Figure 1

Spider mites benefit from suppression of JA-defenses by russet mites in WT tomato plants to the same extent as they benefit from the def-1 mutation. An adult female of the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) (left) residing together with the tomato russet mite (Aculops lycopersici) (right, inset) on a tomato (S. lycopersicum) leaflet (A). Average number of eggs produced by spider mites (SM) on wild-type (WT) (cv. CM) and JA-deficient def-1 plants that were pre-infested with russet mites (Both mites) or not (SM). Values in the bars (+SE) indicate mean oviposition rates and different letters above bars denote significant differences (ANOVA followed by Fisher’s LSD test, P <0.05). Three leaflets per plant were analyzed. In total, eight plants per treatment were analyzed (B). ANOVA, analysis of variance; JA, jasmonic acid; LSD, least significant difference.