Plant-insect dialogs: complex interactions at the plant-insect interface.
Although five different classes of insect herbivore-produced elicitors of plant volatiles have been identified, this is only a part of the complex, chemically mediated interactions between insect herbivores and their host plants. The defensive reactions of the plant, following physical injury by the herbivore, are influenced by a multitude of factors including, but not necessarily limited to, the elicitors and numerous other herbivore-associated molecules, as well as microbes on the plant surface that may alter plant defensive pathways. Ultimately, a thorough and accurate understanding of the chemical ecology of insect-plant interactions will require a more holistic approach, taking into consideration the ecological and physiological context in which a plant perceives and responds to herbivore-associated signals.
Felton
Gary W
GW
Department of Entomology, Center for Chemical Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States. gwf10@psu.edu
Tumlinson
James H
JH
D000818:Animals; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007313:Insecta / Q000502:physiology*; D010944:Plants / Q000469:parasitology*; D051192:Receptors, Pattern Recognition / Q000378:metabolism
D051192:Receptors, Pattern Recognition