Plant-derived volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play pivotal roles in interactions with insect herbivores. Individual VOCs can be directly toxic or deterrent, serve as signal molecules to attract natural enemies, and/or be perceived by distal plant tissues as a priming signal to prepare for expected herbivory. Environmental conditions, as well as the specific plant–insect interaction being investigated, strongly influence the observed functions of VOC blends. The complexity of plant–insect chemical communication via VOCs is further enriched by the sophisticated molecular perception mechanisms of insects, which can respond to one or more VOCs and thereby influence insect behavior in a manner that has yet to be fully elucidated. Despite numerous gaps in the current understanding of VOC-mediated plant–insect interactions, successful pest management strategies such as push–pull systems, synthetic odorant traps, and crop cultivars with modified VOC profiles have been developed to supplement chemical pesticide applications and enable more sustainable agricultural practices. Future studies in this field would benefit from examining the responses of both plants and insects in the same experiment to gain a more complete view of these interactive systems. Furthermore, a molecular evolutionary study of key genetic elements of the ecological interaction phenotypes could provide new insights into VOC-mediated plant communication with insect herbivores.

中文翻译：

---

植物挥发物与昆虫食草动物相互作用的分子生态学

植物源性挥发性有机化合物 (VOC) 在与昆虫食草动物的相互作用中发挥着关键作用。单个 VOC 可以直接具有毒性或威慑作用，作为信号分子来吸引天敌，和/或被远端植物组织感知为启动信号，为预期的食草动物做好准备。环境条件，以及正在研究的特定植物-昆虫相互作用，强烈影响观察到的 VOC 混合物的功能。昆虫复杂的分子感知机制进一步丰富了通过 VOCs 进行植物-昆虫化学通讯的复杂性，昆虫可以对一种或多种 VOCs 作出反应，从而以尚未完全阐明的方式影响昆虫行为。尽管目前对 VOC 介导的植物-昆虫相互作用的理解存在许多差距，已经开发出成功的害虫管理策略，例如推拉系统、合成气味捕集器和具有改良 VOC 特征的作物品种，以补充化学农药的应用并实现更可持续的农业实践。该领域的未来研究将受益于在同一实验中检查植物和昆虫的反应，以更全面地了解这些交互系统。此外，对生态相互作用表型的关键遗传元素的分子进化研究可以为 VOC 介导的植物与昆虫食草动物的交流提供新的见解。该领域的未来研究将受益于在同一实验中检查植物和昆虫的反应，以更全面地了解这些交互系统。此外，对生态相互作用表型的关键遗传元素的分子进化研究可以为 VOC 介导的植物与昆虫食草动物的交流提供新的见解。该领域的未来研究将受益于在同一实验中检查植物和昆虫的反应，以更全面地了解这些交互系统。此外，对生态相互作用表型的关键遗传元素的分子进化研究可以为 VOC 介导的植物与昆虫食草动物的交流提供新的见解。