Mechanoecology and Chemoecology: Physical and Chemical Interactions between Insects and Plants

Ci a ion: Sale no, G.; Rebo a, M.; Go b, S. Mechanoecology and Chemoecology: Physical and Chemical In e ac ions be ween Insec s and Plan s. Insec s 2023,14, 657. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/ insec s14070657 Recei ed: 11 July 2023 Accep ed: 17 July 2023 Published: 23 July 2023 Copy igh : © 2023 by he au ho s. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Swi ze land. This a icle is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms and condi ions o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion (CC BY) license (h ps:// c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/ 4.0/). insec s Edi o ial Mechanoecology and Chemoecology: Physical and Chemical In e ac ions be ween Insec s and Plan s Gianand ea Sale no 1,* , Manuela Rebo a 2,* and S anisla Go b 3,* 1Dipa imen o di Scienze Ag a ie, Alimen a i e Ambien ali, Uni e si y o Pe ugia, Bo go XX Giugno, 06121 Pe ugia, I aly 2Dipa imen o di Chimica, Biologia e Bio ecnologie, Uni e si y o Pe ugia, Via Elce di So o 8, 06121 Pe ugia, I aly 3Depa men o Func ional Mo phology and Biomechanics, Zoological Ins i u e, Kiel Uni e si y, Am Bo anischen Ga en 9, 24098 Kiel, Ge many *Co espondence: [email p o ec ed] (G.S.); [email p o ec ed] (M.R.); [email p o ec ed] (S.G.) Plan s and he bi o ous insec s, as well as hei na u al enemies such as p eda o y and pa asi oid insec s, a e uni ed by in ica e ela ionships. Du ing he long pe iod o co-e olu ion wi h insec s, plan s de eloped a wide di e si y o chemical and mechanical ea u es o de ense agains he bi o es, and a ac ing pollina o s and na u al he bi o e enemies. The chemical basis o insec –plan in e ac ions has been es ablished, and in many examples he eeding and o iposi ion si e selec ion o phy ophagous insec s a e dependen on plan seconda y me aboli es. Vola ile o ganic compound (VOC) emission by plan s, in luenced by insec eeding o o iposi ion, can epel he bi o es and a ac na u al enemies. In his con ex , phy ophagous and en omophagous insec s e ol ed a inely uned senso y sys em o he de ec ion o plan cues. Despi e being o en o e looked, mechanical in e ac ions be ween insec s and plan s can be a he c ucial in he p ocess o hos plan selec ion by phy ophagous insec s. The e olu ion o plan su aces and insec adhesi e pads is an in e es ing example o compe- i ion be ween insec a achmen sys ems and plan an i-a achmen su aces. To achie e su icien a achmen ha enables locomo ion on widely di e se plan su aces, insec s ha e e ol ed a ious ypes o leg a achmen de ices, allowing hem o o e come physical plan de enses such as cu icula mic o olds, a ious kinds o ichomes and c ys alline wax co e - age. Addi ionally, insec mou hpa mechanics a e adap ed o ce ain mechanical p ope ies o he plan su ace, which, in combina ion, may in luence insec –plan in e ac ions. This Special Issue ocuses on he chemical and physical in e ac ions be ween insec s and plan s in o de o unde s and he unc ional signi icance o plan chemis y, plan su ace s uc u es and hei ela ionships wi h a b oad ange o ecological g oups o insec s, including pollina o s, he bi o es and p eda o s. Dealing wi h he mechanical in e ac ion be ween oligophagous phy ophagous insec pes s and hos plan mechanical ba ie s, Rebo a e al. [ 1 ] show ha oli e ui ly adhesion is educed by epicu icula waxes on he oli e su ace, and ha he emale shows a di e en abili y o a ach o he oli e su ace o di e en cul i a s o Olea eu opaea, in ela ion o di e en alues o oli e su ace we abili y. On he o he hand, Sai