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6 April 2019 Trichoplusia ni (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Qualitative and Quantitative Sequestration of Host Plant Carotenoids
Kieu-Oanh Nguyen, Sayma Al-Rashid, M. Clarke Miller, J. Tom Diggs, Evan C. Lampert
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Abstract

Carotenoids are fundamental precursors for hormones and antioxidants, and insects must acquire carotenoids from their diet. Previous research has shown that insects can selectively absorb dietary carotenoids, often modifying them qualitatively or quantitatively, and quantities may be proportional to those found in the diet. Trichoplusia ni Hübner is a generalist herbivore with host plants varying greatly in carotenoid profiles and concentrations. Larvae sequester carotenoids in their hemolymph, and carotenoid sequestration contributes to their cryptic green coloration. Our objectives were to compare the types of carotenoids found in T. ni and their host plants to determine whether qualitative changes occurred, and compare the amounts of sequestered carotenoids in T. ni reared upon different host plants to determine whether quantitative variation influences sequestration. To fulfill these objectives, larvae were fed romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. [Asterales: Asteraceae] var. longifolia) or kale (Brassica oleracea L. [Brassicales: Brassicaceae] var. sabellica) for a period of 5 d, and sequestered carotenoids from the entire insect were resolved with thin-layer chromatography and measured with spectrophotometer. All carotenoids resolved from plants were also resolved from larvae, and although the carotenoids of plants differed quantitatively, the sequestered carotenoids did not differ between host plants. Regardless of host plant species, T. ni sequestered carotenoids at concentrations up to 20 times higher than the concentrations found in the plants. Future research may be able to explicitly identify enzyme systems involved in the transport and modification of carotenoids in T. ni and other animals.

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Kieu-Oanh Nguyen, Sayma Al-Rashid, M. Clarke Miller, J. Tom Diggs, and Evan C. Lampert "Trichoplusia ni (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Qualitative and Quantitative Sequestration of Host Plant Carotenoids," Environmental Entomology 48(3), 540-545, (6 April 2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvz029
Received: 6 September 2018; Accepted: 4 March 2019; Published: 6 April 2019
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KEYWORDS
Brassica oleracea
Lactuca sativa
thin-layer chromatography
xanthophyll
β-carotene
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