ARS | Publication request: OLFACTORY ADAPTATIONS OF THE COLORADO POTATO BEETLE AND ASSOCIATED INSECTS TO CHEMICAL SIGNALS EMITTED BY HOST PLANTS

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: August 17, 1999
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Olfactory responses of the Colorado potato beetle (CPB), a generalist predator, Podisus maculiventris (Say) (Hemiptera, Heteroptera: Pentamodiae) (Pm), and a specialist predator, Perillus bioculatus (F.) (Hemiptera, Heteroptera: Pentamodiae) (Pb) were investigated. Volatiles tested included 20 compounds emitted by undamaged potato plants (Solanum tuberosum), plants that had been artificially damaged, or plants damaged by feeding by CPB larvae. Coupled gas chromatography/elecroantennogram detector (GC/EAD) recordings revealed five compounds for which reliable responses were recorded. Both Pm and Pb responded selectively to the same compounds as the CPB with few exceptions. CPB was at least 100 x more sensitive to green leaf volatile than were the predators. Both predators were more sensitive to each of the other compounds than were CPB. Both CPB and Pm were attracted to blends of host plant volatiles. These results show that the herbivore (CPB) has olfactory receptors which are more sensitive to constitutive host plant volatiles, e.g. green leaf volatiles, while both generalist (Pm) and specialist (Pb) predators are more sensitive to systemic volatiles produced in response to prey feeding.