Systemic grass-endophytes of the genus Epichloë symbiotically infect the above-ground plant parts of many grass species, where they produce alkaloids in a grass- and endophyte-specific manner that are toxic or deterrent to herbivores. An increasing number of studies show cascading negative effects of endophyte-derived alkaloids that extend to higher trophic levels, harming beneficial insects, including those that control aphid populations. Lacewings are one of the major biological aphid controls, and are especially resistant to insecticides and pollutants, but their susceptibility to endophyte infection in the food chain has never been studied. Our study found variability in aphid population growth depending on the endophyte-grass chemotype, where aphid population growth was lowest on chemotypes known for producing high amounts of loline alkaloids. We also showed that larval and pupal development and mortality of the Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) was, in a non-choice experiment, not affected by endophyte infection in the food chain. This is a first indication that lacewings might be resistant to endophyte-derived alkaloids and could be robust biocontrol agents when applied together with endophyte-infected grass, possibly replacing chemical pesticides.

中文翻译：

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草-内生植物化学型对三营养级联反应的对比作用。

Epichloë属的系统性内生草共生性感染许多草种的地上植物部分，它们以草和内生植物特异的方式产生对草食动物有毒或有威慑作用的生物碱。越来越多的研究表明，内生植物来源的生物碱连锁反应的负面影响扩展到更高的营养水平，危害了有益的昆虫，包括控制蚜虫种群的昆虫。ce是主要的生物蚜虫控制之一，尤其对杀虫剂和污染物具有抗性，但从未研究过它们对食物链中内生菌感染的敏感性。我们的研究发现，蚜虫种群增长的变化取决于内生植物-草的化学型，其中蚜虫种群的增长在以产生大量Loline生物碱而闻名的化学型上最低。在一项非选择的实验中，Chrysoperla carnea不受食物链中内生菌感染的影响。这是第一个迹象，草endo与内生细菌感染的草一起使用，可能替代化学农药，可能对内生植物衍生的生物碱具有抗性，并且可能是强大的生物防治剂。