title: Endophyte-mediated interactions between cauliflower, the herbivore Spodoptera litura, and the ectoparasitoid Bracon hebetor.
abstract: Fungal endosymbionts in plants may influence interactions among plants, herbivores and their parasitoids through the production of secondary metabolites. We used a lepidopteran pest and its generalist parasitoid to test the effect of endophyte-infected plants on a third trophic level. Endophytic fungi, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger, isolated from Acacia arabica, were used to infect cauliflower plants. We found that the presence of the endophyte in the plants significantly extended the development period of Spodoptera litura (Fab.) larvae. Feeding of the host on endophyte-infected plants further adversely affected the development and performance of its parasitoid, Bracon hebetor (Say). A negative impact was also recorded for longevity and fecundity of endophyte-naive parasitoid females due to the parasitization of host larvae fed on endophyte-infected plants. The presence of endophytes in the diet of the host larvae significantly prolonged the development of the parasitoid. A strong detrimental effect was also recorded for larval survival and emergence of parasitoid adults. The longevity and parasitism rate of female wasps were reduced significantly due to the ingestion of endophyte-infected cauliflower plants by S. litura larvae. Overall, we found that both endophytic fungi had a negative impact on the parasitoid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India.
authors.forename: Tamanreet
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India.
authors.forename: Bahaderjeet
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India.
authors.forename: Amarjeet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India. sanehsaini@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sanehdeep
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9953-2618
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaur
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001937:Brassica / Q000382:microbiology*; D060026:Endophytes / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D060434:Herbivory; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007814:Larva / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D018411:Spodoptera / Q000254:growth & development / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology*; D013559:Symbiosis; D014863:Wasps / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Aspergillus flavus; Aspergillus niger; Bottom-up effects; Multitrophic-level interactions; Secondary metabolites