ORCID Profile
0000-0003-2015-3605
Current Organisation
University of Reading
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Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 09-11-2022
Abstract: Air pollutants—such as nitrogen oxides, emitted in diesel exhaust, and ozone (O 3 )—disrupt interactions between plants, the insect herbivore pests that feed upon them and natural enemies of those herbivores (e.g. parasitoids). Using eight field-based rings that emit regulated quantities of diesel exhaust and O 3 , we investigated how both pollutants, in idually and in combination, altered the attraction and parasitism rate of a specialist parasitoid ( Diaeretiella rapae ) on aphid-infested and un-infested Brassica napus plants. In idual effects of O 3 decreased D. rapae abundance and emergence by 37% and 55%, respectively, compared with ambient (control) conditions. When O 3 and diesel exhaust were emitted concomitantly, D. rapae abundance and emergence increased by 79% and 181%, respectively, relative to control conditions. This attraction response occurred regardless of whether plants were infested with aphids and was associated with an increase in the concentration of aliphatic glucosinolates, especially gluconapin (3-butenyl-glucosinolate), within B. napus leaves. Plant defensive responses and their ability to attract natural aphid enemies may be beneficially impacted by pollution exposure. These results demonstrate the importance of incorporating multiple air pollutants when considering the effects of air pollution on plant–insect interactions.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVPOL.2022.118847
Abstract: Common air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NO
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2023
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-04-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-019-41876-W
Abstract: For effective foraging, many insect pollinators rely on the ability to learn and recall floral odours, behaviours that are associated with a complex suite of cellular processes. Here, we investigated how acute exposure to a high-dose of diesel exhaust (containing 19.8 and 17.5 ppm of NO and NO 2 , respectively) affected associative learning behaviour of honey bees ( Apis mellifera ) and expression of a ubiquitous heat shock protein, HSP70, in their central nervous system (CNS). To determine whether exposure to diesel exhaust would alter their tolerance to a subsequent abiotic stress, we further subjected in iduals to heat stress. Diesel exhaust exposure decreased honey bees’ ability to learn and recall a conditioned odour stimulus. Whilst there was no significant difference in CNS HSP70 expression between honey bees exposed to either diesel exhaust or clean air across the entire duration of the experiment (3.5 h), there was a significant effect of time and a significant interaction between exposure treatment and time. This interaction was investigated using correlation analyses, which demonstrated that only in the diesel exhaust exposed honey bees was there a significant positive correlation between HSP70 expression and time. Furthermore, there was a 44% reduction in honey bee in iduals that were able to recall the odour 72 h after diesel exposure compared with clean air control in iduals. Moreover, diesel exhaust affected A. mellifera in a way that reduced their ability to survive a second subsequent stressor. Such negative effects of air pollution on learning, recall, and stress tolerance has potential to reduce foraging efficiency and pollination success of in idual honey bees.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-02-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-07-2023
Abstract: The accumulation of silicon (Si) is widely reported to have anti‐herbivore defensive properties in grasses. There is emerging, but fragmentary, evidence that Si could play a similar role in legumes. Here, we sought to understand the effects of Si supplementation on anti‐herbivore defensive properties in lucerne ( Medicago sativa ), especially in relation to other potential defences (i.e. phenolics) and the phytohormone that regulates anti‐herbivore defences, jasmonic acid or jasmonate (JA), which is also linked to Si accumulation. We determined how growth, root nodulation and chemistry (carbon, nitrogen and phenolic concentrations) of four genotypes of lucerne responded to Si supplementation, with and without the application of JA, and we used feeding assays to determine the subsequent effects on the feeding success of adult Sitona discoideus weevils. Si supplementation increased plant mass and root nodulation of M. sativa by 61% and 227%, respectively, and reduced relative consumption (RC) and frass production by S. discoideus by 38% and 30% respectively. Si supplementation had no effect on foliar nitrogen concentrations, most likely due to the dilution effects of increased plant growth and foliar carbon. Phenolic concentrations were negatively correlated with leaf RC RC also decreased by 34% when JA was applied to plants. When Si was combined with JA application, phenolics were significantly enhanced, demonstrating the potential to stimulate multiple anti‐herbivore properties in M. sativa . Overall, the Si‐ and JA‐induced phytochemical and herbivore feeding responses were consistent between the four lucerne genotypes tested. Synthesis . The novel findings suggest that Si accumulation may play a more important role in legume resistance to herbivorous animals than previously thought. The ubiquity of soil Si and its emerging functional role in plant biology, including plant–animal interactions, suggest that these patterns could be common among legumes.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 03-2017
Abstract: Silicon (Si) has important functional roles in plants, including resistance against herbivores. Environmental change, such as increasing atmospheric concentrations of CO 2 , may alter allocation to Si defences in grasses, potentially changing the feeding behaviour and performance of herbivores, which may in turn impact on higher trophic groups. Using Si-treated and untreated grasses ( Phalaris aquatica ) maintained under ambient (400 ppm) and elevated (640 and 800 ppm) CO 2 concentrations, we show that Si reduced feeding by crickets ( Acheta domesticus ), resulting in smaller body mass. This, in turn, reduced predatory behaviour by praying mantids ( Tenodera sinensis ), which consequently performed worse. Despite elevated CO 2 decreasing Si concentrations in P. aquatica , this reduction was not large enough to affect the feeding behaviour of crickets or their predator. Our results suggest that Si-based defences in plants have adverse impacts on both primary and secondary trophic taxa, and these are not likely to decline under future climate change scenarios.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-05-2018
Abstract: Animal mutualisms, which involve beneficial interactions between in iduals of different species, are common in nature. Insect-insect mutualism, for ex le, is widely regarded as a keystone ecological interaction. Some mutualisms are anticipated to be modified by climate change, but the focus has largely been on plant-microbe and plant-animal mutualisms rather than those between animals. Ant-aphid mutualisms, whereby ants tend aphids to harvest their honeydew excretions and, in return, provide protection for the aphids, are widespread. The mutualism is heavily influenced by the quality and quantity of honeydew produced by aphids, which is directly affected by host plant quality. As predicted increases in concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (eCO
Location: Korea, Republic of
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for James Ryalls.