Biological Impact of Benzoxazinoid Metabolization by a Specialist Root Herbivore

Some herbivores can sequester and use plant secondary metabolites for their own defense.

Despite many examples of sequestration, the impact of these compounds on herbivore performance and natural enemy resistance in still not well understood, especially for root herbivores.

The objective of this project is to investigate the biological relevance of benzoxazinoid N-glycosylation by the western corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, one of the main pests of maize that sequesters benzoxazinoids from maize roots.

To reach this aim, the project will combine mass spectrometry imaging with environmental RNAi and ecological assays to understand how the formation of N-glycosylated benzoxazinoids affects herbivore performance and resistance to entomopathogenic nematodes.

This will be the first study to investigate the relevance of secondary metabolite sequestration in a root pest through molecular manipulation.

This project will shed light on the importance of plant defense sequestration for root-feeding insects, for plant-insect interactions and for crop protection.