Host Plant Invests in Growth Rather than Chemical Defense When Attacked by a Specialist Herbivore

• Published in: Journal of chemical ecology Vol. 37; no. 5; pp. 492 - 495
• Main Authors: Arab, Alberto, Trigo, José Roberto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer-Verlag 01-05-2011; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Microscopy; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Butterflies & moths; Butterflies - physiology; Chemical defense; Chemical ecology; Ecology; Entomology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Herbivores; Herbivory; Host-Parasite Interactions; Insects; Larva - physiology; Larvae; Life Sciences; Plant growth; Plant resistance; Rapid Communication; Solanaceae; Solanaceae - growth & development; Solanaceae - metabolism; Solanaceae - parasitology; Tropanes - metabolism; Tropane alkaloids; Compensatory growth; Lethal plant defense paradox; Alkaloid; Defensive secretion; Herbivorous; Growth; Host plant; Brugmansia suaveolens; Organism defense; Placidina euryanassa; Plant defense
• ISSN: 0098-0331; 1573-1561
• DOI: 10.1007/s10886-011-9955-y

Plant defensive compounds may be a cost rather than a benefit when plants are attacked by specialist insects that may overcome chemical barriers by strategies such as sequestering plant compounds. Plants may respond to specialist herbivores by compensatory growth rather than chemical defense. To explore the use of defensive chemistry vs. compensatory growth we studied
Brugmansia suaveolens
(Solanaceae) and the specialist larvae of the ithomiine butterfly
Placidina euryanassa,
which sequester defensive tropane alkaloids (TAs) from this host plant. We investigated whether the concentration of TAs in
B. suaveolens
was changed by
P. euryanassa
damage, and whether plants invest in growth, when damaged by the specialist. Larvae feeding during 24 hr significantly decreased TAs in damaged plants, but they returned to control levels after 15 days without damage. Damaged and undamaged plants did not differ significantly in leaf area after 15 days, indicating compensatory growth. Our results suggest that
B. suaveolens
responds to herbivory by the specialist
P
.
euryanassa
by investing in growth rather than chemical defense.