Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 17, 2026
10:28
Herbivore-induced Blueberry Volatiles and Intra-plant Signaling
Published on: December 18, 2011
16.8K
Temperature-Dependent Shifts in Multiple Indirect Defensive Interactions on Black Cherry.
Emma Dawson-Glass1, Nathan J Sanders1, Marjorie G Weber1
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USA.
Ecology and Evolution
|September 22, 2025
Summary
Warming temperatures alter plant defense interactions differently, affecting mite-fungi relationships but boosting predator-herbivore dynamics. Black cherry seedlings showed resilience to these short-term changes, indicating varied responses in tri-trophic systems.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Climate Change Biology
- Plant-Insect Interactions
Background:
- Plants utilize indirect defenses through tri-trophic interactions, where mutualists provide protection against herbivores and pathogens.
- Climate change necessitates understanding temperature's influence on these plant defensive strategies.
- The differential response of multiple tri-trophic interactions within a single plant system to temperature remains poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of increased temperature on two distinct tri-trophic defensive interactions in black cherry (Prunus serotina).
- To determine if different defensive interactions within the same plant system respond uniformly to warming.
Main Methods:
- Black cherry seedlings were exposed to ambient and increased temperatures for 10 weeks.
- Monitoring focused on mite-domatia-fungi interactions and predator-herbivore dynamics.
- Quantified changes in species abundance, interaction strengths, and herbivory levels.
Main Results:
- Warming enhanced the mite abundance-domatia size relationship but weakened the mite abundance-foliar fungi relationship.
- Increased temperatures significantly boosted arthropod predator abundance and reduced herbivory.
- Despite altered interactions, warming did not affect the abundance of mites, fungi, or herbivores, nor the predator's impact on herbivory.
Conclusions:
- Temperature influences different tri-trophic interactions within a plant system variably.
- Black cherry exhibits short-term robustness to temperature-induced shifts in species interactions, with no significant impact on plant growth.
- Findings highlight the non-uniform effects of warming on plant indirect defense mechanisms.
Related Concept Videos
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
14.7K
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
14.7K
01:21Frequency-dependent Selection
23.1K
When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
23.1K
02:39Predator-Prey Interactions
21.1K
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
21.1K
02:26Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores
29.5K
Plants present a rich source of nutrients for many organisms, making it a target for herbivores and infectious agents. Plants, though lacking a proper immune system, have developed an array of constitutive and inducible defenses to fend off these attacks.
29.5K
02:27Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
7.4K
Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
7.4K
01:46Types of Selection
43.9K
Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
43.9K