AUTHOR=Tian Zhenqi , Ma Chao , Zhang Yan , Chen Hongsong , Gao Xuyuan , Guo Jianying , Zhou Zhongshi 

TITLE=Feeding on rapid cold hardening Ambrosia artemisiifolia enhances cold tolerance of Ophraella communa

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1114026

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1114026

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Low temperatures greatly influence newly introduced species, and increased cold tolerance can facilitate their establishment in new environments. The invasive alien species <italic>Ambrosia artemisiifolia</italic> is distributed at high latitudes and altitudes, where it suffers more from cold stress than it would at low latitudes or altitudes. Whether cold stress influences the accumulation of cryoprotectants and cold tolerance in <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic>, and further influences the cold tolerance of its biological control agent, <italic>Ophraella communa</italic>, through feeding remain unknown. We investigated the levels of cryoprotectants and metabolic changes in <italic>A. artemisiifolia.</italic> We found that the level of total sugar, trehalose, proline, and other cold responsible metabolites increased in <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic> after rapid cold-hardening (RCH) treatment, when compared to normal plants. These indicated that RCH treatment could improve the cold-hardiness of <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic>. We then investigated the levels of cryoprotectants and metabolic changes in <italic>O. communa</italic>. We found that <italic>O. communa</italic> fed on RCH-treated <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic> had higher levels of total sugar, trehalose, proline, glycerol, lipid, lower water content, lower super-cooling point, and increased cold tolerance compared to <italic>O. communa</italic> fed on normal <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic>. This suggested that <italic>O. communa</italic> fed on cold-hardened <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic> could increase its cold tolerance. Results showed a trophic transmission in insect cold tolerance. Our study enriches the theoretical basis for the co-evolution of cold tolerance in invasive and herbivorous insects.</p>