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80 results for “plant defences”
Data from: Fungal volatiles influence plant defence against aboveground and belowground herbivory
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Data from: Plant defence responses to volatile alert signals are population-specific
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Data from: Pleiotropic effect of the Flowering Locus C on plant resistance and defence against insect herbivores
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Data from: Variation in growth and defence traits among plant populations at different elevations: implications for adaptation to climate change
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Data from: Tree species diversity alters plant defence investment in an experimental forest plantation in Southern Mexico
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Data from: A thorny issue: woody plant defence and growth in an East African savanna
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Data from: Optimal foraging by herbivores maintains polymorphism in defence in a natural plant population
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Plant defence to sequential attack is adapted to prevalent herbivores
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Data to accompany 'New evidence suggests no sex bias in herbivory or plant defence'
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Data from: Risky roots and careful herbivores: Sustained herbivory by a root-feeding herbivore attenuates indirect plant defences
<p><b>Abstract</b></p> <ol> <li>Aboveground plant tissues produce characteristic blends of volatile compounds in response to insect herbivory. These herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) function in plant defence and mediate foraging decisions by herbivores and their natural enemies. The ecological roles of HIPVs as foraging cues for different trophic levels highlight an important conflict for herbivores that need to locate suitable host plants while avoiding competition and predation. </li> </ol> <p> </p> <ol> <li>Plant roots also emit HIPVs following herbivory, but our understanding of root-produced volatiles and their ecological functions in soil environments remains limited. Moreover, recent studies have documented the effects of temporal dynamics of plant volatile production on ecological interactions, but little is known about how root HIPVs change throughout herbivory or the resulting ecological implications from such changes. </li> </ol> <p> </p> <ol> <li>In this study, we examined the roles of HIPVs from roots of cucumber plants (<i>Cucumis sativus</i>) as foraging cues for a specialist herbivore, striped cucumber beetle (<i>Acalymma vittatum</i>) and its natural enemies, entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs). We predicted HIPVs from <i>A. vittatum</i>-damaged roots would attract EPNs, while repelling conspecific larvae that avoid competition, induced plant defences, and increased risk of predation by EPNs. To capture the temporal dynamics of root HIPVs, we determined how HIPV-mediated interactions change over time with sustained herbivory. </li> </ol> <p> </p> <ol> <li>Initially (after 24 h), <i>A. vittatum </i>herbivory on <i>C. sativus</i>, or mechanical wounding, induced greater production of root volatiles. These root HIPVs recruited EPNs and repelled foraging <i>A. vittatum </i>larvae, although larval performance was not affected by prior damage. Sustained (7-day) herbivory by larvae reduced HIPVs to levels indistinguishable from undamaged control roots, while mechanically damaged roots continued to produce higher levels of volatiles. Attenuation of HIPVs impaired indirect defence responses of <i>C. sativus</i> by reducing recruitment of EPNs and deterrence of <i>A. vittatum </i>larvae. </li> </ol> <p> </p> <ol> <li><span>These results suggest that root HIPVs function as honest signals that indicate the presence of herbivores, induction of indirect plant defences, and increased risk of predation by natural enemies. However, some herbivores may overcome this line of plant defence by attenuating production of HIPVs and thus altering the outcomes of subsequent interactions among plants, herbivores, and natural enemies.</span></li> </ol>
Data from: Impacts of urbanization on insect herbivory and plant defences in oak trees
Systematic comparisons of species interactions in urban vs. rural environments can improve our understanding of shifts in ecological processes due to urbanization. However, such studies are relatively uncommon and the mechanisms driving urbanization effects on species interactions (e.g., between plants and insect herbivores) remain elusive. Here we investigated the effects of urbanization on leaf herbivory by insect chewers and miners associated with the English oak (Quercus robur) by sampling trees in rural and urban areas throughout most of the latitudinal distribution of this species. In performing these comparisons, we also controlled for the size of the urban areas (18 cities) and gathered data on CO2 emissions. In addition, we assessed whether urbanization affected leaf chemical defences (phenolic compounds) and nutritional traits (phosphorus and nitrogen), and whether such changes correlated with herbivory levels. Urbanization significantly reduced leaf chewer damage but did not affect leaf miners. In addition, we found that leaves from urban locations had lower levels of chemical defences (condensed and hydrolysable tannins) and higher levels of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) compared to leaves in rural locations. The magnitude of urbanization effects on herbivory and leaf defences was not contingent upon city size. Importantly, while the effects of urbanization on chemical defences were associated with CO2 emissions, changes in leaf chewer damage were not associated with either leaf traits or CO2 levels. These results suggest that effects of urbanization on herbivory occur through mechanisms other than changes in the plant traits measured here. Overall, our simultaneous assessment of insect herbivory, plant traits, and abiotic correlates advances our understanding of the main drivers of urbanization effects on plant-herbivore interactions.
