Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata (1997) 83, 121-135

M. Tracy Johnson, Fred Gould and George G. Kennedy (1997)
Effect of an entomopathogen on adaptation of Heliothis virescens populations to transgenic host plants
Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 83 (2), 121-135
Abstract: The role of an entomopathogen in evolution of herbivore adaptation to partially resistant host plants was examined using a tritrophic system in the laboratory. We hypothesized that a pathogen should interact with herbivore behavior to accelerate herbivore adaptation to toxic plants: individuals not adapted to toxin tend to move more on toxic plants, and therefore are more likely to encounter a lethal dose of pathogen, further increasing the probability that they will be eliminated by selection. Heliothis virescens (F.) (Noctuidae) was selected for adaptation to transgenic tobacco containing a sublethal concentration of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner toxin under two treatment regimes: larvae placed on plants treated with infective conidia of the entomopathogenic fungus, Nomuraea rileyi (Farlow) Samson, and larvae placed on plants without fungus.
Selection was initiated with a genetically heterogeneous strain created by crossing two laboratory strains of H. virescens, one not adapted to B. thuringiensis toxin, and one highly adapted (>1000-fold) to toxin. This cross was performed four times to create four independent populations. Selection was initiated with F2 offspring from each cross and continued for 8-10 consecutive generations. Adaptation to toxin within each treatment population was quantified every generation by measuring survival and growth of larvae on artificial diet containing a low concentration of B. thuringiensis toxin.
In three of four replicates, H. virescens populations exposed to N. rileyi adapted to B. thuringiensis toxin more quickly than populations not exposed. These results supported our hypothesis that the pathogen should accelerate adaptation to toxic plants. However, this hypothesis was contradicted by the result in one replicate, in which the population not exposed to fungus adapted to toxic plants faster. This opposite result could not be explained, but it suggests that there may be substantial variation in herbivore evolution in tritrophic systems.
H. virescens populations selected in the presence of fungus and in the absence of fungus did not differ in feeding or in mortality when placed on leaf disks treated with conidia. Thus, populations exposed to N. rileyi on plants for 7-8 generations displayed neither physiological nor behavioral adaptation to N. rileyi.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): M. Tracy Johnson, George G. Kennedy

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
environment - cropping system/rotation
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Heliothis virescens
Metarhizium rileyi (entomopathogen)	Heliothis virescens