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Updated: May 12, 2026
10:28
Herbivore-induced Blueberry Volatiles and Intra-plant Signaling
Published on: December 18, 2011
Interplant volatile signaling in willows: revisiting the original talking trees
Ian S Pearse1, Kathy Hughes, Kaori Shiojiri
1Department of Entomology, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA. ianspearse@gmail.com
Oecologia
|April 12, 2013
Summary
Plants can warn neighbors about insect attacks using airborne signals. This study confirms that damaged willows release volatile cues, reducing herbivore damage to nearby plants, highlighting plant communication in defense.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Plant Science
- Chemical Ecology
Background:
- Interplant volatile signaling in plant-herbivore interactions has been debated for decades.
- Previous studies on willows yielded conflicting evidence regarding airborne signaling.
- Understanding plant communication is crucial for ecological interactions and pest management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if cues from damaged neighbors reduce herbivore damage in willows (Salix exigua and Salix lemmonii).
- To determine if these plant-emitted signals are volatile.
- To assess if plants signal more effectively to kin than to non-kin.
Main Methods:
- Three well-replicated experiments were conducted using two willow species.
- Neighboring plants were damaged (clipped) to simulate herbivory.
- Volatile exchange was manipulated by bagging clipped tissue or isolating plants via airborne cues only.
Main Results:
- All experiments demonstrated that cues from damaged neighbors significantly reduced subsequent herbivory.
- Preventing volatile exchange by bagging clipped tissue eliminated the protective effect.
- Clipping neighbors connected only by airborne volatile cues also reduced herbivore damage to receiver plants.
Conclusions:
- Strong evidence supports the importance of interplant volatile cues in mediating willow-herbivore interactions.
- Airborne volatile signals from damaged plants effectively confer protection against herbivory.
- The findings resolve long-standing questions about the role of volatile signaling in plant defense.
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