Detrimental effects ofCinchona leaf alkaloids on larvae of the polyphagous insectSpodoptera exigua |
| |
Authors: | Rob J. Aerts Andries Stoker Maarten Beishuizen Ineke Jaarsma Mieke Van De Heuvel Eddy Van Der Meijden Rob Verpoorte |
| |
Affiliation: | (1) Department of Pharmacognosy, Center for BioPharmaceutical Sciences, University of Leiden, P. O. Box 9502, 2300 RA Leiden;(2) Agrobiology & Environmental Safety Unit, Solvay Duphar B. V., P. O. Box 4, 1243 ZG 's-Graveland;(3) Department of Population Biology, Research Group Ecology of Plants and Herbivores, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9516, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands |
| |
Abstract: | YoungCinchona ledgeriana plants contain two types of alkaloid: indole alkaloids in the leaves and quinoline alkaloids in the root. FromCinchona leaves, a crude alkaloid extract was made, containing the cinchophylline type of indole alkaloids and a small amount of 5-methoxytryptamine. The leaf alkaloid extract exerted a strong detrimental effect on the growth of larvae of the polyphagous beet armyworm,Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera). Feeding of larvae on an artificial diet containing the leaf alkaloids at the same concentrations as those found in the plant resulted in significant growth reduction, retardation in development, and mortality of the larvae. Cinchophyllines are composed of 5-methoxytryptamine coupled to a corynantheal unit. When incorporated into the artificial diet, 5-methoxytryptamine alone had no effect on the 5.exigua larvae. Corynantheal, however, had a strong detrimental effect on growth of the larvae, its effect being comparable to that of the leaf alkaloid extract. In contrast to the indole-type leaf alkaloids, the quinolinetypeCinchona root alkaloids did not affect growth and development of the larvae. These results suggest that the indole-type alkaloids, which inCinchona plants are present at the highest concentrations in the young, vulnerable leaflets, are involved in the chemical defense of the plant against herbivorous insects. |
| |
Keywords: | Chemical defense Cinchona indole alkaloids leaf alkaloids Lepidoptera Noctuidae quinoline alkaloids root alkaloids Spodoptera exigua |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|