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Related Experiment Videos

Plant defense syndromes.

Anurag A Agrawal1, Mark Fishbein

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA. aa337@cornell.edu

Ecology
|August 23, 2006
PubMed
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Plants exhibit defense syndromes, which are suites of covarying traits. This study found convergent defense syndromes in milkweed species, impacting herbivore performance.

Area of Science:

  • Plant Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Chemical Ecology

Background:

  • Plant defense against herbivores is complex, involving multiple traits.
  • Plant defense syndromes propose that suites of traits covary due to ecological interactions.
  • Understanding these syndromes can reveal adaptive strategies in plant communities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate plant defense syndromes in milkweed (Asclepias spp.) species.
  • To identify correlations and trade-offs among defensive traits.
  • To assess the impact of defense syndromes on monarch butterfly caterpillar performance.

Main Methods:

  • Field experiment with 24 Asclepias species.
  • Phylogenetically independent contrasts to analyze trait correlations.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Hierarchical cluster analysis to identify defense syndromes.
  • Monarch caterpillar performance assays.

    • Main Results:

    • Few correlations and no trade-offs were found among seven defensive traits.
    • Positive correlations observed between trichome density and latex production, and C:N ratio and leaf toughness.
    • Hierarchical clustering revealed three distinct defense syndromes.
    • Monarch caterpillar growth and survival did not differ across syndromes, but trichomes and toughness reduced growth.

    Conclusions:

    • Convergent evolution of plant defense syndromes was suggested by incongruence between trait-based clusters and molecular phylogeny.
    • Defense syndromes are characterized by either low nutritional quality or a balance of nutritional quality with physical/chemical defenses.
    • Plant defense syndromes provide a framework for studying the influence of environment and herbivore communities on plant defense strategies.