Selection pressure by specialist and generalist insect herbivores leads to optimal constitutive plant defense. A mathematical model.

ABSTRACT: Brassicaceae plants have the glucosinolate-myrosinase defense system, jointly active against herbivory. However, constitutive glucosinolate (GLS) defense is observed to occur at levels that do not deter all insects from feeding. That prompts the question of why Brassicaceae plants have not evolved a higher constitutive defense. The answer may lie in the contrasting relationship between plant defense and host plant preference of specialist and generalist herbivores. GLS content increases a plant's susceptibility to specialist insects. In contrast, generalists are deterred by the plant GLSs. Although GLSs can attract the natural enemies (predators and parasitoids) of these herbivores, enemies can reduce herbivore pressure to some extent only. So, plants can be overrun by specialists if GLS c

SUBMITTER: Chakraborty S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10695761 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature