Insect egg-killing: a new front on the evolutionary arms-race between brassicaceous plants and pierid butterflies.

ABSTRACT: Evolutionary arms-races between plants and insect herbivores have long been proposed to generate key innovations such as plant toxins and detoxification mechanisms that can drive diversification of the interacting species. A novel front-line of plant defence is the killing of herbivorous insect eggs. We test whether an egg-killing plant trait has an evolutionary basis in such a plant-insect arms-race. Within the crucifer family (Brassicaceae), some species express a hypersensitive response (HR)-like necrosis underneath butterfly eggs (Pieridae) that leads to eggs desiccating or falling off the plant. We studied the phylogenetic distribution of this trait, its egg-killing effect on and elicitation by butterflies, by screening 31 Brassicales species, and nine Pieridae species. We show a clad

SUBMITTER: Griese E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7986918 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature