Impacts of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions on plant-insect interactions

ZAVALA, J. A.*; GOG, L.

Genetic manipulation in plants for mitigation of climate change

Springer India

Año: 2016; p. 205 - 221

uman industrialization has steadily raised atmospheric levels of CO 2 from 280 ppm prior to industrialization to current levels at 400 ppm and by 2050 are expected levels of 550 ppm. Climate change has important impacts on plantinsect interactions, and gaps in current understanding of plant responses to herbivory exist. Lately new empirical data has started to illuminate the mechanisms of the effects of elevated CO 2 in plant-insect interactions. Research has shown that the resource allocation to allelochemicals is interconnected among photosynthesis, genetic regulation, and hormonal signaling. Recent molecular approaches have revealed that insect damage is perceived by plants, and the signal is amplifi ed by the participation of regulatory elements modulated by JA and ET, which induce plant responses to increase chemical defenses against herbivores. Elevated CO 2 inhibits JA and ET pathways and increases susceptibility of plants to herbivore attack by decreasing both constitutive and inducible chemical defenses against certain insects. Conversely, enriched atmospheric CO 2 increases SA, which increases other chemical defense pathways that are not regulated by JA. Identifying how atmospheres with high CO 2 levels moderate resource allocation to secondary metabolism would help to avoid any interference in natural plant defenses. In this chapter, we discuss current understanding of the mechanisms controlling insect herbivory pertaining to the global rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations.