Interspecific Differences in the Larval Performance of Pieris Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) Are Associated with Differences in the Glucosinolate Profiles of Host Plants.

ABSTRACT: The tremendous diversity of plants and herbivores has arisen from a coevolutionary relationship characterized by plant defense and herbivore counter adaptation. Pierid butterfly species feed on Brassicales plants that produce glucosinolates as a chemical deterrent against herbivory. In turn, the larvae of pierids have nitrile specifier proteins (NSPs) that are expressed in their gut and disarm glucosinolates. Pierid butterflies are known to have diversified in response to glucosinolate diversification in Brassicales. Therefore, each pierid species is expected to have a spectrum of host plants characterized by specific glucosinolate profiles. In this study, we tested whether the larval performance of different Pieris species, a genus in Pieridae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), was associated with

SUBMITTER: Okamura Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6490971 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature