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Antifeedant
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Antifeedant
Antifeedants are chemicals produced by plants (phytochemicals) which repel insects through distaste. Alternative names for antifeedants are: antifeeding compounds, feeding deterrents, feeding rejectants, feeding suppressants, feeding inhibitors, gustatory repellents, phagodepressants, anorexigenics and anti-appetants.
Antifeedants are most generally defined as chemicals that act at low concentrations and are perceived by specialized taste receptors (gustatory receptors). Other definitions both narrower and broader appear in the literature.
A chemical that repels insects though smell rather than taste, acting on the insect's smell receptors (olfactory receptors), is defined as a repellent and is not usually characterised as an antifeedant. Insecticidal compounds produced by plants will obviously stop an insect from feeding, but these are not classified as antifeedants. It is however possible that a chemical may act as an antifeedant against one species and as an insecticide against another (see azadirachtin).
The production of antifeedants is one of several mechanisms plants use to stop herbivores eating them.
Not all plants produce antifeedants. Since they are not essential for the life of a plant, they are classed as secondary metabolites.
Antifeedants are signalling molecules (semiochemicals). Since they are advantageous to the producing organism (plant) to the detriment of another organism (insect) they are classed as allomones.
Insects have sweet, bitter, sour, salty and umami taste (gustatory) receptors, as do humans. In general compounds that are sweet or bitter to a human are sweet or bitter to insects. Antifeedants may activate a receptor (e.g. bitter receptor) causing distaste or may block a receptor which would stimulate feeding (e.g. sweet receptor) causing the insect to look elsewhere for a suitable food source. Many antifeedants are bitter.
Insects have gustatory receptors on various parts of the body, not only on the mouth parts. Some can taste with their feet (tarsi). An insect moving away after detecting an antifeedant with its tarsi and without biting into the plant is sometimes referred to as an irritant mechanism or a suppressant.
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Antifeedant
Antifeedants are chemicals produced by plants (phytochemicals) which repel insects through distaste. Alternative names for antifeedants are: antifeeding compounds, feeding deterrents, feeding rejectants, feeding suppressants, feeding inhibitors, gustatory repellents, phagodepressants, anorexigenics and anti-appetants.
Antifeedants are most generally defined as chemicals that act at low concentrations and are perceived by specialized taste receptors (gustatory receptors). Other definitions both narrower and broader appear in the literature.
A chemical that repels insects though smell rather than taste, acting on the insect's smell receptors (olfactory receptors), is defined as a repellent and is not usually characterised as an antifeedant. Insecticidal compounds produced by plants will obviously stop an insect from feeding, but these are not classified as antifeedants. It is however possible that a chemical may act as an antifeedant against one species and as an insecticide against another (see azadirachtin).
The production of antifeedants is one of several mechanisms plants use to stop herbivores eating them.
Not all plants produce antifeedants. Since they are not essential for the life of a plant, they are classed as secondary metabolites.
Antifeedants are signalling molecules (semiochemicals). Since they are advantageous to the producing organism (plant) to the detriment of another organism (insect) they are classed as allomones.
Insects have sweet, bitter, sour, salty and umami taste (gustatory) receptors, as do humans. In general compounds that are sweet or bitter to a human are sweet or bitter to insects. Antifeedants may activate a receptor (e.g. bitter receptor) causing distaste or may block a receptor which would stimulate feeding (e.g. sweet receptor) causing the insect to look elsewhere for a suitable food source. Many antifeedants are bitter.
Insects have gustatory receptors on various parts of the body, not only on the mouth parts. Some can taste with their feet (tarsi). An insect moving away after detecting an antifeedant with its tarsi and without biting into the plant is sometimes referred to as an irritant mechanism or a suppressant.
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