About the Cover
On the Cover: Focus Issue on Plant–Herbivore Interactions
The cover of this Focus Issue devoted to plant-arthropod interactions shows the leaf beetle Chrysochus auratus on spreading dogbane, Apocynum androsaemifolium. Eggs are laid on leaves or the ground, and larvae tunnel to roots to feed and complete their life cycle. C. auratus not only tolerates highly toxic cardenolides found in A. androsaemifolium and other Apocynaceae, but also sequesters these plant secondary metabolites for its own defense against predators. Resistance to cardenolides is mediated by a point mutation in the C. auratus Na+/K+-ATPase. In an interesting example of convergent evolution in plant-herbivore interactions, the same target-site mutation provides cardenolide resistance in monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). Updates and research articles in this issue describe signaling pathways leading to induced plant defense responses, the protective function of secondary metabolites, cross talk in defense signaling, ecological relationships between plants and herbivores, prospects for engineering insect-resistant crops, and other current topics in the multidisciplinary field of plant-arthropod interactions. Cover photo is by Anurag Agrawal (Cornell University).
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Copyright © 2008 by the American Society of Plant Biologists
