Species-specific allelochemical effects

Although much is known about the crustacean endocrine system, there remains a paucity of information concerning the use of hormones as other chemical messengers, such as pheromones or allelochemicals. Most of the work in this area (pleiotropic effects of crustacean hormones) has focused on the molting hormones (ecdysteroids). Due to the lack of species-specificity, it is unlikely that ecdysteroids are sex recognition pheromones. Strong evidence has been published, however, that ecdysteroids act as feeding deterrents, both within and between species. Ecdysteroids also appear to be... 

Once consumed, allelochemics have assorted deleterious effects. Otherwise, they can pass through the insect with no effect, be sequestered, or detoxified. Many enzyme systems are involved in biochemical defense against plant allelochemics, but the most familiar and perhaps most important are the mixed function oxidases. Brattsten (1979) describes the three major characteristics that contribute to their importance in biochemical waste disposal (i) they catalyze numerous oxidative reactions that produce more polar and hence more excretable compounds, (ii) they are non-specific in that a wide range of chemicals are acceptable substrates, (iii) they can adjust rapidly (within minutes) to the presence of allelochemics or synthetic insecticides via induction. The MFO detoxification system is not confined to insects MFO activity has been identified in a wide range of vertebrates and invertebrates. A variety of flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, crickets and a minimum of 40 species of Lepidoptera (as well as representatives from other insect orders) possess MFO activity (review Brattsten, 1979). 

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