Data from: Climate warming and plant biomechanical defences: silicon addition contributes to herbivore suppression in a pasture grass
1. Plants, notably the Poacae, often accumulate large amounts of silicon (Si) from the soil. Si has multiple functional roles, particularly for alleviating abiotic and biotic stresses (e.g. defence against herbivores). Recent evidence suggests that environmental change, including temperature changes, can diminish Si accumulation which could affect functions such as herbivore defence. 2. Using a field warming experiment, we grew a pasture grass (Phalaris aquatica) that was either supplemented or untreated with Si (+Si and -Si, respectively) under ambient and elevated (+2.8ºC above ambient) air temperatures. We quantified soil water, plant growth rates, Si accumulation, leaf biomechanical properties and in situ relative growth rates of a herbivorous global insect pest (Helicoverpa armigera). 3. Si supplementation promoted shoot and root biomass by c. 48% and 61%, respectively under ambient temperatures, but these gains were not apparent under warmed conditions. 4. Warmer temperatures reduced Si uptake by -Si plants by c. 17%, potentially due to the lower levels of soil water content in warmed plots. Si supplementation, however, increased Si accumulation in leaves by c. 24% in warmed plots restoring Si levels to those seen under ambient temperatures. 5. Si supplementation enhanced biomechanical properties in the leaves, but this was only statistically significant under ambient temperatures; leaves of +Si plants required 42% more force to fracture and were 30% tougher at the midrib than leaves of -Si plants. The relative growth rates of H. armigera declined by 56% when feeding on +Si plants under ambient temperatures and while Si supplementation caused a trend towards declining herbivore growth rates under warmer conditions, this was not statistically significant. 6. We conclude that climate warming may mitigate the beneficial effects of Si on Phalaris aquatica in the short term, potentially by reducing Si uptake. While Si uptake can be restored with Si supplementation, Si-enhanced biomechanical defences against a global pest may not be fully restored under warmer temperatures.
Data from: Soil microbial species loss affects plant biomass and survival of an introduced bacterial strain, but not inducible plant defences
- Background and Aims: Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) strains can influence plant-insect interactions. However, little is known about the effect of changes in the soil bacterial community in general and especially the loss of rare soil microbes on these interactions. Here, the influence of rare soil microbe-reduction on induced systemic resistance (ISR) in a wild ecotype of Arabidopsis thaliana against the aphid Myzus persicae was investigated. - Methods: To create a gradient of microbial abundances, soil was inoculated with a serial dilution of a microbial community and responses of Arabidopsis plants that originated from the same site as the soil microbes were tested. Plant biomass, transcription of genes involved in plant defences, and insect performance were measured. In addition, the effects of the PGPR strain Pseudomonas fluorescens SS101 on plant and insect performance were tested under influence of the various soil dilution treatments. - Key Results: Plant biomass showed a hump-shaped relationship with soil microbial community dilution, independent of aphid or Pseudomonas treatments. Both aphid infestation and inoculation with Pseudomonas reduced plant biomass, and led to downregulation of PR1 (salicylic acid-responsive gene) and CYP79B3 (involved in synthesis of glucosinolates). Aphid performance and gene transcription were unaffected by soil dilution. - Conclusions: Neither the loss of rare microbial species, as caused by soil dilution, nor Pseudomonas, affect the resistance of A. thaliana against M. persicae. However, both Pseudomonas survival and plant biomass respond to rare species loss. Thus, loss of rare soil microbial species can have a significant impact on both above- and belowground organisms.
A meta‐analysis of insularity effects on herbivory and plant defences
<p><b>Aim:</b> Plants on islands are often subjected to lower levels of herbivory relative to those at mainland sites. As a consequence, island plants are predicted to exhibit lower levels of physical and chemical defences, which renders them more susceptible to introduced herbivores. Yet, instances of high pressure by superabundant herbivores native to islands have been reported in many insular systems, which presumably would result in heightened plant defences. To date, no quantitative review has been conducted to determine how common these contrasting patterns are and their implications for the evolution of plant defences.</p> <p><b>Location: </b>Islands worldwide</p> <p><b>Taxon:</b> Plants, insects, mammals</p> <p><b>Methods: </b>We conducted a meta-analysis of insularity effects on herbivory and plant defences by including studies that conducted island-mainland comparisons of the same plant species in both environments (90% of cases), or insular endemics vs. mainland congeners (10% of cases). We tested for differences between mammalian and invertebrate herbivory as well as between plant chemical and physical defences by specifying comparisons based on the type of herbivore included in the study.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Mammalian herbivory was significantly higher on islands than on mainlands. In contrast, no significant effect was observed on invertebrate herbivory. In addition, we found no significant difference in either plant physical or chemical defences between insular and mainland plants, though physical defences tended to be higher for plants on islands.</p> <p><b>Main conclusions:</b> All analysed mammal studies focused on species introduced to islands, suggesting greater susceptibility of insular plants to exotic mammals, whereas the lack of effects in the case of invertebrate herbivory suggests no difference in susceptibility to molluscs and insects between insular and mainland plants. Interestingly, plant trait patterns suggest a trend for increased physical defences by insular plants, possibly due to heightened pressure by exotic mammalian herbivores on islands, whereas chemical defences appear uncorrelated to differences in herbivory. These findings call for further experimental and observational studies measuring defences and herbivory for multiple sympatric plant species occurring at both mainland and island sites within a system, or comparing insular endemics to congeneric mainland species.</p>
