Nathan Rank Sonoma State University Natural enemies and host plant use Chemical ecology of leaf beetle/willow interactions (Page 2 of 5 ) Introduction & Collaborators Chemical Ecology Predictions & Study Systems Host Preference & Performance Natural Enemies Research Home See also Research summary. Larvae use host plant salicylates to make a defensive secretion. Many willows contain little or no salicylates. Beetles feeding on salicylate-poor willows produce very little secretion. Beetle larvae displaying droplets of salicylaldehyde Larvae of many leaf beetle species possess secretion glands. They display droplets of a repellent smelling secretion when disturbed by potential enemies. Some beetles (Chrysomela spp., Phratora vitellinae) use host plant salicylates to produce their secretion This secretion consists mostly of the bitter-smelling, volatile salicylaldehyde. Salicylates may be found in the bark or leaves of willows. The salicylate chemistry of willows tends to be species specific. Many willow species contain little or no salicylates. Salicylate contents of Finnish willows (Julkunen-Tiitto 1989) Leaf chemistry of three Finnish willows: Salix myrsinifolia, S. pentandra, and S. phylicifolia.   We investigated the salicylate chemistry of three species of Finnish willow species. Salix myrsinifolia andS. pentandra contained substantial amounts of salicylates. Salix phylificolia contained no salicylates Beetle secretion on the same three Finnish willows.   Beetle larvae produce little secretion when feeding on the salicylate-poor S. phylicifolia.. They produce the most secretion when feeding on the species that contains the most salicylates, Salix pentandra. Previous Page Next Page Research Home|Nathan Rank's Homepage |Department of Biology | Sonoma State University January 23, 1999 NER