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Effectiveness of Metal–Metal and Metal–Organic Compound Combinations Against Plutella xylostella: Implications for Plant Elemental Defense

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Abstract

Plants that contain elevated foliar metal concentrations can be categorized as accumulators or, if the accumulation is extreme, hyperaccumulators. The defense hypothesis suggests that these plants may be defended against folivore attack, and recent research has indicated that metal concentrations at or below the accumulator range may be defensively effective. This experiment explored the toxicity of four metals hyperaccumulated by plants (Cd, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and asked if combinations of metals, or metals and organic chemicals, might broaden the defensive effectiveness of metals. Metals were used alone and in certain metal + metal (Zn plus Ni, Pb, or Cd) and metal + organic defensive chemical (Ni plus tannic acid, atropine, or nicotine) combinations. Artificial diet amended with these treatments was fed to larvae of the crucifer specialist herbivore Plutella xylostella. Combinations of metals and metals + organic chemicals significantly decreased survival and pupation rates, compared to single treatments, for at least some concentrations in every experiment. Effects of combinations were additive rather than synergistic or antagonistic. Because Zn enhanced the toxicity of other metals and Ni enhanced the toxicity of organic defensive chemicals, our findings suggest that the defensive effects of metals are more widespread among plants than previously believed. They also support the hypothesis that herbivore defense may have led to the evolution of metal hyperaccumulation by increasing the preexisting defensive effects of metals at accumulator levels in plants.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Rachel Foster for invaluable assistance with artificial diet experiments, Michael Buckman and Zandra Delamar for assistance with DBM colony maintenance, and Dr. John Odom for assistance with ICP analysis. The authors thank Dr. Debbie Folkerts and two anonymous reviewers for critically reviewing this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849-5407, USA

    Edward M. Jhee & Robert S. Boyd

  2. Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849-5413, USA

    Micky D. Eubanks

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  1. Edward M. Jhee
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  2. Robert S. Boyd
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  3. Micky D. Eubanks
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Correspondence to Robert S. Boyd.

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Jhee, E.M., Boyd, R.S. & Eubanks, M.D. Effectiveness of Metal–Metal and Metal–Organic Compound Combinations Against Plutella xylostella: Implications for Plant Elemental Defense. J Chem Ecol 32, 239–259 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-005-9000-0

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