Data from: Chemical cues linked to risk: cues from belowground natural enemies enhance plant defences and influence herbivore behaviour and performance
1. Chemical cues are essential for many ecological interactions. Previous studies of chemically mediated multitrophic interactions have typically focused on responses to cues from plants or herbivores aboveground. It is increasingly clear, however, that belowground cues and those produced by organisms at higher trophic levels also have ecological importance. Prey animals often avoid predator odours to improve survival, and previous research documented enhanced plant resistance following contact with belowground natural enemies, though the ecological basis was unknown. 2. Here we investigated plant and insect responses to chemical cues from belowground natural enemies and explored the ecological significance of these cues for multitrophic interactions. More specifically, we examined the influence of odours emitted by entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), a natural enemy of insect herbivores, on the performance and behaviour of their insect prey and the defence responses of nearby plants. 3. Our findings revealed that EPN-infected insect cadavers emit a characteristic blend of volatile compounds with bioactivity in plants and insects. EPN chemical cues influenced both performance and preference of a specialist herbivore, Colorado potato beetle (CPB, Leptinotarsa decemlineata), feeding on its host plant, potato (Solanum tuberosum). CPB larvae consumed less leaf tissue and gained less mass feeding on plants exposed to EPN cues compared to control plants. Female CPBs laid fewer eggs on plants with EPN cues than on controls, indicating deterrence by EPN cues or EPN-altered plant defences. 4. Plant defences were enhanced by exposure to live EPNs or EPN chemical cues. Potato plants exposed to EPN infective juveniles induced higher amounts of the defence hormone salicylic acid and had higher expression of the pathogen-resistance gene PR-1(PR4) in foliar tissue. Exposing plants to EPN cues primed induction of salicylic acid and jasmonic acid in response to feeding damage by CPB larvae. 5. These findings suggest that herbivores avoid cues from their EPN natural enemies and plants respond to the beneficial nematodes by enhancing systemic defences that reduce herbivore performance. This work has important implications for the chemical ecology of tritrophic interactions as we report that the third trophic level can play direct and indirect roles in plant defence.
Data from: Increased root herbivory under elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations is reversed by silicon-based plant defences
Predicted increases in atmospheric concentrations of CO2 may alter the susceptibility of many plants to insect herbivores due to changes in plant nutrition and defences. Silicon plays a critical role in plant defence against herbivores, so increasing such silicon-based defences in plants may help remediate situations where plants become more susceptible to herbivores. Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid) were subjected to fully factorial treatment combinations of ambient (aCO2) or elevated (eCO2) atmospheric CO2 concentrations; ambient silicon or silicon supplementation; insect-free or subject to root herbivory by greyback canegrub (Dermolepida albohirtum). A glasshouse study was used to determine how these factors affected rates of photosynthesis, growth, chemistry (concentrations of silicon, carbon, nitrogen and non-structural carbohydrates). Changes in canegrub mass were determined in the glasshouse pot study, together with more detailed assessment of how eCO2 and silicon supplementation affected performance and feeding behaviour (relative growth rate and relative consumption) in a 24-hour feeding efficiency assay. eCO2 and silicon supplementation increased rates of photosynthesis (+32% and 14%, respectively) sugarcane biomass (+45% and 69%, respectively). Silicon supplementation increased silicon concentrations in both leaves and roots by 54% and 75%, respectively. eCO2 caused root C:N to increase by 12%. Canegrub performance and consumption increased under eCO2; relative growth rate (RGR) increased by 116% and consumed 57% more root material (suggestive of compensatory feeding). Silicon application reversed these effects, with large decreases in mass change, RGR and root consumption (65% less root mass consumed). Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest future atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations could lead to increased crop damage by a below-ground herbivore. Increasing bioavailable silicon in soil stimulated silicon-based defences which dramatically decreased herbivory and herbivore performance. Our findings suggest future pest management strategies could benefit from characterising deficiencies in bioavailable silicon in agricultural soils and targeted application of silicon fertilisers. Moreover, future breeding programmes should exploit variation in silicon uptake between cultivars to enhance silicon uptake in new crop varieties. Silicon-based plant defence proved to be highly beneficial for remediating the negative effects of atmospheric change on sugarcane susceptibility to herbivory and could be applicable in other crops.
Data from: Interactions between plant defence signalling pathways: evidence from bioassays with insect herbivores and plant pathogens
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Data from: Risky roots and careful herbivores: Sustained herbivory by a root-feeding herbivore attenuates indirect plant defences
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Climate warming and plant biomechanical defences: silicon addition contributes to herbivore suppression in a pasture grass
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Impacts of urbanization on insect herbivory and plant defences in oak trees
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
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