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34 results for “chemical defences”
Data and code for analysis in "Fighting over defence chemicals disrupts mating behaviour"
<p>Data and annotated code for analysis in "Fighting over defence chemicals disrupts mating behaviour". The point at which each data sheet is used in the analysis is specified in the code and code for each respective figure in paper is also given. A renv lockfile is also included for version control, but all package versions are also included in paper's methods section.</p>
Pollen chemical and mechanical defences restrict host-plant use by bees
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Data for: Maternal provisioning of offspring with defence chemicals in a facultatively parthenogenetic stick insect
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Data from: The effect of root-associated microbes on plant growth and chemical defence traits across two contrasted elevations,
<p>1. Ecotypic differences in plant growth and anti-herbivore defence phenotypes are determined by the complex interactions between the abiotic and the biotic environment.</p> <p>2. Root-associated microbes (RAMs) are pervasive in nature, vary over climatic gradients, and have been shown to influence the expression of multiple plant functional traits related to biomass accumulation and biotic interactions. We addressed how variation in climatic conditions between lowland and sub-alpine habitats in the Alps and RAMs can independently or interactively affect plant growth and anti-herbivore defence trait expression.</p> <p>3. To address the contribution of climate and RAMs on growth and chemical defences of high- and low-elevation Plantago major ecotypes, we performed a full-factorial reciprocal transplant field experiment at two elevations. We coupled it with plant functional trait measurements and metabolomics analyses.</p> <p>4. We found that local growing climatic conditions mostly influenced how the ecotypes grew, but we also found that the high- and low-elevation ecotypes improved biomass accumulation if in the presence of their own-elevation RAMs. Second, we found that while chemical defence expression was affected by climate, they were also more highly expressed when plants were inoculated with low elevation RAMs.</p> <p>5. Synthesis – Our research demonstrated that RAMs from contrasted elevations impact how plants grow or synthesize toxic secondary metabolites. At low elevation, where biotic interactions are stronger, RAMs enhance plant biomass accumulation and the production of toxic secondary metabolites.</p>
Variation of chemical compounds in wild Heliconiini reveals ecological and historical contributions to the evolution of chemical defences in mimetic butterflies
<p>Evolutionary convergence of colour pattern in mimetic species is tightly linked with the evolution of chemical defences. Yet, the evolutionary forces involved in natural variations of chemical defences in aposematic species are still understudied. Herein, we focus on the evolution chemical defences in the butterfly tribe Heliconiini. These neo-tropical butterflies contain large concentrations of cyanogenic glucosides, cyanide-releasing compounds acting as predator deterrent. These compounds are either <i>de novo </i>synthesized or sequestered from their <i>Passiflora</i> host-plant, so that their concentrations may depend on host-plant specialization and host-plant availability. We sampled 375 wild Heliconiini butterflies across Central and South America, covering 43% species of this clade, and quantify individual variations in the different cyanogenic glucosides using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. We detected new compounds and important variations in chemical defences both within and among species. Based on the most recent and well-studied phylogeny of Heliconiini, we show that ecological factors such as mimetic interactions and host-plant specialization have a significant association with chemical profiles, but these effects are largely explained by phylogenetic relationships. Our results therefore suggest that shared ancestries largely contribute to chemical defence variation, pointing out at the interaction between historical and ecological factors in the evolution of Müllerian mimicry.</p>
Diet influences resource allocation in chemical defence in an aposematic moth
<p>For animals that synthesise their chemical compounds de novo, resources, particularly proteins, can influence investment in chemical defences and nitrogen-based wing colouration such as melanin. Competing for the same resources often leads to trade-offs in resource allocation. We manipulated protein availability in the larval diet of the wood tiger moth, <em>Arctia plantaginis</em>, to test how early life resource availability influences relevant life history traits, melanin production, and chemical defences. We expected higher dietary protein to result in more effective chemical defences in adult moths and a higher amount of melanin in the wings. According to the resource allocation hypothesis, we also expected individuals with less melanin to have more resources to allocate to chemical defences. We found that protein-deprived moths had a slower larval development, and their chemical defences were less unpalatable for bird predators, but the expression of melanin in their wings did not differ from that of moths raised on a high-protein diet. The amount of melanin in the wings, however, unexpectedly correlated positively with chemical defences. Our findings demonstrate that the resources available in early life have an important role in the efficacy of chemical defences, but melanin-based warning colours are less sensitive to resource variability than other fitness-related traits.</p>
Invasive plant species that experience lower herbivory pressure may evolve lower diversities of chemical defence compounds in the exotic range
