Effects of resveratrol on development of three lepidopteran species varying in diet breadth

The polyphenolic stilbene resveratrol is a plant secondary compound associated with antioxidant and anti-pathogen functions. Knowledge of these functions prompted longevity and development studies on many different model organisms, including several insect species. Results from these studies have been inconsistent across species; these inconsistencies may reflect the fact that many of these model organisms do not encounter resveratrol in their natural diets. In this study, I examined the effects of resveratrol on growth and development of three species of lepidopterans: the navel orangeworm Amyelois transitella (Pyralidae), a nut-feeding generalist with several hostplants that produce resveratrol, the cabbage looper Trichoplusia ni (Noctuidae), a polyphagous folivore that rarely encounters the compound in its host plants, and the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta (Sphingidae), an oligophagous folivore that feeds almost exclusively on species in the Solanaceae, some of which produce resveratrol in fruits but not in leaves. Two strains of A. transitella that differ in their recent ecological exposure to resveratrol were compared—a wild-caught strain from fig orchards and a laboratory strain originally collected in almond orchards and maintained for multiple generations on a semi-defined artificial diet. Growth and development of these species and strains were assayed with artificial diets containing concentrations of resveratrol based on ecologically relevant levels. Although the diet containing the highest concentration of resveratrol tested (70µg/g) led to lower pupal weights of M. sexta compared to all other diets, no other adverse or beneficial impacts of resveratrol were detected in any other assays. In contrast with previous studies documenting beneficial effects of resveratrol in two model insect species, neither larval survival nor adult lifespan was enhanced in any of the species in this study.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Entomology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2019

Author dc:creator

• Dixon, Jacob I.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Berenbaum, May R.
• Berlocher, Stewart H.
• Hank, Lawrence M

• Resveratrol, development, Amyelois transitella, Manduca sexta, Trichoplusia ni, larvae, diet

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2018 Jacob Isaiah Dixon

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/102502

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/102502