Biology subjects

Lavoir, A.-V.

Publications and source records attributed to Lavoir, A.-V..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Plant-plant communication in tomato: mechanisms underpinning information transfer between plants

As evidences about plant-plant communication are mounting, we lack a mechanistic understanding of intricate events occurring inside and among pairs of plants. This is needed to untangle proximal causes explaining how volatiles emitted by herbivore-attacked plants can enhance plant defence in intact neighbouring plant. A comprehensive knowledge of these interactions may favour their integration in trait-based agroecological frameworks. Based on an original experiment set-up, we connected infested sender plants and intact receiver plants during 3 days. We monitored metabolomic reprogramming of sender plant and progressive adjustments in their volatile emissions. Plant-plant communication was tested according to metabolomic priming of receiver plant. Information transfer was tracked with kinetics of volatile profiles and chemodiversity metrics grounded in information theory. Our results show that sender plants infested with Phtorimae absoluta undergo deep reconfiguration of immune systems and balance their emissions of mono- and sesquiterpenoids over 3 days. These changes in airborne cues result in similar reprograming of immune system in receiver plants. Additionally, we observed herbivory-driven relationships between chemodiversity of volatile profiles produced by sender and receiver plants. Both metabolome and volatilome suggest that plant-plant communication operates as mirror effects with receiver plants matching up their defences on that of sender plants. From an adaptative standpoint, this supports the idea that information conveyed among plants is explicit enough to warn receiver plant against appropriate stress. More generally, this study points that information transfer could rely not only on composition but also on chemodiversity of volatile cues. We discuss implications related to cue detection at the molecular scale and cue propagation at the plant cover scale. Bridging composition and chemodiversity of volatile cues opens interesting avenues to study the efficiency of communication system in noisy environments.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

Dissecting antibiosis resistance to Phthorimaea absoluta in wild and cultivated tomato accessions

AbstractTomato production faces a persistent challenge from the tomato leaf miner, Phthorimaea absoluta, a pest that severely limits yields while effective resistance in cultivated varieties remains scarce. To address this gap, wild tomato relatives represent a promising reservoir of resistance traits. In this study, 24 tomato accessions, including both cultivated types and wild species, were evaluated under greenhouse (no-choice) and tunnel (choice) conditions. Resistance mechanisms were characterized through measures of antibiosis such as leaflet lesion type, proportion of attacked leaflets, and mine density. The results revealed substantial variation between and within species, allowing classification of accessions into resistant, intermediate, and susceptible groups through multivariate analysis. Notably, the wild accession Solanum habrochaites PI248707 exhibited strong resistance, in contrast to susceptible cultivated varieties such as Rose de Berne. Under choice conditions, PI248707 sustained limited damage and disrupted larval development, with early instar larvae present but few reaching advanced stages, indicating an inhibitory defense response. Untargeted metabolomic profiling further highlighted pronounced constitutive differences between wild and cultivated accessions, with S. pennellii and S. habrochaites displaying higher metabolic diversity. By integrating phenotypic and metabolic data, specific metabolite classes associated with resistance were identified. These findings underscore the potential of wild tomato germplasm in breeding programs, with PI248707 standing out as a strong candidate for resistance introgression.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Non-target effects of ten essential oils on the egg-parasitoid Trichogramma evanescens

Essential oils (EOs) are increasingly used as biopesticides due to their insecticidal potential. This study addresses their non-target effects on a biological control agent: the egg parasitoid Trichogramma evanescens. In particular, we tested whether EOs affected parasitoid fitness either directly, by decreasing pre-imaginal survival, or indirectly, by disrupting parasitoids orientation abilities. The effect of Anise, Fennel, Sweet orange, Basil, Coriander, Oregano, Peppermint, Mugwort, Rosemary and Thyme EOs were studied on five strains of T. evanescens. Specific experimental setups were developed, and data obtained from image analysis were interpreted with phenomenological models fitted with Bayesian inference. Results highlight the fumigant toxicity of EOs on parasitoid development. Anise, Fennel, Basil, Coriander, Oregano, Peppermint and Thyme EOs are particularly toxic and drastically reduce the emergence rate of T. evanescens. Most EOs also affect parasitoid behavior: (i) Basil, Coriander, Oregano, Peppermint, Mugwort and Thyme EOs are highly repellent for naive female parasitoids; (ii) Anise and Fennel EOs can have repellent or attractive effects depending on strains; and (iii) Sweet orange, Oregano and Rosemary EOs have no detectable impact on orientation behavior. This study shows that EOs fumigation have non-target effects on egg parasitoids. This highlights the need to cautiously precise the deployment framework of biopesticides in an agroecological perspective.

ecology↗