| Title: | Time course of inducibility of indirect responses in an ant-defended plant |
| Author(s): | Calixto ES; Del-Claro K; Lange D; Bronstein J; |
| Address: | "Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. Laboratorio de Ecologia Comportamental e de Interacoes (LECI), Instituto de Biologia. Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, Uberlandia, Brazil. Universidade Tecnologica Federal do Parana, Campus Santa Helena, Santa Helena, Brazil. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1939-9170 (Electronic) 0012-9658 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Plants have evolved inducible defenses that allow them to minimize costs associated with the production of constitutive defenses when herbivores are not present. However, as a consequence, some plants might experience a period of vulnerability between damage and the onset of defense and/or between the cessation of damage and relaxation of defense. Few studies have examined the time course in the inducible protective mutualism between ants and extrafloral nectary (EFN)-bearing plants. None has compared the inducibility of EFNs on vegetative versus reproductive parts or in response to different levels of herbivore damage. Here, we disentangle the inducibility process by evaluating extrafloral nectar production and ant attendance over time, the time course of inducibility on different plant parts, and the time course of inducibility in response to different levels of foliar damage in a Brazilian tree, Qualea multiflora (Vochysiaceae). Using simulated herbivory on leaves and flowers, we found that (a) the production of extrafloral nectar from foliar and floral EFNs, as well as ant attendance, exhibited a lag between the moment of damage and the peak of response, followed by a response peak (usually 24 h after damage) at which the defense remains at its maximum level, then declines to prestimulus levels; (b) the time course of inducibility and the peak activity did not differ between EFNs located in vegetative versus reproductive parts, except for sugar concentration, which was higher in EFNs on vegetative parts; and (c) the time course of inducibility of foliar EFNs depended on damage level. Although considered a cost-saving strategy, inducible defenses can be disadvantageous since they can leave plants vulnerable to attack for extended periods. Our results illuminate the dynamics of the induced response and the underlying mechanisms that might mediate it, ultimately providing new insights into defense strategies employed by plants" |
| Keywords: | Animals *Ants/physiology Plant Nectar Plants Flowers Herbivory/physiology Symbiosis Qualea multiflora extrafloral nectaries indirect defense induced defense induced response plant defense plant-herbivore interactions protection mutualism; |
| Notes: | "MedlineCalixto, Eduardo Soares Del-Claro, Kleber Lange, Denise Bronstein, Judith eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2023/03/14 Ecology. 2023 May; 104(5):e4029. doi: 10.1002/ecy.4029. Epub 2023 Mar 28" |