<p><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p> <p><strong>PREMISE</strong></p> <p>Invasive plant species often escape from specialist herbivore species and are likely to experience herbivory mostly from generalist herbivore species in the exotic range. Consequently, the Shifting Defence Hypothesis (SDH) predicts that invasive plants will express higher concentrations of qualitative defence compounds to deter dominant generalist herbivores in the exotic range. Here, I additionally propose a Reduced Chemical Diversity Hypothesis (RCDH), which predicts that reduced herbivory pressure will select for invasive plant genotypes that produce lower diversities of defence compounds in the exotic range.</p> <p><strong><span>METHODS</span></strong></p> <p>I tested whether: (1) Invasive <em>Brassica nigra</em> populations express a lower diversity and an overall higher concentration of glucosinolate compounds than native-range <em>B. nigra</em>; (2) <em>Brassica nigra</em> individuals that express high diversities and concentrations of glucosinolates are more attractive to specialist and deterrent to generalist herbivores; (3) Tissues of invasive <em>B. nigra </em>are less palatable to two generalist herbivores <em>Theba pisana</em> and <em>Helix aspersa</em> than tissues of native-range<em> B. nigra</em>.</p> <p><strong><span>RESULTS</span></strong></p> <p>Invasive <em>B. nigra </em>populations expressed a significantly lower diversity of glucosinolate compounds and a marginally higher concentration of total glucosinolate compounds. Leaf tissues of the invasive <em>B. nigra</em> were significantly less palatable to <em>T. pisana</em> and marginally less so to <em>H. aspersa</em>. <em>Brassica nigra</em> individuals that expressed high concentrations of total glucosinolate compounds were visited by a low diversity of generalist herbivore species in the field.</p> <p><strong><span>CONCLUSIONS</span></strong></p> <p>The biogeographical differences in glucosinolate profiles of invasive and native-range populations of <em>B. nigra</em> may be the result of differential herbivore selection pressures in the respective ranges.</p>
Phenotypic plasticity in chemical defence allows butterflies to diversify host use strategies
<p>Hostplant specialization is a major force driving ecological niche partitioning and diversification in insect herbivores. The cyanogenic defences of Passiflora plants keeps most herbivores at bay, but not larvae of Heliconius butterflies, which can both sequester and biosynthesize cyanogenic compounds. Here, we demonstrate that both Heliconius cydno chioneus, a host plant generalist, and H. melpomene rosina, a specialist, have remarkable plasticity in their chemical defence. When feeding on Passiflora species with cyanogenic compounds they can readily sequester, both species downregulate the biosynthesis of these compounds. In contrast, when fed on Passiflora plants that do not contain cyanogenic glucosides that can be sequestered, both species increase biosynthesis. This biochemical plasticity comes at a significant fitness cost for specialist like H. m. rosina, as growth rates for this species negatively correlate with biosynthesis levels, but not for a generalist like H. c. chioneus. In exchange, H. m rosina has increased performance when sequestration is possible as on its specialised hostplant. In summary, phenotypic plasticity in biochemical responses to different host plants offers these butterflies the ability to widen their range of potential host within the Passiflora genus, while maintaining their chemical defences.</p>
Data from: The effect of root-associated microbes on plant growth and chemical defence traits across two contrasted elevations,
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Within‐plant variation in chemical defence of Erysimum cheiranthoides does not explain Plutella xylostella feeding preference
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Sexual differences in defensive strategies: Investigating chemical defences and visual signals in a wasp moth Amata nigriceps
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Data from: Mycorrhization and chemical seed priming boost tomato stress tolerance by changing primary and defence metabolic pathways
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Variation of chemical compounds in wild Heliconiini reveals ecological and historical contributions to the evolution of chemical defences in mimetic butterflies
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Phenotypic plasticity in chemical defence allows butterflies to diversify host use strategies
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Invasive plant species that experience lower herbivory pressure may evolve lower diversities of chemical defence compounds in the exotic range
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Data from: Not just the sum of its parts: Geographic variation and nonadditive effects of pyrazines in the chemical defence of an aposematic moth
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Diet influences resource allocation in chemical defence in an aposematic moth
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Data from: How to fight multiple enemies: target-specific chemical defences in an aposematic moth
Animals have evolved different defensive strategies to survive predation, among which chemical defences are particularly widespread and diverse. Here we investigate the function of chemical defence diversity, hypothesising that such diversity has evolved as a response to multiple enemies. The aposematic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) displays conspicuous hindwing colouration and secretes two distinct defensive fluids, from their thoracic glands and abdomen. We presented fluids from lab-reared moths to two biologically relevant predators, birds and ants, and measured their reaction in controlled bioassays (no information on colour was provided). We found that defensive fluids are target-specific: thoracic fluids, and particularly the 2-sec-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine (SBMP) which they contain, deterred birds, but caused no aversive response in ants. In contrast, abdominal fluids were particularly deterrent to ants, while birds did not find them repellent. Our study is the first to show evidence of a single species producing separate chemical defences targeted to different predator types, highlighting the importance of taking into account complex predator communities in studies on the evolution of prey defence diversity.
Data from: Latitudinal variation in plant chemical defences drives latitudinal patterns of leaf herbivory
A long-standing paradigm in ecology holds that herbivore pressure and thus plant defences increase towards lower latitudes. However, recent work has challenged this prediction where studies have found no relationship or opposite trends where herbivory or plant defences increase at higher latitudes. Here we tested for latitudinal variation in herbivory, chemical defences (phenolic compounds), and nutritional traits (phosphorus and nitrogen) in leaves of a long-lived tree species, the English oak Quercus robur. We further investigated the underlying climatic and soil factors associated with such variation. Across 38 populations of Q. robur distributed along an 18° latitudinal gradient, covering almost the entire latitudinal and climatic range of this species, we observed strong but divergent latitudinal gradients in leaf herbivory and leaf chemical defences and nutrients. As expected, there was a negative relationship between latitude and leaf herbivory where oak populations from lower latitudes exhibited higher levels of leaf herbivory. However, counter to predictions there was a positive relationship between leaf chemical defences and latitude where populations at higher latitudes were better defended. Similarly, leaf phosphorus and nitrogen increased with latitude. Path analysis indicated a significant (negative) effect of plant chemical defences (condensed tannins) on leaf herbivory, suggesting that the latitudinal gradient in leaf herbivory was driven by an inverse gradient in defensive investment. Leaf nutrients had no independent influence on herbivory. Further, we found significant indirect effects of precipitation and soil porosity on leaf herbivory, which were mediated by plant chemical defences. These findings suggest that abiotic factors shape latitudinal variation in plant defences and that these defences in turn underlie latitudinal variation in leaf herbivory. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of latitudinal variation in plant-herbivore interactions by determining the identity and modus operandi of abiotic factors concurrently shaping plant defences and herbivory.
Data from: Resource allocation trade-offs and the loss of chemical defences during apple domestication
Background and Aims: Most crops have been dramatically altered from their wild ancestors with the primary goal of increasing harvestable yield. A long-held hypothesis is that increased allocation to yield has reduced plant investment in defence and resulted in crops that are highly susceptible to pests. However, clear demonstrations of these trade-offs have been elusive due to the many selective pressures that occur concurrently during crop domestication. Methods: To provide a robust test of whether increased allocation to yield can alter plant investment in defence, this study examined fruit chemical defence traits and herbivore resistance across 52 wild and 56 domesticated genotypes of apples that vary >26-fold in fruit size. Ninety-six phenolic metabolites were quantified in apple skin, pulp and seeds, and resistance to the codling moth was assessed with a series of bioassays. Key Results: The results show that wild apples have higher total phenolic concentrations and a higher diversity of metabolites than domesticated apples in skin, pulp and seeds. A negative phenotypic relationship between fruit size and phenolics indicates that this pattern is driven in part by allocation-based trade-offs between yield and defence. There were no clear differences in codling moth performance between wild and domesticated apples and no overall effects of total phenolic concentration on codling moth performance, but the results did show that codling moth resistance was increased in apples with higher phenolic diversity. The concentrations of a few individual compounds (primarily flavan-3-ols) also correlated with increased resistance, primarily driven by a reduction in pupal mass of female moths. Conclusions: The negative phenotypic relationship between fruit size and phenolic content, observed across a large number of wild and domesticated genotypes, supports the hypothesis of yield–defence trade-offs in crops. However, the limited effects of phenolics on codling moth highlight the complexity of consequences that domestication has for plant–herbivore interactions. Continued studies of crop domestication can further our understanding of the multiple trade-offs involved in plant defence, while simultaneously leading to novel discoveries that can improve the sustainability of crop production.
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