Files and links (1)
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
How to chew gum: the post-ingestion fate of foliar secondary compounds consumed by a eucalypt herbivore
Chemoecology, Vol.34, pp.137-147
2024
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Herbivorous insects require mechanisms to deal with defence compounds produced by their host plants. Despite an array of secondary compounds associated with defence, eucalypts are hosts to many insect species that readily obtain nutrients also produced by these plants. Gonipterus weevils are foliage-feeding eucalypt specialists as larvae and adults, with a notable characteristic of protecting their eggs with a hardened frass-like substance. The aim of this study was to assess plant, weevil frass and egg capsule chemistry to determine how the weevil eliminates plant secondary metabolites. We hypothesised that noxious compounds would be metabolised prior to elimination and that egg capsules would be composed of frass and additional substances. Weevils were fed on Eucalyptus globulus plants for seven days, with their frass and egg capsules collected daily, and the damaged, first, fully-expanded leaves of the host collected at the end of the assay. Compounds present in each sample were extracted in hexane and analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The most abundant compounds in each sample were waxes and terpenoids, and metabolism of 1,8-cineole was evident, with two metabolites that may have semiochemical activity. Comparative analysis revealed significant differences between all samples, with shared compounds varying in relative proportions and exclusive compounds in sample type. These findings contribute to the understanding of Gonipterus physiology and highlight the differences between frass and the cover of egg capsules.
Details
- Title
- How to chew gum: the post-ingestion fate of foliar secondary compounds consumed by a eucalypt herbivore
- Authors
- Natalia M. De Souza - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Research InstituteR. Andrew Hayes (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Research InstitutePeter R. Brooks - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringHelen F. Nahrung - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Research Institute
- Publication details
- Chemoecology, Vol.34, pp.137-147
- Publisher
- Springer
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00049-024-00409-2
- ISSN
- 1423-0445; 0937-7409
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- The authors declare that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper and its Supplementary Information files. Should any raw data files be needed in another format they are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
- Grant note
- This work was supported by Forest and Wood Products Australia Limited (project number VNC 418–1617) (supported by Biological Control of Eucalypt Pests Alliance, Industry Plantation Management Group and University of the Sunshine Coast).
- Organisation Unit
- Forest Industries Research Centre; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Forest Research Institute; Centre for Bioinnovation
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991048930902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
1 File views/ downloads
47 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Web Of Science research areas
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
- Ecology
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites