Herbivory-induced volatiles function as defenses increasing fitness of the native plant Nicotiana attenuata in nature.
other · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 23066503.
- Also identified by DOI 10.7554/eLife.00007 and PMC identifier 3466783.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
From an herbivore's first bite, plants release herbivory-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) which can attract enemies of herbivores. However, other animals and competing plants can intercept HIPVs for their own use, and it remains unclear whether HIPVs serve as an indirect defense by increasing fitness for the emitting plant. In a 2-year field study, HIPV-emitting N. attenuata plants produced twice as many buds and flowers as HIPV-silenced plants, but only when native Geocoris spp. predators reduced herbivore loads (by 50%) on HIPV-emitters. In concert with HIPVs, plants also employ antidigestive trypsin protease inhibitors (TPIs), but TPI-producing plants were not fitter than TPI-silenced plants. TPIs weakened a specialist herbivore's behavioral evasive responses to simulated Geocoris spp. attack, indicating that TPIs function against specialists by enhancing indirect defense.DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00007.001.
Medical subject headings
- Hemiptera
- Herbivory
- Plant Leaves
- Nicotiana
- Volatile Organic Compounds