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Published on: June 19, 2011
Evolutionary changes in plant tolerance against herbivory through a resurrection experiment
C Bustos-Segura1, J Fornoni1, J Núñez-Farfán1
1Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Distrito Federal, México.
Plant tolerance to herbivory evolved significantly over 20 years, while resistance did not. This suggests tolerance becomes more important when resistance fails to control plant enemies.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Plant-Herbivore Interactions
- Ecology
Background:
- Host resistance and tolerance have different evolutionary implications against enemies.
- Evolutionary changes in host defenses in natural populations are challenging to demonstrate.
- Evaluating simultaneous evolution of plant defenses requires long-term studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate evolutionary changes in plant resistance and tolerance traits.
- To assess the evolution of Datura stramonium defenses against herbivory over 20 years.
- To test theoretical predictions on the evolution of plant defense strategies.
Main Methods:
- Common garden experiment comparing ancestral (1987) and descendant (2007) Datura stramonium subpopulations.
- Evaluation of plant resistance traits (herbivore consumption, foliar trichomes, tropane alkaloids).
- Assessment of herbivore survival across different plant genotypes to infer resistance variation.
Main Results:
- Plant resistance traits showed a nonsignificant evolutionary response to herbivory.
- Plant tolerance traits exhibited a significant evolutionary response.
- Herbivore survival depended on plant genotype, indicating genetic variation in resistance.
Conclusions:
- Evolutionary shifts in plant defense may favor tolerance when resistance is insufficient.
- Findings align with theoretical expectations regarding the evolution of host-parasite interactions.
- Further research is needed to identify specific selective agents driving these evolutionary changes.
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