Date of Award
9-27-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Biology, MS
First Advisor
Travis Marsico
Committee Members
Fabricio Medina-Bolivar; Gregory Phillips
Call Number
ISBN 9781339976426
Abstract
The South American Cactus Moth, Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg), an invasive insect herbivore, has similar feeding habits and life history as a native Florida cactus moth, Melitara prodenialis Walker; however, regional Opuntia species only defend against M. prodenialis. Extracts of C. cactorum host plants and M. prodenialis host plants were compared to methyl jasmonate (MeJA)-treated Opuntia humifusa and MeJA-treated O. humifusa hairy root cultures using high performance thin layer chromatography. MeJA and C. cactorum treatments led to a reduction in tissue concentrations of terpenoid or phenolic compounds; however, significant increases in seven putative terpenoid compounds were observed in hairy root culture media extracts in response to MeJA. Previously described volatile-induced defense transfer leads to increased levels of defense against C. cactorum, which may to result from jasmonate inhibition as shown here. This study describes the role of jasmonates in Opuntia humifusa response to C. cactorum and provides a possible framework for field applications to prevent the further spread of the invasive insect.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Kilmer, John Milton, "Characterization Of Chemical Profiles Produced by Opuntia Humifusa in Response to Herbivory and Exogenous Methyl Jasmonate in Comparison to Hairy Root Cultures" (2016). Student Theses and Dissertations. 644.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/644
