Heat wave event facilitates defensive responses in invasive C3 plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. under elevated CO2 concentration to the detriment of Ophraella communa

Zhenya Tian; Chao Ma; Chenchen Zhao; Yan Zhang; Xuyuan Gao; Zhenqi Tian; Hongsong Chen; Jianying Guo; Zhongshi Zhou

doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.907764

Heat wave event facilitates defensive responses in invasive C3 plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. under elevated CO₂ concentration to the detriment of Ophraella communa

Front Plant Sci. 2022 Jul 27:13:907764. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.907764. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Zhenya Tian^{1

2}, Chao Ma^{1

2}, Chenchen Zhao^{1

2

3}, Yan Zhang^{1

2}, Xuyuan Gao^{1

2

4}, Zhenqi Tian^{1

2}, Hongsong Chen^{1

2

4}, Jianying Guo¹, Zhongshi Zhou^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
² National Nanfan Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Sanya, China.
³ College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
⁴ Guangxi Key Laboratory for Biology of Crop Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning, China.

Abstract

To predict and mitigate the effects of climate change on communities and ecosystems, the joint effects of extreme climatic events on species interactions need to be understood. Using the common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.)-leaf beetle (Ophraella communa) system, we investigated the effects of heat wave and elevated CO₂ on common ragweed growth, secondary metabolism, and the consequent impacts on the beetle. The results showed that elevated CO₂ and heat wave facilitated A. artemisiifolia growth; further, A. artemisiifolia accumulated large amounts of defensive secondary metabolites. Being fed on A. artemisiifolia grown under elevated CO₂ and heat wave conditions resulted in the poor performance of O. communa (high mortality, long development period, and low reproduction). Overall, under elevated CO₂, heat wave improved the defensive ability of A. artemisiifolia against herbivores. On the other hand, enhanced adaptability to climatic changes may aggravate invasive plant distribution, posing a challenge to the control of invasive plants in the future.

Keywords: Ophraella communa; biological invasions; climate change; common ragweed; herbivore; invasive plant; secondary metabolite.