Effects of above- and belowground herbivory of specialists and generalists on the growth and defensive chemicals of introduced and native Chinese tallow seedlings

Li, Xiaoqiong; Gao, Xu; Siemann, Evan; Shen, Shuai; Guo, Wenfeng

doi:10.1007/s11104-020-04666-2

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…First, one of the main roles of secondary metabolites is defense against herbivores [55][56][57]. Increase in flavonoids, including those in root exudates, could reflect broader changes in secondary metabolism in the introduced range where herbivores are rare [58][59][60], such as a reduction in tannins [30,61]. Second, flavonoids have also been found to stimulate pathogenic fungal spore germination and to attract hyphal colonization [44,62].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing flavonoid concentrations in root exudates enhance associations between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and an invasive plant

et al. 2021

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Many invasive plants have enhanced mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal associations, however, mechanisms underlying differences in AM fungal associations between introduced and native populations of invasive plants have not been explored. Here we test the hypothesis that variation in root exudate chemicals in invasive populations affects AM fungal colonization and then impacts plant performance. We examined flavonoids (quercetin and quercitrin) in root exudates of native and introduced populations of the invasive plant Triadica sebifera and tested their effects on AM fungi and plant performance. We found that plants from introduced populations had higher concentrations of quercetin in root exudates, greater AM fungal colonization and higher biomass. Applying root exudates more strongly increased AM fungal colonization of target plants and AM fungal spore germination when exudate donors were from introduced populations. The role of root exudate chemicals was further confirmed by decreased AM fungal colonization when activated charcoal was added into soil. Moreover, addition of quercetin into soil increased AM fungal colonization, indicating quercetin might be a key chemical signal stimulating AM fungal associations. Together these results suggest genetic differences in root exudate flavonoids play an important role in enhancing AM fungal associations and invasive plants’ performance, thus considering root exudate chemicals is critical to unveiling mechanisms governing shifting plant-soil microbe interactions during plant invasions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing flavonoid concentrations in root exudates enhance associations between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and an invasive plant

et al. 2021

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“…Total flavonoids in whole plants were determined with the aluminum chloride colorimetric method (Li et al., 2020) with some modifications. Briefly, 1 mg of powdered tissue was mixed with 0.5 mL of 5% NaNO 2 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Total tannins were measured using the Folin–Ciocalteu method (Makkar, 2004), according to Li et al. (2020). Briefly, 0.1 g of powdered plant tissue was extracted with 5 mL of 70% alcohol solution for 30 min.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chinese tallow tree, Triadica sebifera (L.) Small (Euphorbiaceae) (tallow hereafter), is a perennial woody plant that is widely cultivated as an ornamental and is an important source of raw chemical materials in China (Bruce et al, 1997). Many herbivores attack the leaves of tallow (Zheng et al, 2004); among these, the specialist Gadirtha fusca Pogue (Lepidoptera: Nolidae) and the generalist Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) are two of the major pests of tallow (Li et al, 2020(Li et al, , 2021. The two pests are separated in time during the season: G. fusca appears on tallow in May, whereas S. litura begins to damage tallow earlier, in March (Wang et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Species‐specific herbivore–herbivore interactions and plant responses to sequential attack by multiple herbivores on a perennial woody plant

Yang,

Guo,

Tang

et al. 2023

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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When plants are sequentially attacked by multiple herbivores, herbivore identity and host specialization can greatly influence the patterns of herbivore–herbivore and plant–herbivore interactions. However, how prior herbivory and the resulting induced plant responses potentially affect subsequent herbivores deserves further investigation. In this study, we conducted a common‐garden experiment that manipulated sequential herbivory by the specialist caterpillar Gadirtha fusca Pogue (Lepidoptera: Nolidae) and the generalist caterpillar Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Chinese tallow, Triadica sebifera (L.) Small (Euphorbiaceae). We tested how prior exposure to herbivores with different levels of host specialization affected the performance of subsequently arriving con‐ and heterospecifics, as well as plant growth and defense responses under subsequent herbivory. We found that prior exposure to the specialist G. fusca facilitated the performance of subsequent conspecifics, resulting in a significant decrease in the growth (height and stem diameter at ground level) of tallow plants. However, prior exposure to the generalist S. litura did not affect the feeding of subsequent con‐ or heterospecifics or the growth of tallow plants. Sequential herbivory by specialist and generalist conspecifics resulted in lower levels of tannins and flavonoids, respectively, in leaves of tallow plants, whereas sequential herbivory by the two species did not affect the levels of tannins or flavonoids, compared to a single damage event. We conclude that herbivore species‐specific plant responses appear to be more important than herbivore identity or specialization in determining herbivore–herbivore interactions and plant responses to sequential herbivore attack.

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“…Chinese tallow tree, T. sebifera (Euphorbiaceae), for example, is a particularly well‐studied species that is already becoming a model for testing plant defense theory (e.g., Lankau et al, 2004; Rogers & Siemann, 2004, 2005; Huang et al, 2010; Wang et al, 2011; Carrillo et al, 2012; Carrillo & Siemann, 2016; Siemann et al, 2017; Li et al, 2020). Further, evidence is available in this system to address the assumptions underlying theoretical predictions of plant defense evolution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using biological invasions to improve plant defense theory

Endriss

Alba

Hufbauer

2022

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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Theory to explain how plants defend themselves against herbivorous insects is rich, but can be difficult to test. Biological invasions provide unique opportunities to test and improve upon plant defense theory, as plants experience predictable shifts in insect herbivory after introduction to a new range. Here, we use an invasion to evaluate the power of three cornerstone hypotheses to predict the evolution of defense against herbivorous insects. These three hypotheses represent increasing refinements of classic plant-insect theory regarding optimal defense, and each rests on the same three assumptions: that introduced plant populations escape natural enemies, that insect herbivory reduces plant fitness, and that putative defenses decrease herbivory. These assumptions remain untested in most invasions, which likely contributes to conflicting support for many plant defense hypotheses. We provide evidence that these assumptions are met in common mullein, Verbascum thapsus L. (Scrophulariaceae), which we propose can thus be used as a model system to test plant defense theory. We find that the hypothesis that integrates predictions of within-plant optimal defense theory and the evolutionary dilemma model (i.e., the 'shifting defense allocation' hypothesis) provides strong insights into both invasion and evolution of plant defense. Specifically, we show that introduced populations that escape important specialist herbivores increase the concentration of secondary compounds in high-quality tissue in particular, in this case protecting valuable young leaves from generalist herbivores that dominate in the introduced range. We would not have detected this shift without exploring within-plant defense allocation across native and introduced populations, a task rarely undertaken when assessing evolutionary change in plant defenses. This finding provides broad insight into how native and introduced plant populations alike may respond to shifts in herbivore pressure. We close by highlighting future directions of inquiry using introduced plant populations to develop and test plant defense theory more generally.

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Effects of above- and belowground herbivory of specialists and generalists on the growth and defensive chemicals of introduced and native Chinese tallow seedlings

Cited by 9 publications

References 56 publications

Increasing flavonoid concentrations in root exudates enhance associations between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and an invasive plant

Increasing flavonoid concentrations in root exudates enhance associations between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and an invasive plant

Species‐specific herbivore–herbivore interactions and plant responses to sequential attack by multiple herbivores on a perennial woody plant

Using biological invasions to improve plant defense theory

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