Plant volatiles induced by herbivore eggs prime defences and mediate shifts in the reproductive strategy of receiving plants

Plants can detect cues associated with the risk of future herbivory and modify defence phenotypes accordingly; however, our current understanding is limited both with respect to the range of early warning cues to which plants respond and the nature of the responses. Here we report that exposure to v...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology letters 2020-07, Vol.23 (7), p.1097-1106
Main Authors: Pashalidou, Foteini G., Eyman, Lisa, Sims, James, Buckley, James, Fatouros, Nina E., De Moraes, Consuelo M., Mescher, Mark C., Turlings, Ted
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Allelochemicals
Brassica
cues
defence
Ecology, environment
Eggs
Exposure
fitness
herbivore performance
Herbivores
herbivore‐induced plant volatiles
Herbivory
Life Sciences
Oviposition
oviposition‐induced plant volatiles
Phenotypes
Pieris brassicae
Plant tissues
Plants (botany)
Priming
Reproductive strategy
Volatiles
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Summary:Plants can detect cues associated with the risk of future herbivory and modify defence phenotypes accordingly; however, our current understanding is limited both with respect to the range of early warning cues to which plants respond and the nature of the responses. Here we report that exposure to volatile emissions from plant tissues infested with herbivore eggs promotes stronger defence responses to subsequent herbivory in two Brassica species. Furthermore, exposure to these volatile cues elicited an apparent shift from growth to reproduction in Brassica nigra, with exposed plants exhibiting increased flower and seed production, but reduced leaf production, relative to unexposed controls. Our results thus document plant defence priming in response to a novel environmental cue, oviposition‐induced plant volatiles, while also showing that plant responses to early warning cues can include changes in both defence and life‐history traits. We assessed plant responses to a novel early warning cue, volatile emissions from neighbouring plants infested with herbivore eggs. We found that exposure to these oviposition‐induced plant volatiles enhanced resistance to subsequent herbivory and also elicited shifts in reproductive strategy.
ISSN:1461-023X
1461-0248
DOI:10.1111/ele.13509