a e al. [ 2 ] e eal ha Cucu bi aceae glandula ichomes do no a ec insec a achmen abili y o he melon ladybi d a adul and la al s ages, sugges ing some adap a ion o his insec species o i s hos plan s; mo eo e , he au ho s demons a e ha non-glandula ichomes hea ily educe he a achmen abili y o adul s and la ae only when hey a e dense, sho and lexible. In an insec g oup, such as Phasma odea, which is highly associa ed wi h plan s h ough he bi o y and camou lage, Bu ack e al. [ 3 ] e eal ha wax c ys al-co e ed plan subs a es wi h ine oughness cause he lowes a achmen abili y; whe eas, s ongly s uc u ed na u al subs a es show he highes a achmen abili y. Go b and Go b [ 4 ] Insec s 2023,14, 657. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/insec s14070657 h ps://www.mdpi.com/jou nal/insec s Insec s 2023,14, 657 2 o 3 highligh he con ibu ion o wax co e age on lowe s ems o impeding he locomo ion o he gene alis an species, Lasius nige , and p o ide u he e idence o he hypo hesis ha when ha ing a di e si y o plan s ems in he ield, gene alis an s p e e subs a es whe e hei locomo ion is less hinde ed by obs acles and/o su ace slippe iness. In ano he s udy on he in e ac ion be ween he mechanical ea u es o lowe s and he a achmen abili y o gene alis insec pollina o s [ 5 ], he same au ho s obse e ha insec adhesion is su p isingly educed o pe als, whe e he colo in ensi y is enhanced due o papilla e epide mal cells co e ed by cu icula olds which con ibu e o adhesion educ ion in gene alis insec pollina o s. The in luence o pollen p ope ies, insec and lo al su aces on he adhesion o ces ha media e pollen ans e has been poo ly s udied hus a ; he pape by Hu h e al. [ 6 ] makes a con ibu ion o his opic, by epo ing on he adhesi e p ope ies o pollen ela ed o i s aging ime. An impo an aspec o insec –plan in e ac ions is he mul i ophic ela ionships be ween plan s, pes s, and na u al enemies. In his ega d, Fa ina e al. [ 7 ] analyze he damage o plan s caused by he co on whi e ly, Bemisia abaci, in p esence o a p eda o which eeds on bo h insec p ey and plan issue, while Liu e al. [ 8 ] s udy he e ec s o he bi o e-induced ice ola iles and e eal hei posi i e e ec s on spide a ac ion and p eda ion abili y, wi h bene icial e ec s in imp o ing he con ol o ice pes s. Plan esponses o phy ophagous insec s a e ex emely complex because o he p es- ence o a ious ypes o in e ac ions be ween plan s and pes s. In his con ex , Gao e al. [ 9 ] in es iga e he in e play be ween insec enom and wounding s ess, and he speci ic exp ession genes and ansc ip ion ac o s o he Mongolian pine Pinus syl es is a . mon- golica. The au ho s ind ha insec enom induces a se ies o physiological changes in he hos ha weaken he hos ’s de ense esponse, and hence con ibu e o he g ow h o insec symbio ic ungus and he de elopmen o eggs. The use o esis an cul i a s is an e icien managemen s a egy agains insec pes s. Mo aza i Malekshah e al. [ 10 ] show ha he physicochemical p ope ies o suga cane cul i a s signi ican ly a ec Sesamia nonag ioides o iposi ion beha io , li e his o y and popula ion pa ame e s, and ecommend a esis an cul i a o educe damage caused by his pes . Jakubska-Busse e al. [ 11 ] analyze he VOCs emi ed by he lowe s o an in asi e alien plan species and show a lis o po en ial pollina o s, in o de o shed ligh on ac o s enabling he species o apidly expand. Changes du ing lea on ogeny a ec he pala abili y o insec he bi o es, and Li e e e al. [ 12 ] summa ize he li e a u e desc ibing how chemical de enses o oliage change du ing he g owing season in whi e sp uce, an economically impo an coni e ee a