The identity of plant host genetic factors controlling the composition of the plant microbiota and the extent to which plant genes affect associated microbial populations is currently unknown. Here, we use a candidate gene approach to investigate host effects on the phyllosphere community composition and abundance. To reduce the environmental factors that might mask genetic factors, the model p...

Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine selection by Cotesia plutellae between host larvae feeding on two plant species: Chinese cabbage, Brassica campestris ssp. pekinensis and common cabbage, Brassica oleracea var. capitata. When C. plutellae wasps were provided with equal numbers of Plutella xylostella larvae on both species of plants in one arena, the parasitoid parasitised 4-15 fo...

The way in which herbivorous insect individuals use multiple host species is difficult to quantify under field conditions, but critical to understanding the evolutionary processes underpinning insect-host plant relationships. In this study we developed a novel approach to understanding the host plant interactions of the green mirid, Creontiades dilutus, a highly motile heteropteran bug that has...

Plant-emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play important roles in plant-insect interactions. Atmospheric pollutants such as ozone (O3) can react with VOCs and affect the dynamics and fidelity of these interactions. However, the effects of atmospheric degradation of plant VOCs on plant-insect interactions remains understudied. We used a system comprising Brassica oleracea subsp. capitata (...

Determining the relative contributions of diff erent ecological factors for herbivore fi tness is one key to understanding the ecology and evolution of host plant choice by herbivores. Natural enemies are increasingly being recognized as an important factor: host plants of inferior quality for development may still be used by herbivores if they provide enemy-free space (EFS). Here we used the t...

1. A potential driver of species abundance that remains understudied is the interaction between host species and their microbial symbionts. Beneficial symbionts could promote the dominance of common host species by increasing their population growth rates more than they do for rare species, and symbiont benefits could be important for maintaining rare species in communities. Alternatively, intr...

Most plant-feeding insects are ecological specialists restricted to one or a few closely related host-plant species. A long-standing hypothesis asserts that natural selection favors host specialization because of trade-offs between performance on alternative hosts, yet empirical evidence for such tradeoffs is scarce. Here we assess trade-offs between adaptations to alternative hosts over macroe...

Plant dcfcncr rcsponscs to pathogcn clicitation, plant ccll growth and dcvclopmcnt arc complex and highly integrated pmcesses. Intcraction betwecn host plant and pathogcn result in significant differences in defence gcnc cxprcssion. A mynad 01 defence-related gcncs arc induccd in many caws of inumpati blc interaction betwccn host plant and pathogcn. Tcchniqucs that monitor individual rcsponscs ...

Plant-feeding insects have undergone unparalleled diversification among different plant taxa, yet explanations for variation in their diversity lack a quantitative, predictive framework. Island biogeographic theory has been applied to spatially discrete habitats but not to habitats, such as host plants, separated by genetic distance. We show that relationships between the diversity of gall-indu...

Understanding the drivers of plant-insect interactions is still a key issue in terrestrial ecology. Here, we used 30 well-defined plant-herbivore assemblages to assess the effects of host plant phylogenetic isolation and origin (native vs. exotic) on the species richness, composition and specialization of the insect herbivore fauna on co-occurring plant species. We also tested for differences i...