Consequences of 'no-choice, fixed time' reciprocal host plant switches on nutrition and gut serine protease gene expression in Pieris brassicae L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae).

ABSTRACT: Rapid adaptive responses were evident from reciprocal host-plant switches on performance, digestive physiology and relative gene expression of gut serine proteases in larvae of crucifer pest P. brassicae transferred from cauliflower (CF, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, family Brassicaceae) to an alternate host, garden nasturtium, (GN, Tropaeolum majus L., family Tropaeolaceae) and vice-versa under laboratory conditions. Estimation of nutritional indices indicated that larvae of all instars tested consumed the least food and gained less weight on CF-GN diet (significant at p≤0.05) as compared to larvae feeding on CF-CF, GN-GN and GN-CF diets suggesting that the switch to GN was nutritionally less favorable for larval growth. Nevertheless, these larvae, especially fourth instars, were adroi

SUBMITTER: Kumar P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7817030 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature