Contrasting plant transcriptome responses between a pierce-sucking and a chewing herbivore go beyond the infestation site
To study how phytophagous with different feeding strategies may differently trigger the plant defense response during and after infestation in both infested and distal tissues, Arabidopsis thaliana L. rosettes were infested separately with the chewing-biter Pieris brassicae L. and the piercing-sucker Tetranychus urticae Koch. Feeding mode did distinctly influence the transcriptomic response of the plant. Though overall affected processes were similar under either infestation, their magnitude differed significantly. Plants infested with P. brassicae exhibited a short-term response, involving stress-related genes, JA and ABA regulation and suppressing growth-related genes. In contrast, T. urticae elicited a longer transcriptomic response in plants, albeit with a lower degree of differential expression, relevantly influencing SA regulation. These distinct defense responses transcended beyond infestation and through non-infested tissues like roots, where hormonal response, flavonoid regulation or cell wall reorganization were differentially affected.