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Two-layered Membrane Sandwich Method for Laodelphax striatellus Saliva Collection

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Do caterpillars secrete "oral secretions"?

Michelle Peiffer¹, Gary W Felton

¹Department of Entomology and Center for Chemical Ecology, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.

Journal of Chemical Ecology

|February 18, 2009

Summary

Caterpillar oral secretions trigger plant defenses, but most larvae regurgitate very little (nanoliters) during feeding. This limited regurgitation likely helps caterpillars avoid activating plant defenses, especially on certain host plants.

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Area of Science:

Plant Science
Entomology
Chemical Ecology

Background:

Caterpillar oral secretions contain elicitors that trigger plant defense responses.
Plants use these elicitors to distinguish herbivory from mechanical damage.
The quantity of oral secretions delivered during feeding is largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantify the amount of regurgitant delivered by caterpillars during feeding.
To visualize caterpillar regurgitation using a fluorescent dye method.
To investigate the frequency of regurgitation across different caterpillar species and host plants.

Main Methods:

Developed a sensitive fluorescent dye method to visualize and quantify nanoliter amounts of caterpillar regurgitant.
Examined regurgitation propensity in five key caterpillar species (Helicoverpa zea, Heliothis virescens, Spodoptera exigua, Spodoptera frugiperda, Manduca sexta).
Assessed regurgitation frequency on various host plants, including tomato and corn.

Main Results:

Most larvae regurgitated less than 10 nanoliters during brief feeding bouts (approx. 10 minutes, 0.40 cm² leaf area).
Regurgitation amounts are orders of magnitude lower than typically used in oral secretion studies.
Regurgitation frequency varied by host plant; Helicoverpa zea regurgitated less on tomato than on corn.

Conclusions:

Caterpillars deliver significantly smaller amounts of oral secretions during feeding than previously assumed.
Limited regurgitation suggests caterpillars may actively avoid eliciting plant defenses during most feeding events.
Findings impact our understanding of plant-herbivore interactions and plant defense signaling.