Pretty Sly for a Whitefly
One of the world’s worst agricultural pests corrupts the alarm signals of plants, disarming those that otherwise might prepare for an assault.
When plants are bitten by insects, they release a chemical scream—a cocktail of compounds that travel through the air. Some deter pests directly by confusing or them; others indirectly protect plants by summoning or . Still others raise the alarm in parts of the plant that aren’t yet under attack, telling them to ramp up their defenses in preparation. These same alarms can spread over entire fields, warning plants to prepdefenses. We can’t perceive these signals, but to plants, they’re as foreboding as wailing sirens.
