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ARS Home » Plains Area » Brookings, South Dakota » Integrated Cropping Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #295970
Title: Nature, evolution and characterisation of rhizospheric chemical exudates affecting root herbivores

Author
item HILTPOLD, IVAN - University Of Missouri
item BERNKLAU, ELISA - Colorado State University
item BJOSTAD, LOUIS - Colorado State University
item ALVAREZ, NADIR - University Of Lausanne
item MILLER-STRUTTMANN, NICOLE - University Of Missouri
item Lundgren, Jonathan
item Hibbard, Bruce

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/9/2013
Publication Date: 11/25/2013
Citation: Hiltpold, I., Bernklau, E., Bjostad, L., Alvarez, N., Miller-Struttmann, N., Lundgren, J.G., Hibbard, B.E. 2013. Nature, evolution and characterisation of rhizospheric chemical exudates affecting root herbivores. In: Johnson, S., Hiltpold, I., Turlings, T., editors. Behavior and Physiology of Root Herbivores. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsivier. p. 97-157.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Similarly as aboveground, root-feeding insect herbivores meet the necessity to locate and identify suitable resources. To do so in the darkness of the soil matrix, they mainly rely on root chemical exudations and therefore evolved a complex behavior and sense of smell. Because of their impact on crop yield, most of our knowledge in belowground chemical ecology is biased towards soil-dwelling insect pests. But the increasing literature on these volatile-mediated interactions underpins their great importance in this complex ecosystem functioning and their potential in pest control. Here, we explore the ecology of these chemically-based interactions and the physiology behind. An evolutionary approach reveals interesting patterns in the response of groups of insects to certain groups of volatile or water-soluble organic compounds commonly emitted by roots in the rhizosphere. Food webs’ analyzes support some general hypotheses on the mechanisms involve in insect-root interactions even though data are still scarce. As a detailed example, the chemical ecology of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte is discussed and potential applications of this field of research in pest management are examined. Soil chemical ecology is an expending field of research and will certainly be a hub of our understanding and subsequently of the management of belowground ecosystems’ services. As compared to the atmosphere, the rhizosphere is a very complex milieu but ingenious methodologies are constantly developed to tackle behavioral, physiological and evolutionary questions on root-insect interactions.