Plant-insect interactions

Recent research shows partially overlapping signal transduction pathways controlling responses to wounding, insects, and pathogens. Chemical and behavioral assays show that plants release herbivore-specific volatiles, and that parasitic wasps can distinguish between these emission patterns. QTL mapping and candidate gene studies are beginning to identify polymorphic resistance genes, and ecological analyses provide information on the physiological and fitness costs of resistance. Such multidisciplinary approaches can elucidate the physiological causes and ecological consequences of plant-herbivore interactions