scholarly journals LeafByte: A mobile application that measures leaf area and herbivory quickly and accurately

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe L. Getman-Pickering ◽  
Adam T. Campbell ◽  
Nicholas Aflitto ◽  
Todd A. Ugine ◽  
Ari Grele ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Plant Tissue ◽  
Mobile Application ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Leaf Damage ◽  
Plant Science ◽  
List Type ◽  
Visual Estimation ◽  
Herbivore Interactions ◽  
Plant Herbivore

AbstractIn both basic and applied studies, quantification of herbivory on foliage is a key metric in characterizing plant-herbivore interactions, which underpin many ecological, evolutionary, and agricultural processes. Current methods of quantifying herbivory are slow or inaccurate. We present LeafByte, a free iOS application for measuring leaf area and herbivory. LeafByte can save data automatically, read and record barcodes, handle both light and dark colored plant tissue, and be used non-destructively.We evaluate its accuracy and efficiency relative to existing herbivory assessment tools.LeafByte has the same accuracy as ImageJ, the field standard, but is 50% faster. Other tools, such as BioLeaf and grid quantification, are quick and accurate, but limited in the information they can provide. Visual estimation is quickest, but it only provides a coarse measure of leaf damage and tends to overestimate herbivory.LeafByte is a quick and accurate means of measuring leaf area and herbivory, making it a useful tool for research in fields such as ecology, entomology, agronomy, and plant science.

scholarly journals Data on Herbivore Performance and Plant Herbivore Damage Identify the Same Plant Traits as the Key Drivers of Plant–Herbivore Interaction

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 865
Author(s):  
Zuzana Münzbergová ◽  
Jiří Skuhrovec
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Leaf Damage ◽  
Herbivore Damage ◽  
Herbivore Performance ◽  
Physical Defense ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Herbivore Interactions ◽  
Plant Herbivore

Data on plant herbivore damage as well as on herbivore performance have been previously used to identify key plant traits driving plant–herbivore interactions. The extent to which the two approaches lead to similar conclusions remains to be explored. We determined the effect of a free-living leaf-chewing generalist caterpillar, Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), on leaf damage of 24 closely related plant species from the Carduoideae subfamily and the effect of these plant species on caterpillar growth. We used a wide range of physical defense leaf traits and leaf nutrient contents as the plant traits. Herbivore performance and leaf damage were affected by similar plant traits. Traits related to higher caterpillar mortality (higher leaf dissection, number, length and toughness of spines and lower trichome density) also led to higher leaf damage. This fits with the fact that each caterpillar was feeding on a single plant and, thus, had to consume more biomass of the less suitable plants to obtain the same amount of nutrients. The key plant traits driving plant–herbivore interactions identified based on data on herbivore performance largely corresponded to the traits identified as important based on data on leaf damage. This suggests that both types of data may be used to identify the key plant traits determining plant–herbivore interactions. It is, however, important to carefully distinguish whether the data on leaf damage were obtained in the field or in a controlled feeding experiment, as the patterns expected in the two environments may go in opposite directions.

scholarly journals Size Matters: Biological and Food Safety Relevance of Leaf Damage for Colonization of Escherichia coli O157:H7 gfp+

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emina Mulaosmanovic ◽  
Sofia T. Windstam ◽  
Ivar Vågsholm ◽  
Beatrix W. Alsanius
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Plant Tissue ◽  
Spinacia Oleracea ◽  
Leafy Vegetables ◽  
Leaf Damage ◽  
Post Inoculation ◽  
Depth Of Invasion ◽  
Damage Level ◽  
E Coli

This study examined the biological and food safety relevance of leaf lesions for potential invasion of food pathogens into the plant tissue (internalization). This was done by determining the role of artificial leaf damage in terms of damaged leaf area on proliferation of E. coli O157:H7 gfp+. In a two-factorial experiment, unwashed fresh baby leaf spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) was subjected to four damage levels (undamaged, low, moderate, high damage; factor 1) and three incubation intervals (0, 1, 2 days post-inoculation; factor 2). Individual leaves were immersed for 15 s in a suspension loaded with E. coli O157:H7 gfp+ (106 CFU × mL–1). The leaves were analyzed individually using image analysis tools to quantify leaf area and number and size of lesions, and using confocal laser scanning and scanning electron microscopy to visualize leaf lesions and presence of the introduced E. coli strain on and within the leaf tissue. Prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 gfp+ was assessed using a culture-dependent technique. The results showed that size of individual lesions and damaged leaf area affected depth of invasion into plant tissue, dispersal to adjacent areas, and number of culturable E. coli O157:H7 gfp+ directly after inoculation. Differences in numbers of the inoculant retrieved from leaf macerate evened out from 2 days post-inoculation, indicating rapid proliferation during the first day post-inoculation. Leaf weight was a crucial factor, as lighter spinach leaves (most likely younger leaves) were more prone to harbor E. coli O157:H7 gfp+, irrespective of damage level. At the high inoculum density used, the risk of consumers’ infection was almost 100%, irrespective of incubation duration or damage level. Even macroscopically intact leaves showed a high risk for infection. These results suggest that the risk to consumers is correlated with how early in the food chain the leaves are contaminated, and the degree of leaf damage. These findings should be taken into account in different steps of leafy green processing. Further attention should be paid to the fate of viable, but non-culturable, shiga-toxigenic E. coli on and in ready-to-eat leafy vegetables.

