Exploring plant defense theory in tall goldenrod,Solidago altissima

2014 ◽  
Vol 202 (4) ◽  
pp. 1357-1370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy J. Heath ◽  
André Kessler ◽  
Eric Woebbe ◽  
Don Cipollini ◽  
John O. Stireman
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (24) ◽  
pp. eaaz0381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dapeng Li ◽  
Rayko Halitschke ◽  
Ian T. Baldwin ◽  
Emmanuel Gaquerel

Different plant defense theories have provided important theoretical guidance in explaining patterns in plant specialized metabolism, but their critical predictions remain to be tested. Here, we systematically explored the metabolomes of Nicotiana attenuata, from single plants to populations, as well as of closely related species, using unbiased tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analyses and processed the abundances of compound spectrum–based MS features within an information theory framework to test critical predictions of optimal defense (OD) and moving target (MT) theories. Information components of plant metabolomes were consistent with the OD theory but contradicted the main prediction of the MT theory for herbivory-induced dynamics of metabolome compositions. From micro- to macroevolutionary scales, jasmonate signaling was confirmed as the master determinant of OD, while ethylene signaling provided fine-tuning for herbivore-specific responses annotated via MS/MS molecular networks.


1995 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Kaspari ◽  
Margaret M. Byrne
Keyword(s):  

Ecology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 89 (12) ◽  
pp. 3275-3281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Wise ◽  
Warren G. Abrahamson

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 17-21
Author(s):  
Luke McCartin ◽  
Nabil Nasseri ◽  
Alison Brody

In ant-hemipteran mutualisms, ‘tending’ ants indiscriminately defend hemipterans from other arthropods, protecting mutualism-hosting plants from defoliating herbivores in some cases. Censuses of a treehopper, Publilia concava, observations of tending ants, and measurements of leaf area were conducted on tall goldenrod, Solidago altissima, over the course of a summer at a field site in central Vermont. Hosting ant-tended treehopper aggregations had no effect on leaf area or the ability for goldenrod to flower, suggesting that in the absence of an herbivore outbreak this mutualism is neither necessary nor inherently detrimental for goldenrod. These findings support the hypothesis that the net consequence of the ant-hemipteran mutualism for its host plant depends on the costs of hemipteran damage, and the benefits of ant defense from other arthropods.


2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-141
Author(s):  
James W. Dalling ◽  
Adam S. Davis ◽  
A. Elizabeth Arnold ◽  
Carolina Sarmiento ◽  
Paul-Camilo Zalamea

Plant defense theory explores how plants invest in defenses against natural enemies but has focused primarily on the traits expressed by juvenile and mature plants. Here we describe the diverse ways in which seeds are chemically and physically defended. We suggest that through associations with other traits, seeds are likely to exhibit defense syndromes that reflect constraints or trade-offs imposed by selection to attract dispersers, enable effective dispersal, ensure appropriate timing of seed germination, and enhance seedling performance. We draw attention to seed and reproductive traits that are analogous to defense traits in mature plants and describe how the effectiveness of defenses is likely to differ at pre- and postdispersal stages. We also highlight recent insights into the mutualistic and antagonistic interactions between seeds and microbial communities, including fungi and endohyphal bacteria, that can influence seed survival in the soil and subsequent seedling vigor.


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