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Indirect plant-parasitoid interactions mediated by changes in herbivore physiology
Ian Kaplan1, Juli Carrillo1, Michael Garvey1
1Department of Entomology, Purdue University, United States.
Current Opinion in Insect Science
|July 21, 2016
Summary
Herbivorous insects link plants and parasitoids. New research reveals complex plant-parasitoid interactions, driven by plant defenses and parasitoid actions, impacting food webs.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Entomology
- Plant Science
Background:
- Herbivorous insects are key links in food webs, connecting plants to higher trophic levels like parasitoids.
- Plant-parasitoid interactions are well-studied, but new mechanisms are reshaping our understanding of these tri-trophic relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in understanding indirect plant-parasitoid interactions.
- To highlight plant-driven and parasitoid-driven mechanisms affecting trophic dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent studies on tri-trophic interactions.
- Analysis of bottom-up (plant to parasitoid) and top-down (parasitoid to plant) effects.
Main Results:
- Plant metabolites can influence parasitoid success by affecting host immunity.
- Plant tolerance strategies, beyond chemical defenses, can impact parasitoid ecology.
- Parasitism has complex effects on herbivory rates and plant defense induction, with cascading community-level consequences.
Conclusions:
- Tri-trophic interactions are more intricate than previously thought, involving complex feedback loops.
- Understanding these dynamics is crucial for predicting food web stability and community structure.
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