François Verheggen

Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech

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ÉH

Éric Haubruge

University of Liège

Frédéric Francis

University of Liège

Georges Lognay

Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech

Mahasweta Saha

Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Pauline Gilon

Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Christophe Fischer

Roche (Switzerland)

Antoine Boullis

Institut Pasteur de la Guadeloupe

Delphine Durieux

University of Liège

Bérénice Fassotte

University of Liège

Philippe Thonart

University of Liège

Cooperative Institutions

University of Liège

Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech

AgroBio

Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

UCLouvain

Université Libre de Bruxelles

Institut Pasteur de la Guadeloupe

John Wiley & Sons (United States)

Institute of Plant Protection

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Volatile‐mediated interactions with surface‐associated microbes: A parallelism between phyllosphere of plants and eco‐chemosphere of seaweeds

Journal of Ecology (2021)

Mahasweta Saha Pauline Gilon François Verheggen

Abstract Both in terrestrial and aquatic realms, organisms communicate and interact with each other via volatile and non‐volatile infochemicals. Terrestrial plants and seaweeds, known as prolific producers of volatiles, harbour a plethora of microbes on their surfaces like phyllosphere of plant leaves and eco‐chemosphere of seaweeds, respectively, where complex ecological interactions are regulated through infochemicals. Although plant leaf volatiles have been well‐studied for their ecological functions in mediating microbial interactions, seaweed volatiles have been mostly investigated for their roles in climate regulation and with regard to climate change research. However, seaweed volatiles appear to be related to terrestrial plant volatiles both in terms of chemistry and ecology. Synthesis . Evidence supports that seaweed volatiles can have important ecological functions in mediating interactions with microbes on their surface, just like plant leaf volatiles. Based on the existing vast literature on ecological interactions mediated by plant volatiles at phyllosphere and on the very few works on ecological roles of seaweed volatiles at eco‐chemosphere, we advocate for the detailed investigation of volatile‐mediated interactions regulating microbial colonisation processes on seaweed surfaces. Although of great ecological importance, this new field of research has remained largely unexplored. Thus, we also set directions for future research programs investigating the roles of seaweed volatiles at seaweed–microbe interface.

Phyllosphere

Epiphyte

Terrestrial plant

10.1111/1365-2745.13693

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Citations (13)

First Characterisation of Volatile Organic Compounds Emitted by Banana Plants

Scientific Reports (2017)

Chadi Berhal Caroline De Clerck Marie‐Laure Fauconnier Carolina Levicek Antoine Boullis

Banana (Musa sp.) ranks fourth in term of worldwide fruit production, and has economical and nutritional key values. The Cavendish cultivars correspond to more than 90% of the production of dessert banana while cooking cultivars are widely consumed locally around the banana belt production area. Many plants, if not all, produce Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as a means of communication with their environment. Although flower and fruit VOCs have been studied for banana, the VOCs produced by the plant have never been identified despite their importance in plant health and development. A volatile collection methodology was optimized to improve the sensitivity and reproducibility of VOCs analysis from banana plants. We have identified 11 VOCs for the Cavendish, mainly (E,E)-α-farnesene (87.90 ± 11.28 ng/μl), methyl salicylate (33.82 ± 14.29) and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (29.60 ± 11.66), and 14 VOCs for the Pacific Plantain cultivar, mainly (Z,E)-α-farnesene (799.64 ± 503.15), (E,E)-α-farnesene (571.24 ± 381.70) and (E) β ocimene (241.76 ± 158.49). This exploratory study paves the way for an in-depth characterisation of VOCs emitted by Musa plants.

Methyl salicylate

10.1038/srep46400

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Becoming nose‐blind—Climate change impacts on chemical communication

Global Change Biology (2022)

Christina C. Roggatz Mahasweta Saha Solène Blanchard Paula Schirrmacher Patrick Fink

Chemical communication via infochemicals plays a pivotal role in ecological interactions, allowing organisms to sense their environment, locate predators, food, habitats, or mates. A growing number of studies suggest that climate change-associated stressors can modify these chemically mediated interactions, causing info-disruption that scales up to the ecosystem level. However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms is scarce. Evidenced by a range of examples, we illustrate in this opinion piece that climate change affects different realms in similar patterns, from molecular to ecosystem-wide levels. We assess the importance of different stressors for terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems and propose a systematic approach to address highlighted knowledge gaps and cross-disciplinary research avenues.

Stressor

Marine ecosystem

Environmental change

Global Change

10.1111/gcb.16209

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Biocidal activity of polylactic acid-based nano-formulated abamectin on Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and the aphid predator Adalia bipunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

PLoS ONE (2020)

Changjiao Sun Manli Yu Zhanghua Zeng Frédéric Francis Haixin Cui

Abamectin is a common biocide used to control agricultural insect pests. However, the water insolubility of abamectin may result in extra organic solvent introduced in the environment. To solve this issue, it is desirable to develop nanoformulations to encapsulate abamectin with environment-friendly polymers. In this study, two polylactic acid based abamectin nanoformulations were prepared. The average particle sizes, measured by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscope, were 240 nm and 150 nm, respectively. The insecticidal activity of these nano-formulated abamectin was examined in the laboratory on the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera: Aphididae). The acute toxicity of nano-formulated abamectin on non-target aphid predator Adalia bipunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) was also evaluated by topical, residual and oral exposure. The two nano-formulated abamectin had comparable insecticidal effect with commercial abamectin formulation against the pea aphid. Taking median lethal concentration (LC50) as the toxicological endpoint, nanoformulations had higher contact toxicity and lower oral toxicity to first-instar larvae of the predator A. bipunctata. These results are expected to contribute to the application of solvent-free nano-formulated pesticides that comply with the integrated pest management (IPM) strategies.

