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Leaf damage induces twining in a climbing plant
Ernesto Gianoli1, Marco A Molina-Montenegro
1Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile. egianoli@udec.cl
The New Phytologist
|July 7, 2005
Summary
Herbivory, or animal feeding on plants, can promote climbing in vines. This study found that damaged plants climbed more, especially in the shade, suggesting herbivory influences vine evolution.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Plant Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Climbing in vines offers advantages like avoiding shade and escaping ground herbivores.
- The role of herbivory in inducing or enhancing climbing behavior in plants is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that herbivory enhances climbing in the twining vine Convolvulus arvensis.
- To investigate if induced climbing is more pronounced under shaded conditions.
Main Methods:
- Field assessment of herbivory on climbing versus prostrate ramets of Convolvulus arvensis.
- Glasshouse experiments evaluating climbing response to mechanical leaf damage under sun and shade.
- Measurement of growth rate and photosynthetic capacity in control and damaged plants.
Main Results:
- Plants experienced higher herbivory when growing prostrate compared to climbing, in both open and shaded habitats.
- Mechanical leaf damage induced increased twining rates in experimental plants under both high and low light.
- Induced climbing was not correlated with increased growth rate, but enhanced photosynthesis was linked to increased twining in shade.
Conclusions:
- Herbivory can act as an ecological factor that promotes the evolution of a climbing habit in plants.
- The climbing response to herbivory may be modulated by light conditions, with greater benefits in shade.