scholarly journals Geographic patterns of plant–herbivore interactions are driven by soil fertility

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 653-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua S Lynn ◽  
Jason D Fridley
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Intraspecific Variation ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Trichome Density ◽  
Geographic Patterns ◽  
Leaf Consumption ◽  
Herbivore Interactions ◽  
Herbivore Consumption ◽  
Plant Herbivore

Abstract Aims Geographic patterns of the intensity of plant herbivory in relation to climate factors have garnered little general support and appear to be species specific. However, plant–herbivore interactions are also driven by resource availability, such as soil nutrient content, and it remains unclear whether broad-scale variation in soil factors is reflected in herbivore consumption rates across species’ ranges. Additionally, we know little of how intraspecific variation in tissue quality associates with edaphic and climatic factors, and how this variation controls herbivore consumption. The resource availability hypothesis (RAH) predicts that plant individuals growing in low-resource environments will have lower leaf nutritional quality and more constitutive defenses, which will result in lower rates of leaf consumption. Methods We collected leaves from the old-field dominant species, Solidago altissima L., from 20 sites across 10 degrees of latitude in the Eastern USA to determine the percentage leaf area consumed by insect folivores. We obtained soil and climate data for each site, as well as plant functional and defensive traits, including specific leaf area (SLA), leaf carbon:nitrogen (C:N), and trichome density. Important Findings Although we found no significant latitudinal trend of leaf consumption rate, there was strong evidence that leaf herbivory decreased with leaf C:N and trichome density, which themselves decreased with soil N, supporting our hypothesis that the RAH applies for intraspecific variation across spatial gradients. Additionally, high precipitation seasonality and soil nitrogen predicted decreased herbivory. The results suggest that spatial variation in herbivory can be driven by factors other than herbivore communities and climatic gradients, and that bottom-up processes, where plant traits and soil fertility control leaf consumption, must be incorporated into spatial predictions of herbivory.

scholarly journals Neighbourhood effects determine plant-herbivore interactions below-ground

2017 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 347-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Huang ◽  
Elias Zwimpfer ◽  
Maxime R. Hervé ◽  
Zoe Bont ◽  
Matthias Erb
Keyword(s):  
Neighbourhood Effects ◽  
Herbivore Interactions ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Plant Herbivore

scholarly journals A Novel Educational Smartphone Application for Cognitively Healthy Seniors: A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6601
Author(s):  
Blanka Klimova ◽  
Lukas Sanda
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Mobile Application ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Individual Needs ◽  
Instructional Manual

Modern technologies surround people every day, including seniors. The aim of this pilot study was to create a maximally user-friendly mobile application in order to meet older users’ individual needs. The research sample consisted of 13 older individuals at the age of 55+ years with a mean age of 67 years, living in the Czech Republic. The key assessment tools of this pilot study were the developed application and usability testing. The findings confirmed that the newly developed mobile application for teaching English met the needs of cognitively healthy seniors, and was acceptable and feasible. In addition, it indicated what technical (e.g., visual interface or easy navigation) and pedagogical (e.g., an instructional manual or adjusting to seniors’ learning pace or clear instructions) aspects should be strictly followed when designing such an educational smartphone application. In addition, the authors of this pilot study provide several implications for pedagogical practice. Further research should include more empirical studies aimed at the exploration of educational mobile applications for older generation groups with respect to meeting their individual needs in order to enhance their overall well-being. However, such studies are, nowadays, very rare.

scholarly journals A beta-glucosidase of an insect herbivore determines both toxicity and deterrence of a dandelion defense metabolite

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meret Huber ◽  
Thomas Roder ◽  
Sandra Irmisch ◽  
Alexander Riedel ◽  
Saskia Gablenz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Defense ◽  
Feeding Preference ◽  
Melolontha Melolontha ◽  
Herbivore Interactions ◽  
The Common ◽  
Common Dandelion ◽  
Beta Glucosidase ◽  
Insect Gut ◽  
Root Herbivore ◽  
Plant Herbivore

Gut enzymes can metabolize plant defense metabolites and thereby affect the growth and fitness of insect herbivores. Whether these enzymes also influence herbivore behavior and feeding preference is largely unknown. We studied the metabolization of taraxinic acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (TA-G), a sesquiterpene lactone of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) that deters its major root herbivore, the common cockchafer larva (Melolontha melolontha). We demonstrate that TA-G is rapidly deglycosylated and conjugated to glutathione in the insect gut. A broad-spectrum M. melolontha β-glucosidase, Mm_bGlc17, is sufficient and necessary for TA-G deglycosylation. Using plants and insect RNA interference, we show that Mm_bGlc17 reduces TA-G toxicity. Furthermore, Mm_bGlc17 is required for the preference of M. melolontha larvae for TA-G deficient plants. Thus, herbivore metabolism modulates both the toxicity and deterrence of a plant defense metabolite. Our work illustrates the multifacteted roles of insect digestive enzymes as mediators of plant-herbivore interactions.

The Use of VIGS Technology to Study Plant–Herbivore Interactions

2013 ◽  
pp. 109-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Galis ◽  
Meredith C. Schuman ◽  
Klaus Gase ◽  
Christian Hettenhausen ◽  
Markus Hartl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Herbivore Interactions ◽  
Plant Herbivore
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