Abamectin

Acyrthosiphon pisum

10.1371/journal.pone.0228817

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Author response for "Volatile‐mediated interactions with surface‐associated microbes: a parallelism between phyllosphere of plants and eco‐chemosphere of seaweeds"

Mahasweta Saha Pauline Gilon François Verheggen

Phyllosphere

10.1111/1365-2745.13693/v3/response1

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Citations (0)

Conservation value of tropical forests: Distance to human settlements matters more than management in Central Africa

Biological Conservation (2019)

Simon Lhoest Davy Fonteyn Kasso Daïnou Laetitia Delbeke Jean‐Louis Doucet

Bushmeat

Defaunation

Human settlement

10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108351

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Citations (60)

Behavioural and antennal responses of Aedes aegypti (l.) (Diptera: Culicidae) gravid females to chemical cues from conspecific larvae

PLoS ONE (2021)

Antoine Boullis Margaux Mulatier Christelle Delannay Lyza Héry François Verheggen

Mass trapping of gravid females represents one promising strategy for the development of sustainable tools against Aedes aegypti . However, this technique requires the development of effective odorant lures that can compete with natural breeding sites. The presence of conspecific larvae has been shown to stimulate oviposition. Hence, we evaluated the role of four major molecules previously identified from Ae . aegypti larvae (isovaleric, myristoleic, myristic [i.e. tetradecanoic], and pentadecanoic acids) on the oviposition of conspecific females, as well as their olfactory perception to evaluate their range of detection. Using flight cage assays, the preference of gravid females to oviposit in water that previously contained larvae (LHW) or containing the four larval compounds was evaluated. Then, compounds and doses inducing the highest stimulation were challenged for their efficacy against LHW. Only isovaleric acid elicited antennal response, suggesting that the other compounds may act as taste cues. Pentadecanoic acid induced significant oviposition stimulation, especially when dosed at 10 ppm. Myristoleic acid and isovaleric acid deterred oviposition at 10 and 100 ppm, while no effect on oviposition was observed with myristic acid irrespectively of the dose tested. When the four compounds were pooled to mimic larvae’s chemical signature, they favored oviposition at 1 ppm but negatively affected egg-laying at higher concentrations. When properly dosed, pentadecanoic acid and the blend of compounds may be promising lures for ovitraps as they could compete with LHW. Due to their low volatility, their effect should be further evaluated under field conditions, in addition with long-range attractants for developing effective tools against gravid females.

Pentadecanoic acid

Myristic acid

10.1371/journal.pone.0247657

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Citations (11)

Le taupin : un ravageur souterrain préoccupant

Fanny Barsics Éric Haubruge François Verheggen

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Author response for "Volatile‐mediated interactions with surface‐associated microbes: a parallelism between phyllosphere of plants and eco‐chemosphere of seaweeds"

Mahasweta Saha Pauline Gilon François Verheggen

Phyllosphere

10.1111/1365-2745.13693/v2/response1

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Citations (0)

First Evidence of a Volatile Sex Pheromone in Lady Beetles

PLoS ONE (2014)

Bérénice Fassotte Christophe Fischer Delphine Durieux Georges Lognay Éric Haubruge

To date, volatile sex pheromones have not been identified in the Coccinellidae family; yet, various studies have suggested that such semiochemicals exist. Here, we collected volatile chemicals released by virgin females of the multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas), which were either allowed or not allowed to feed on aphids. Virgin females in the presence of aphids, exhibited "calling behavior", which is commonly associated with the emission of a sex pheromone in several Coleoptera species. These calling females were found to release a blend of volatile compounds that is involved in the remote attraction (i.e., from a distance) of males. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses revealed that (-)-β-caryophyllene was the major constituent of the volatile blend (ranging from 80 to 86%), with four other chemical components also being present; β-elemene, methyl-eugenol, α-humulene, and α-bulnesene. In a second set of experiments, the emission of the five constituents identified from the blend was quantified daily over a 9-day period after exposure to aphids. We found that the quantity of all five chemicals significantly increased across the experimental period. Finally, we evaluated the activity of a synthetic blend of these chemicals by performing bioassays which demonstrated the same attractive effect in males only. The results confirm that female H. axyridis produce a volatile sex pheromone. These findings have potential in the development of more specific and efficient biological pest-control management methods aimed at manipulating the behavior of this invasive lady beetle.

Harmonia axyridis

Chemical Ecology

Olfactometer

Electroantennography

10.1371/journal.pone.0115011

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Citations (29)