Resisting the onset of herbivore attack: plants perceive and respond to insect eggs

• Published in: Current opinion in plant biology 2016-08, Vol.32, p.9-16
• Main Authors: Hilker, Monika, Fatouros, Nina E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biosystematics; Biosystematiek; EPS; Herbivory - physiology; Insecta - pathogenicity; Larva - pathogenicity; Plant Leaves - parasitology; Plants - parasitology
• ISSN: 1369-5266; 1879-0356
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.05.003

[Display omitted] •Various plant taxa respond to insect eggs by formation of HR-like necrosis.•The impact of the mode of insect egg deposition on the plant's HR remains elusive.•Insect eggs can prime a plant for improved feeding-induced defenses against larvae.•A plant responds differently to eggs of different insect species.•Insects show species-specific susceptibilities to egg-induced plant responses. Plants can respond to attack by herbivorous insects very soon after herbivores start producing a new generation by depositing eggs onto their leaves. Egg-induced plant responses may result in killing the attacker in its egg stage. However, if the eggs do survive, they can also prime feeding-induced plant defenses against the larvae hatching from eggs. In this paper we focus first on egg-induced plant responses that resemble hypersensitive responses (HR) to phytopathogens and lead to egg desiccation or detachment from plants. We then summarize the current knowledge about egg-mediated effects on feeding-induced plant defenses against larvae. Finally, we discuss the insect species specificity of plant responses to eggs and the variability of insect susceptibility to these responses.