herbivory resistance

Fungal alkaloids mediate defense against bruchid beetles in field populations of an arborescent ipomoea

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Morning glory trees (Ipomoea murucoides) form beneficial relationships with fungal partners that live inside their tissues and produce toxic compounds called alkaloids. These alkaloids accumulate in the tree’s seeds and protect them from beetle damage. Trees hosting the common fungal partner Ceramothyrium produce more of the protective alkaloid swainsonine and suffer less seed damage than those with a different fungal partner, demonstrating how this natural partnership helps the plant defend its offspring.

Fungal alkaloids mediate defense against bruchid beetles in field populations of an arborescent ipomoea

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Certain morning glory trees form partnerships with special fungi that produce protective chemicals called alkaloids. These chemicals are made by the fungi and travel through the plant to the seeds, where they protect them from seed-eating beetles. Trees with more effective fungal partners produce higher levels of these protective chemicals and suffer less damage from the beetles, demonstrating a remarkable example of how plants and fungi work together to survive in nature.

Alliance Between Conifer Trees and Endophytic Fungi Against Insect Defoliators

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Tiny fungi living inside white spruce trees help protect them from destructive budworm insects in two ways: the fungi directly produce toxic substances that kill or harm the budworms, and they also trigger the trees to produce more of their own natural chemical defenses called terpenes. Scientists found that spruce trees with more of these helpful fungi in their leaves were better protected against budworm damage. This discovery shows that trees don’t fight pests alone but partner with beneficial fungi as part of their defense system.

A Fungal Endophyte Alters Poplar Leaf Chemistry, Deters Insect Feeding and Shapes Insect Community Assembly

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Researchers discovered that a fungus living inside poplar trees helps protect them from harmful insects by boosting the tree’s own chemical defences and producing its own deterrent compound called stachydrine. In laboratory tests, the fungus successfully deterred leaf-eating insects from feeding on poplar leaves. However, in field studies, the endophyte-infected trees attracted more aphids while repelling beetles, suggesting the fungus affects different types of insects differently depending on how they feed.

Research Keyword: herbivory resistance

Fungal alkaloids mediate defense against bruchid beetles in field populations of an arborescent ipomoea

Fungal alkaloids mediate defense against bruchid beetles in field populations of an arborescent ipomoea

Alliance Between Conifer Trees and Endophytic Fungi Against Insect Defoliators

A Fungal Endophyte Alters Poplar Leaf Chemistry, Deters Insect Feeding and Shapes Insect Community Assembly