Wounding of Arabidopsis halleri leaves enhances cadmium accumulation that acts as a defense against herbivory.

ABSTRACT: Approximately 0.2% of all angiosperms are classified as metal hyperaccumulators based on their extraordinarily high leaf metal contents, for example >1% zinc, >0.1% nickel or >0.01% cadmium (Cd) in dry biomass. So far, metal hyperaccumulation has been considered to be a taxon-wide, constitutively expressed trait, the extent of which depends solely on available metal concentrations in the soil. Here we show that in the facultative metallophyte Arabidopsis halleri, both insect herbivory and mechanical wounding of leaves trigger an increase specifically in leaf Cd accumulation. Moreover, the Cd concentrations accumulated in leaves can serve as an elemental defense against herbivory by larvae of the Brassicaceae specialist small white (Pieris rapae), thus allowing the plant to take advantage o

SUBMITTER: Plaza S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4427619 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature