to sawfly sex pheromones Norbert Bittnera, Janik Hundackera, Ander Achotegui-Castellsb,c, Olle Anderbrantd, and Monika Hilkera,1 aDahlem Centre of Plant Sciences, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 12163 Berlin, Germany; bCentre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), Barcelona, 08193 Catalonia, Spain; cGlobal Ecology Unit, CREAF-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, 08193 Catalonia, Spain; and dDepartment of Biology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden Edited by James H. Tumlinson, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, and approved October 30, 2019 (received for review June 26, 2019) Plants respond to insect infestation with defenses targeting insect egg deposition (16). In addition, many plant species have been eggs on their leaves and the feeding insects. Upon perceiving cues shown to change their leaf odor in response to insect egg de- indicating imminent herbivory, such as damage-induced leaf odors position; the egg-induced leaf odor attracts parasitic wasps that emitted by neighboring plants, they are able to prime their defenses kill the eggs (17). Since insect mating precedes egg deposition, against feeding insects. Yet it remains unknown whether plants can cues like insect sex pheromones might serve as reliable stimuli amplify their defenses against insect eggs by responding to cues indicative of imminent egg deposition, thus eliciting plant re- indicating imminent egg deposition. Here, we tested the hypothesis sponses harming the eggs. that a plant strengthens its defenses against insect eggs by respond- Here we present a study testing the hypothesis that exposure ing to insect sex pheromones.
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