Moths use plant stress sounds to select healthier hosts for egg-laying
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Moths can detect ultrasonic sounds emitted by drought-stressed plants, using these signals to guide their egg-laying decisions.
Published on November 14 on bioRxiv, a research suggests that female moths avoid dehydrated plants, favoring healthier hosts for their offspring.
The study, led by entomologist Rya Seltzer from Tel Aviv University, focused on the Egyptian cotton leafworm moth (Spodoptera littoralis). According to The New York Times, researchers investigated whether high-frequency clicking sounds from stressed tomato plants influenced the moths' behavior. Controlled experiments showed that when real plants were absent, moths laid eggs closer to speakers broadcasting these stress sounds.
Follow-up experiments introduced live tomato plants into test arenas. Moths consistently chose hydrated plants over water-stressed ones. Another experiment, which placed healthy plants on both sides of the arena but added artificial stress sounds to one side, demonstrated that moths preferred silent plants to those accompanied by simulated stress noises.
The researchers concluded that moths associate ultrasonic signals with plant health, using these cues to avoid unsuitable hosts. Notably, even moths raised entirely in laboratory settings exhibited this behavior, indicating a genetic basis for this adaptive trait.
Björn Thorin Jonsson, a biologist from the University of Graz, noted that ultrasonic cues could help insects locate better resources. Sensory biologist Fernando Montealegre-Zapata from the University of Lincoln suggested that leveraging stress sounds might deter pests from healthy crops, opening new possibilities for pest management.
Seltzer believes this discovery could mark the beginning of uncovering a broader range of acoustic interactions between plants and insects. The findings raise intriguing questions about how similar behaviors might be exhibited by other insect species, offering potential for ecological research and agricultural innovation.