acked by he eas e n sp uce budwo m Cho is oneu a umi e ana, a specialis g owing coni e lea and bud eede . In conclusion, insec s and plan s ha e been in e ac ing o mo e han 350 million yea s, o en esul ing in species a iabili y and adia ion. S udying insec –plan chemical and mechanical in e ac ions a di e en le els can help shed ligh on he complex ac o s d i ing he e olu iona ily success ul ela ionship be ween hese wo g oups. Mo eo e , he esul s o such in es iga ions can help de elop help ul managemen s a egies o success ully con ol insec pes in es a ions in c opping en i onmen s. Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic o in e es . Re e ences 1. Rebo a, M.; Sale no, G.; Pie san i, S.; Go b, E.; Go b, S. Role o F ui Epicu icula Waxes in P e en ing Bac oce a oleae (Dip e a: Teph i idae) A achmen in Di e en Cul i a s o Olea eu opaea.Insec s 2020,11, 189. [C ossRe ] [PubMed] 2. Sai a, V.; Rebo a, M.; Pie san i, S.; Go b, E.; Go b, S.; Sale no, G. E ec o Lea T ichomes in Di e en Species o Cucu bi aceae on A achmen Abili y o he Melon Ladybi d Bee le Chnoo iba ela e ii.Insec s 2022,13, 1123. [C ossRe ] [PubMed] 3. Bu ack, J.; Go b, S.N.; Büsche , T.H. A achmen Pe o mance o S ick Insec s (Phasma odea) on Plan Lea es wi h Di e en Su ace Cha ac e is ics. Insec s 2022,13, 952. [C ossRe ] [PubMed] Insec s 2023,14, 657 3 o 3 4. Go b, E.V.; Go b, S.N. Combined E ec o Di e en Flowe S em Fea u es on he Visi ing F equency o he Gene alis An Lasius nige : An Expe imen al S udy. Insec s 2021,12, 1026. [C ossRe ] [PubMed] 5. Go b, E.V.; Go b, S.N. Pe als Reduce A achmen o Insec Pollina o s: A Case S udy o he Plan Dahlia pinna a and he Fly E is alis enax.Insec s 2023,14, 285. [C ossRe ] [PubMed] 6. Hu h, S.; Schwa z, L.-M.; Go b, S.N. Quan i ying he In luence o Pollen Aging on he Adhesi e P ope ies o Hypochae is adica a Pollen. Insec s 2022,13, 811. [C ossRe ] [PubMed] 7. Fa ina, A.; Massimino Cocuzza, G.E.; Suma, P.; Rapisa da, C. Can Mac olophus pygmaeus (Hemip e a: Mi idae) Mi iga e he Damage Caused o Plan s by Bemisia abaci (Hemip e a: Aley odidae)? Insec s 2023,14, 164. [C ossRe ] [PubMed] 8. Liu, J.; Sun, L.; Fu, D.; Zhu, J.; Liu, M.; Xiao, F.; Xiao, R. He bi o e-Induced Rice Vola iles A ac and A ec he P eda ion Abili y o he Wol Spide s, Pi a a subpi a icus and Pa dosa pseudoannula a.Insec s 2022,13, 90. [C ossRe ] [PubMed] 9. Gao, C.; Ren, L.; Wang, M.; Wang, Z.; Fu, N.; Wang, H.; Shi, J. Full-Leng h T ansc ip ome Sequencing-Based Analysis o Pinus syl es is a . mongolica in Response o Si ex noc ilio Venom. Insec s 2022,13, 338. [C ossRe ] [PubMed] 10. Mo aza i Malekshah, S.A.; Nase i, B.; Ranjba Aghdam, H.; Razmjou, J.; Fa hi, S.A.A.; Ebadollahi, A.; Changbunjong, T. Physico- chemical P ope ies o Suga cane Cul i a s A ec ed Li e His o y and Popula ion G ow h Pa ame e s o Sesamia nonag ioides (Le eb e) (Lepidop e a: Noc uidae). Insec s 2022,13, 901. [C ossRe ] [PubMed] 11. Jakubska-Busse, A.; Dziadas, M.; G uss, I.; Kobyłka, M.J. Flo al Vola ile O ganic Compounds and a Lis o Pollina o s o Fallopia baldschuanica (Polygonaceae). Insec s 2022,13, 904. [C ossRe ] [PubMed] 12. Li e e, A.-O.; Despland, E. De ensi e T ai s du ing Whi e Sp uce (Picea glauca) Lea On ogeny. Insec s 2021 ,12, 644. [C ossRe ] [PubMed] Disclaime /Publishe ’s No e: The s a emen s, opinions and da a con ained in all publica ions a e solely hose o he indi idual au ho (s) and con ibu o (s) and no o MDPI and/o he edi o (s). MDPI and/o he edi o (s) disclaim esponsibili y o any inju y o people o p ope y esul ing om any ideas, me hods, ins uc ions o p oduc s e e ed o in he con en .