Abstract
Solanum dulcamara (Bittersweet nightshade) shows significant intraspecific variation in glycoalkaloid (GA) composition and concentration. We previously showed that constitutive differences in overall GA levels are correlated with feeding preference of the grey field slug (GFS; Deroceras reticulatum). One particularly preferred accession, ZD11, contained low GA levels, but high levels of previously unknown structurally related uronic acid conjugated compounds (UACs). Here we test whether different slug species as well as insect herbivores show similar feeding preferences among six S. dulcamara accessions with different GA chemotypes. In addition, we investigate whether slug feeding can lead to induced changes in the chemical composition and affect later arriving herbivores. A leaf disc assay using greenhouse-grown plants showed that three slug species similarly preferred accessions with low GA levels. Untargeted metabolomic analyses showed that previous slug feeding consistently increased the levels of N-caffeoyl-putrescine and a structurally related metabolite, but not the levels of GAs and UACs. Slug-induced responses only affected slug preference in one accession. A common garden experiment using the same six accessions revealed that ZD11 received the highest natural gastropod feeding damage, but suffered the lowest damage by specialist flea beetles. The latter preferred to feed on accessions with high GA levels. Our study indicates that different selection pressures imposed by generalist gastropods and specialist insects may explain part of the observed chemical diversity in S. dulcamara.
Highlights
Plants display a significant degree of chemical diversity
We recently showed that resistance to the grey field slug (GFS, Deroceras reticulatum) in S. dulcamara is associated with high levels of GAs
Slug Preference Assays The three different slug species showed the same preference for the six S. dulcamara accessions
Summary
Plants display a significant degree of chemical diversity. Among plant species, and within a single species a multitude of natural chemotypes may exist. A well-studied example for within species chemical diversity are the glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana. A study on 39 ecotypes of A. thaliana showed that each ecotype is characterized by a specific glucosinolate profile which is a subset of 34 different glucosinolates (Kliebenstein et al 2001). Another example comes from Jacobaea vulgaris (Syn. Senecio jacobaea). Plants collected in 11 European populations show
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