來自德國Max Planck研究所的科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)一種野生的煙草植物——漸狹葉煙草,，在被毛毛蟲撕咬攻擊的時候會緊急釋放一種變異的“綠葉揮發(fā)性物質(zhì)”（簡稱GLV）誘導(dǎo)毛毛蟲的天敵前來絞殺毛毛蟲。
昆蟲和植物,，生物鏈上的一對“冤家”,，它們是捕食者與被食者的關(guān)系,，別以為被食者只能坐以待斃，它們也有自保的妙招,。
來自德國Max Planck研究所的科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn),，一種野生的煙草植物——漸狹葉煙草，在被毛毛蟲撕咬攻擊的時候會緊急釋放一種變異的“綠葉揮發(fā)性物質(zhì)”（簡稱GLV）,，綠葉揮發(fā)性物質(zhì)是何物,，如果你割過草或是扯過草你一定知道綠葉揮發(fā)性物質(zhì)的味道，是的,，當(dāng)你割草的時候,，綠草會釋放一種清香的味道，這種味道就是綠葉揮發(fā)性物質(zhì)的味道,。
在這個故事當(dāng)中,，當(dāng)煙草植物受到毛毛蟲啃咬時，啃咬過程中毛毛蟲的唾液會刺激煙草植物釋放發(fā)生變異的綠葉揮發(fā)性物質(zhì),，這是煙草葉片釋放出的“求救信號”,，“緊急救命Call”，隨風(fēng)而散的綠葉揮發(fā)性物質(zhì)會吸引毛毛蟲的天敵“蝽類昆蟲”上前來,，這正所謂螳螂捕蟬黃雀在后,。剛剛準(zhǔn)備吞食煙草肥美的葉片的毛毛蟲馬上樂極生悲，馬上成為后來者“蝽類昆蟲”的腹中美食,。
為了驗證變化后的綠葉揮發(fā)性物質(zhì)是否對別的植物有效,，科學(xué)家們又做了另一個有趣的實驗，他們將有變異的綠葉揮發(fā)性物質(zhì)和正常的綠葉揮發(fā)性物質(zhì)涂抹在普通葉子的下面,，結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn),，涂抹了有變異的綠葉揮發(fā)性物質(zhì)的葉子不容易被毛毛蟲攻擊，而其他葉子卻容易被毛毛蟲啃食,。
盡管科學(xué)家們還不清楚,，在毛毛蟲唾液的刺激下，煙草的葉子釋放的綠葉揮發(fā)性物質(zhì)具體的變異機制,，但可以確定的一點是,，誘發(fā)綠葉揮發(fā)性物質(zhì)變異的信號是毛毛蟲的唾液發(fā)出的。在未來,，科學(xué)家們可能通過高超的基因工程技術(shù)誘導(dǎo)植物發(fā)生變異,，制備高性能的殺蟲劑，保護(hù)經(jīng)濟(jì)作物,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦英文摘要：
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1191634
Insects Betray Themselves in Nature to Predators by Rapid Isomerization of Green Leaf Volatiles
Silke Allmann1,2 and Ian T. Baldwin1,*
Plants emit green leaf volatiles (GLVs) in response to herbivore damage, thereby attracting predators of the herbivores as part of an indirect defense. The GLV component of this indirect defense was thought to be a general wound signal lacking herbivore-specific information. We found that Manduca sexta–infested Nicotiana attenuata attract the generalist hemipteran predator Geocoris spp. as the result of an herbivore-induced decrease in the (Z)/(E) ratio of released GLVs, and that these changes in the volatile bouquet triple the foraging efficiency of predators in nature. These (E)-isomers are produced from plant-derived (Z)-isomers but are converted by a heat-labile constituent of herbivore oral secretions. Hence, attacking herbivores initiate the release of an indirect defense a full day before the attacked plants manufacture their own defensive compounds.
1 Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Kn?ll-Str. 8, DE-07745 Jena, Germany.
2 Department of Plant Physiology, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands.
