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Updated: Aug 14, 2025

Herbivore-induced Blueberry Volatiles and Intra-plant Signaling
Published on: December 18, 2011
Plants strike back: Plant volatiles and their role in indirect defence against aphids
Erna Karalija1, Dunja Šamec2, Sabina Dahija1
1Laboratory for Plant Physiology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Abstract:
As sessile organisms, plants have evolved different strategies to defend themselves against various biotic stressors. An important aspect of the complex response of plants to biotic stress is the emission of volatile compounds (VOCs), which are involved in direct and indirect plant defence mechanisms. Indirect plant defences include a range of plant traits that mediate defence against herbivores and play an important ecological role by not only utilising plants' own capabilities, but also signalling and attracting natural enemies of herbivores. Often the combination of volatiles emitted is specific to herbivores; they are consequently recognised by parasites and other predators, providing a clear link between the volatile signature and the prey. In this review, we focus on indirect plant defence and summarise current knowledge and perspectives on relationships between plants, aphids and parasitic wasps.
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