AUTHOR=Chen Gong , Su Qi , Shi Xiaobin , Liu Xin , Peng Zhengke , Zheng Huixin , Xie Wen , Xu Baoyun , Wang Shaoli , Wu Qingjun , Zhou Xuguo , Zhang Youjun TITLE=Odor, Not Performance, Dictates Bemisia tabaci's Selection between Healthy and Virus Infected Plants JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology VOLUME=8 YEAR=2017 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00146 DOI=10.3389/fphys.2017.00146 ISSN=1664-042X ABSTRACT=

Although, insect herbivores are generally thought to select hosts that favor the fitness of their progeny, this “mother-knows-best” hypothesis may be challenged by the presence of a plant virus. Our previous study showed that the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, the obligate vector for transmitting Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), preferred to settle and oviposit on TYLCV-infected rather than healthy host plant, Datura stramonium. The performances of B. tabaci larvae and adults were indeed improved on virus-infected D. stramonium, which is consistent with “mother-knows-best” hypothesis. In this study, B. tabaci Q displayed the same preference to settle and oviposit on Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV)-infected host plants, D. stramonium and Capsicum annuum, respectively. As a non-vector of TSWV, however, insect performance was impaired since adult body size, longevity, survival, and fecundity were reduced in TSWV infected D. stramonium. This appears to be an odor-mediated behavior, as plant volatile profiles are modified by viral infection. Infected plants have reduced quantities of o-xylene and α-pinene, and increased levels of phenol and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol in their headspace. Subsequent behavior experiments showed that o-xylene and α-pinene are repellant, while phenol and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol are attractive. This indicates that the preference of B. tabaci for virus-infected plants is modulated by the dynamic changes in the volatile profiles rather than the subsequent performances on virus-infected plants.