Wild teosinte and cultivated maize show differential tolerance to flooding and herbivory stress

Much of the information available on stress-induced plant chemistry is from studies investigating isolated stress factors, yet, in the field, plants can experience stresses in combination. Among the least studied stress combinations is flooding and herbivory, despite their increasing importance due to climate change. The existence of wild relatives of cultivated plants, which have robust stress tolerance traits, provides an excellent system for comparing how diverse plant species respond to combinatorial stress. In this study, I compared the aboveground phytochemistry and belowground metabolic changes of maize (Zea mays) and a wild relative, Nicaraguan teosinte (Zea nicaraguensis), in response to flooding, herbivory by Spodoptera frugiperda, and their combination. Headspace volatile organic compounds and total phenolic content were assessed seven days after flooding and two days after herbivory. Root tissue samples were also collected to determine changes in the belowground metabolome. Flooding induced significant increases in leaf phenolic content and volatile emissions, while herbivory was associated with dynamic changes in the volatile profile. Aboveground, terpenes differentiated the volatile profiles of teosinte and maize, particularly during herbivory. Belowground, root-derived flavones differentiated the flooding responses of teosinte and maize. Taken together, results suggest that teosinte is more tolerant than maize due to dynamic chemical changes during flooding and herbivory that help relieve stress and further influence plant-insect interactions.

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

2023

Author dc:creator

• Mleziva, Aaron Donald

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ngumbi, Esther
• Ainsworth, Elizabeth
• Berenbaum, May

• Combinatorial Stress
• Phytochemistry
• Metabolome
• Volatile Organic Compounds
• Phenolics
• Fall Armyworm

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2023 Aaron Mleziva

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/120581

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F120581