We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Defensive function of herbivore-induced plant volatile emissions in nature.
- Authors
Kessler, A; Baldwin, I T
- Abstract
Herbivore attack is known to increase the emission of volatiles, which attract predators to herbivore-damaged plants in the laboratory and agricultural systems. We quantified volatile emissions from Nicotiana attenuata plants growing in natural populations during attack by three species of leaf-feeding herbivores and mimicked the release of five commonly emitted volatiles individually. Three compounds (cis-3-hexen-1-ol, linalool, and cis-alpha-bergamotene) increased egg predation rates by a generalist predator; linalool and the complete blend decreased lepidopteran oviposition rates. As a consequence, a plant could reduce the number of herbivores by more than 90% by releasing volatiles. These results confirm that indirect defenses can operate in nature.
- Publication
Science (New York, N.Y.), 2001, Vol 291, Issue 5511, p2141
- ISSN
0036-8075
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1126/science.291.5511.2141