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Alkaloid Chemistry and Feeding Specificity of Insect Herbivores

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Alkaloids: Chemical and Biological Perspectives

Part of the book series: Alkaloids: Chemical and Biological Perspectives ((ALKALOIDS,volume 8))

Abstract

The role of plant secondary natural products and their interactions with insect herbivores have been focal points for research by chemists, botanists, and entomologists for several years and is the topic of several excellent reviews (1,2, 3,4). For example, Hedin et al. (5) have an early review of modifications in insect behavior due to host plant secondary natural products. Included among the classes of compounds listed as feeding stimulants, repellents, or deterrents are: flavonoids, terpenoids, phospholipids, glycosides, acids, esters, phenolics, and alkaloids. In general, alkaloids and their glycosides seem to be most often involved as feeding repellents or deterrents, although there are examples when alkaloids are specific feeding cues. Barbosa et al. (6) have linked the presence of alkaloids in deciduous trees with feeding avoidance by the polyphagous feeding gypsy moth Lymantria dispar. They have shown that when the major groups of plant secondary natural products are examined, alkaloids rank the lowest in feeding preference (7). In this paper we will examine potential relationships between the chemistry of alkaloids in the host plants and effects that these compounds may have on insect herbivores. In many cases the specific alkaloid that is produced by a particular plant has different effects on different insects. When the data are available, specific associations between the plant alkaloids and the feeding behavior of the insect herbivore will be made.

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  1. James A. Saunders
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  2. Nichole R. O’neill
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  3. John T. Romeo
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Natural Products Research and The School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Georgia, 30602, Athens, Georgia, USA

    S. William Pelletier

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Saunders, J.A., O’neill, N.R., Romeo, J.T. (1992). Alkaloid Chemistry and Feeding Specificity of Insect Herbivores. In: Pelletier, S.W. (eds) Alkaloids: Chemical and Biological Perspectives. Alkaloids: Chemical and Biological Perspectives, vol 8. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2908-7_2

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