Amplification of plant volatile defence against insect herbivory in a warming Arctic tundra.

ABSTRACT: Plant-emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play fundamental roles in atmospheric chemistry and ecological processes by contributing to aerosol formation¹ and mediating species interactions². Rising temperatures and the associated shifts in vegetation composition have been shown to be the primary drivers of plant VOC emissions in Arctic ecosystems³. Although herbivorous insects also strongly alter plant VOC emissions², no studies have addressed the impact of herbivory on plant VOC emissions in the Arctic. Here we show that warming dramatically increases the amount, and alters the blend, of VOCs released in response to herbivory. We observed that a tundra ecosystem subjected to warming, by open-top chambers, for 8 or 18 years showed a fourfold

SUBMITTER: Li T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6561779 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature