Helicoverpa assulta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) exhibits a specialized herbivorous diet, primarily targeting select Solanaceae plants. Despite its significant economic impact as a pest, causing substantial harm to crops like hot pepper and tobacco, it has received comparatively limited attention in research compared to its generalist counterparts, H. armigera and H. zea.We introduce a chromosome level genome assembly using a Korean H. assulta (Pyeongchang strain, K18). This assembly was achieved through a combined approach utilizing Nanopore long-read sequencing (approximately 78X coverage) and Illumina NovaSeq short-read sequencing (approximately 54X coverage). The total assembled genome spans 424.36 Mb, designated as ASM2961881v1, comprises 62 scaffolds, with 98.7% of the genome contained within 31 scaffolds, confirming the insect's chromosome count (n = 31). The completeness of the assembly is reflected in BUSCO assessment, with values reaching 99.0%, while the repeat content accounts for 33.01%, and 18,593 CDS were annotated. Additionally, 137 genes were identified within 15 orthogroups that have rapidly expanded in H. assulta, while 149 genes in 95 orthogroups have rapidly contracted. This genome draft serves as a valuable resource to explore various aspects of the specialist's biology, enabling research into host-range evolution, chemical communication, insecticide resistance, and comparative investigations with other Heliothine species.

Individual plants can provide space for various herbivore communities, and multiple herbivores often colonize different parts of the same plant. Plants can therefore play an important role in shaping community composition in ecosystems by mediating interactions among herbivore. Plant-mediated interactions among different folivores or between above-and below-ground herbivores are relatively well understood. However, although important for structural support and nutritional transport, the stem is largely unknown in how it responds to stem-feeding herbivores, or whether leaf- and stem-responses to herbivore attack are integrated. Interestingly, I found that JA signaling is also important for resistance to the stem herbivore, and, interestingly, that N. attenuata induced lignin and chlorogenic acid in stems in the face of stem herbivore attack. I also further found that plant inducible defenses in the pith and in the leaf are not systemically induced other tissues, but systemic induction of JA signaling was asymmetric between the stem and the leaf. I conclude that tissue-localized defense responses allow tissue-specialized herbivores to share the same host and occupy different chemical defense niches in the same hostplant.

동해안 산불피해지역에서 참나무 잎 생산량의 시공간적 변이가 초식자의 밀도, 종풍부도 및 초식 피해에 미치는 영 향을 분석하였다. 본 조사지역에서 참나무 잎의 주요 초식자는 나방 유충이었다. 초식곤충의 유충의 종풍부도와 밀도가 가장 높아지는 시기는 8월 중순이었다. 연간 출현한 초식곤충 유충의 60.5%가 8~9월에 집중적으로 출현하였다. 참나무 잎 생산량이 가장 많은 시기는 7~8월이었고, 초식곤충에 의한 피해가 가장 많은 시기는 8~9월이었다. 조사시기와 장소에 따라 참나무 잎 생산량, 초식곤충의 유충밀도 및 종풍 부도는 큰 변이를 나타내었다. 본 조사지역에서 7~8월에 평균 참나무 잎 생산량은 0.96 ton ha-1로 추정되었다. 또한 이 시기에 참나무 잎의 생산량은 0.34~1.89 ton ha-1의 공간적 인 변이를 나타내었다. 8월에 초식자에 의한 참나무 잎의 소비량은 0.15~1.51 ton ha-1의 공간적인 변이를 나타내었다. 참나무 잎의 생산량이 많은 곳일수록 초식자의 종풍부도와 밀도가 증가하는 경향이 있었다. 참나무 잎 생산량의 증가에 따라 초식자에 의한 소비량과 소비비율도 증가하였다. 이 것은 참나무 잎의 생산이 많은 시기와 공간으로 초식자들이 모이는 집중화 반응이 일어난다는 것을 의미한다. 산불피해 지역에서 먹이자원의 시공간적인 이질성과 그로 인한 먹이망의 상위단계에 미치는 영향에 대한 연구는 산불지역 생태계의 구조와 기능을 정량적으로 이해하고 평가하는 데 도움을 줄 수 있다.

본 연구는 온대활엽수림에서 초식곤충의 먹이 활동이 계절 및 고도에 따라 어떻게 변하는 가를 알아보기 위하여 수행되었다. 조사는 지난 3년간(2011~2013) 지리산국립공원의 고도가 다른 세 지역(피아골, 시암재, 노고단)에서 이루어졌다. 조사방법은 각 지역에 서식하는 수종(3종)을 선정하여 4월부터 6월까지 1~2주마다 초식곤충의 식흔 활동을 식흔지수를 이용하여 관찰하였다. 조사 결과 고도가 가장 낮은 피아골(􀎕300 m)에서 가장 먼저 식흔이 나타났고, 중간고도인 시암재(􀎕900 m)에서는 가장 많은 식흔이 조사되었다. 고도가 가장 높은 노고단(􀎕1300 m)에서는 식흔이 가장 늦게 나타났지만 짧은 시간에 급속히 식흔의 총량이 증가하였다. 또한 기존에 발표된 연구를 토대로 한 결과 초식곤충의 활동시기는 조류(곤줄박이)의 첫 산란일과 거의 비슷한 것으로 나타나 식물-곤충-2차 소비자(조류)와 밀접한 관련을 보여준다. 기후 환경이 변함에 따라 초식곤충 활동의 기간이 바뀌게 될 것이며 이러한 먹이사슬의 변동을 감시할 수 있는 지속적인 장기 생태 모니터링이 필요하다.

The purpose of the present study is to monitor diverse herbivore’s feeding activity in two localities, Mt. Jirisan National Park, a Korea LTER site and Mt. Seungdalsan, Muan, Jeonnam. We selected 11 tree species at two localities by differing elevations (> 200, 300, 600, 900, 1200m). We measured the herbivore’s feeding activity by an indirect method that calculates feeding area per leaf by diverse but unknown herbivores (ankertrass area) every two weeks from April to July. We found that the peak and duration differ along the elevation and locality: at a low elevation site (>300m), pattern of ankertrass area increased continuously from 16th Julian week to 21st week; at middle elevation site (600m), pattern of ankertrass area increased continuously from 20th Julian week to 23rd week; and at high elevation site (>600m), pattern of ankertrass area sharply increased from 22nd Julian week to 25th week. This showed that the timing of peak of herbivore activity exhibited a time-lag by elevations. We expected that the peak or duration of herbivore activity can be changed followed by environmental change and this can be monitored in a long term ecological monitoring.

We assessed the environmental risk of herbicide resistant transgenic rice (Protox) on non-target herbivore, grasshoppers (Oxya japonica japonica Thunberg). We conducted life-history experiments of grasshoppers with measuring their body weight, body length, eating amount, and feces amount between non-transgenic rice (nTR; Dongjin rice) and transgenic rice (TR; Protox rice) under laboratory conditions (Temp. 25Ð, R.H. 50-70%, Photoperiod L16:D8) in 2007. The growth of grasshoppers appeared to increase at each measuring date. We also compared the growth rate of grasshoppers between nTR and TR to examine the transgenic impact on the herbivore and we found there was no statistically signifi cant difference between the two plant types (P>0.05). We found that body weight and body length for grasshoppers were highly correlated at each of the two types of plants, nTR (0.962) and TR (0.960). The correlation of eating amount and feces amount of grasshoppers were higher nTR (0.830) than TR (0.782). The energy effi ciency of the grasshopper was not a signifi cant between nTR and TR (P> 0.05). But the molt timing of the grasshoppers for TR difference was faster than for nTR. Conclusively life-history of the grasshoppers but molt timing was not a signifi cant difference between nTR and TR. Therefore, we could conclude there was not any environment risk on herbivore from our result.