Data from: Plant and insect microbial symbionts alter the outcome of plant-herbivore-parasitoid interactions: implications for invaded, agricultural and natural systems

1. Understanding how soil microbial communities influence plant interactions with other organisms, and how this varies with characteristics of the interacting organisms, is important for multiple systems. Solanum spp. are a suitable model for trophic interactions in studies of agricultural and natural systems and can also provide useful corollaries in invaded systems. This study examined the influence of soil mutualist arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on growth of different Solanum types fed on by the potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae, in relation to presence of the aphid facultative endosymbiont Hamiltonella defensa. 2. Four Solanum types comprising two wild species, S. berthaultii and S. polyadenum, and two accessions of S. tuberosum, were grown with or without AM fungi and infested with one of four clonal lines of a single M. euphorbiae genotype (two with and two without H. defensa). Two experiments were conducted to i) characterise plant responses to AM fungi and aphids and ii) assess whether soil AM fungi could influence the success of the parasitoid wasp Aphidus ervi when attacking aphids reared on each Solanum type. 3. In both experiments, similar patterns of plant biomass were observed in relation to AM fungal and aphid treatments. Solanum biomass depended on plant type and aphid infection with H. defensa. Plants exposed to aphids harbouring H. defensa had smaller root biomass, and therefore total plant biomass, compared to plants infested with H. defensa-free aphids. M. euphorbiae performance varied with aphid clonal line, Solanum type and presence of AM fungi. 4. Parasitoid success, measured as the proportion of aphids from which a wasp emerged, was highest from aphids that had fed on plants colonised by AM fungi, although this result also varied with Solanum type and aphid clonal line. 5. Synthesis: The presence of soil AM fungi, combined with within-species plant and insect variation in key traits, can have subtle - but significant - effects on plant fitness and insect success. This study highlights the importance of exploring genotypic variation in plant and pest responses to soil microbiota to identify suitable biocontrol options.

1. 阐明土壤微生物群落如何调控植物与其他生物的互作，以及该调控效应如何随互作生物的特征发生变化，对众多生态系统而言均具有重要意义。茄属（Solanum）植物是农业与自然生态系统营养互作研究的理想模式类群，同时也可为入侵生态系统的相关研究提供可靠的推论依据。本研究围绕蚜虫兼性内共生菌汉密尔顿氏杆菌（Hamiltonella defensa）的存在与否，探究了土壤互利共生的丛枝菌根（arbuscular mycorrhizal, AM）真菌对取食不同茄属植物类型的马铃薯长管蚜（Macrosiphum euphorbiae）生长的调控效应。
2. 本实验选取4种茄属植物材料：2个野生种（S. berthaultii与S. polyadenum）以及2份马铃薯（S. tuberosum）种质，分别在接种与不接种AM真菌的条件下栽培，随后分别用4个克隆系的单一马铃薯长管蚜基因型侵染（其中2个克隆系携带H. defensa，另外2个不携带）。本研究共开展2组实验：其一为解析植物对AM真菌与蚜虫的响应特征；其二为探究土壤AM真菌是否会对寄生蜂艾氏蚜茧蜂（Aphidus ervi）攻击取食各茄属植物的蚜虫时的寄生成功率产生影响。
3. 两组实验中，植物生物量对AM真菌与蚜虫处理的响应模式均保持一致。茄属植物的生物量取决于植物类型以及蚜虫是否感染H. defensa。与被不携带H. defensa的蚜虫侵染的植株相比，被携带H. defensa的蚜虫侵染的植株根系生物量更低，进而总生物量也更低。马铃薯长管蚜的适合度表现随蚜虫克隆系、茄属植物类型以及AM真菌的存在与否发生变化。
4. 寄生蜂的寄生成功率（以从蚜虫体内羽化出蜂的比例为衡量指标）在取食被AM真菌定殖的植株的蚜虫群体中最高，不过该结果同样会随茄属植物类型以及蚜虫克隆系的不同而产生差异。
5. 综合讨论：土壤AM真菌的存在，结合植物与昆虫种内关键性状的变异，可对植物适合度以及昆虫生存繁殖产生微妙却显著的调控效应。本研究强调，探究植物与害虫对土壤微生物群的基因型响应差异，有助于筛选合适的生物防治方案。