A below-ground herbivore shapes root defensive chemistry in natural plant populations.

ABSTRACT: Plants display extensive intraspecific variation in secondary metabolites. However, the selective forces shaping this diversity remain often unknown, especially below ground. Using Taraxacum officinale and its major native insect root herbivore Melolontha melolontha, we tested whether below-ground herbivores drive intraspecific variation in root secondary metabolites. We found that high M. melolontha infestation levels over recent decades are associated with high concentrations of major root latex secondary metabolites across 21 central European T. officinale field populations. By cultivating offspring of these populations, we show that both heritable variation and phenotypic plasticity contribute to the observed differences. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the production of the sesquiter

SUBMITTER: Huber M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4822473 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature