Remote sensing of future competitors: impacts on plant defenses.

ABSTRACT: Far-red radiation (FR) reflected by green tissues is a key signal that plants use to detect the proximity of future competitors. Perception of increased levels of FR elicits a suite of responses collectively known as the shade-avoidance syndrome, which includes increased stem elongation, production of erect leaves, and reduced lateral branching. These responses improve the access to light for plants that occur in crowded populations. Responses to the proximity of competitors are known to affect the susceptibility to disease and predation in several organisms, including social animals. However, the impacts of warning signals of competition on the expression of defenses have not been explicitly investigated in plants. In the experiments reported here, we show that reflected FR induced a dram

SUBMITTER: Izaguirre MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1459035 | biostudies-literature | 2006 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature