Tri-trophic effects of inter- and intra-population variation in defence chemistry of wild cabbage (Brassica oleracea).

ABSTRACT: The effect of direct chemical defences in plants on the performance of insect herbivores and their natural enemies has received increasing attention over the past 10 years. However, much less is known about the scale at which this variation is generated and maintained, both within and across populations of the same plant species. This study compares growth and development of the large cabbage butterfly, Pieris brassicae, and its gregarious pupal parasitoid, Pteromalus puparum, on three wild populations [Kimmeridge (KIM), Old Harry (OH) and Winspit (WIN)] and two cultivars [Stonehead (ST), and Cyrus (CYR)] of cabbage, Brassica oleracea. The wild populations originate from the coast of Dorset, UK, but grow in close proximity with one another. Insect performance and chemical profiles were mad

SUBMITTER: Harvey JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3094535 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature