Title: | Plants eavesdrop on cues produced by snails and induce costly defenses that affect insect herbivores |
Author(s): | Orrock JL; Connolly BM; Choi WG; Guiden PW; Swanson SJ; Gilroy S; |
Address: | "Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA. jorrock@wisc.edu. Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA. Biology Department, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA. Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA" |
DOI: | 10.1007/s00442-018-4070-1 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1432-1939 (Electronic) 0029-8549 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Although induced defenses are widespread in plants, the degree to which plants respond to herbivore kairomones (incidental chemicals that herbivores produce independent of herbivory), the costs and benefits of responding to cues of herbivory risk, and the ecological consequences of induced defenses remain unclear. We demonstrate that undamaged tomatoes, Solanum lycopersicum, induce defenses in response to a kairomone (locomotion mucus) of snail herbivores (Helix aspersa). Induced defense had significant costs and benefits for plants: plants exposed to snail mucus or a standard defense elicitor (methyl jasmonate, MeJA) exhibited slower growth, but also experienced less herbivory by an insect herbivore (Spodoptera exigua). We also find that kairomones from molluscan herbivores lead to deleterious effects on insect herbivores mediated through changes in plant defense, i.e., mucus-induced defenses of Solanum lycopersicum-reduced growth of S. exigua. These results suggest that incidental cues of widespread generalist herbivores might be a mechanism creating variation in plant growth, plant defense, and biotic interactions" |
Keywords: | Animals Cues *Herbivory *Solanum lycopersicum Plant Development Spodoptera Cue Herbivory Indirect effects Induced defenses Kairomone Plant defense; |
Notes: | "MedlineOrrock, John L Connolly, Brian M Choi, Won-Gyu Guiden, Peter W Swanson, Sarah J Gilroy, Simon eng MCB-1329723/National Science Foundation/International Germany 2018/01/18 Oecologia. 2018 Mar; 186(3):703-710. doi: 10.1007/s00442-018-4070-1. Epub 2018 Jan 16" |