title: Experience-based behavioral and chemosensory changes in the generalist insect herbivore Helicoverpa armigera exposed to two deterrent plant chemicals.
abstract: Behavioral and electrophysiological responses of larvae of the polyphagous moth species Helicoverpa armigera to two plant-derived allelochemicals were studied, both in larvae that had been reared on a diet devoid of these compounds and in larvae previously exposed to these compounds. In dual-choice cotton leaf disk and pepper fruit disk arena assays, caterpillars reared on a normal artificial diet were strongly deterred by strychnine and strophanthin-K. However, caterpillars reared on an artificial diet containing strychnine were insensitive to strychnine and strophanthin-K. Similarly, caterpillars reared on an artificial diet containing strophanthin-K were also desensitized to both deterrent chemicals. Electrophysiological tests revealed that the deterrent-sensitive neurons in taste sensilla on the maxillae of caterpillars reared on each deterrent-containing diet displayed reduced sensitivity to the two chemicals compared with the caterpillars reared on normal diets. We conclude that the experience-dependent behavioral plasticity was partly based on the reduced sensitivity of taste receptor neurons and that the desensitization of taste receptor neurons contributed to the cross-habituation to the two chemicals.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dongsheng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Joop J A
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: van Loon
authors.forename: Chen-Zhu
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007915:Lepidoptera / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010675:Pheromones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013328:Strophanthins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013331:Strychnine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D010675:Pheromones; D013328:Strophanthins; D013331:Strychnine; C029082:strophanthin K