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Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Student Competition Poster

Undergrad P-IE: Ecology, Conservation, and Pest Management

D3088: Mortality of virus infected Vanessa cardui caterpillars is dependent on diet and larval developmental stage

Monday, November 1, 2021
9:00 AM – 6:30 PM MT
Location:: Exhibit Hall F
Student Competition In-Person Poster
Understanding complex multi-trophic interactions between host plant chemistry, insect herbivores, and viral pathogens, is an important ecological goal that helps to deepen our understanding of community health, structure, and dynamics. Plantago lanceolata and Plantago major are two Plantaginaceae species commonly consumed by generalist caterpillars that contain iridoid glycosides (a defensive plant compound) and that vary in their constituencies. The objective of this experiment was to infect Vanessa cardui caterpillars with a pathogenic insect virus and examine the response on larval mortality when infected at early and late developmental stages (second and fourth instars) and while on two different iridoid glycoside-containing diet treatments. Plantago lanceolata and Plantago major were chosen as the host plant study system because P. lanceolata produces both aucubin and catalpol, where P. major produces only aucubin, and in a lower total amount. Caterpillars were assigned to two diet treatments, and orally infected with Junonia coenia densovirus (JcDV) (Parvoviridae: Densovirinae, Lepidopteran Protoambidensovirus 1) during second instar or fourth instar. Viral load for all individuals was determined by qPCR. Mortality rates were found to be dependent on both diet treatment and developmental stage. Mortality was lowest when infected during the second instar and fed a diet of P. lanceolata, and highest when infected at fourth instar on a diet of P. major. This suggests an interaction between defensive secondary compounds found in the host plant and the insect herbivore’s immune response against a viral pathogen, as well as the importance of developmental stages when studying various parameters of survivorship.