biostudies-literatureDouma JCSURF CooperativeDutch Research Council (NWO)782-797https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC5659137biostudies-literatureUnknown216(3)Plants can prepare for future herbivore attack through a process called priming. Primed plants respond more strongly and/or faster to insect attack succeeding the priming event than nonprimed plants, while the energetic costs of priming are relatively low. To better understand the evolution of priming, we developed a simulation model, partly parameterized for Brassica nigra plants, to explore how the fitness benefits of priming change when plants are grown in different biotic environments. Model simulations showed that herbivore dynamics (arrival probability, arrival time, and feeding rate) affect the optimal duration, the optimal investment and the fitness benefits of priming. Competition for light increases the indirect costs of priming, but may also result in a larger payoff when the noThe New phytologistWhen does it pay off to prime for defense? A modeling analysis.PMC5659137863.14.018Vermeulen PJAnten NPRDouma JCDicke MPoelman EHfalseWhen does it pay off to prime for defense? A modeling analysis.Plants can prepare for future herbivore attack through a process called priming. Primed plants respond more strongly and/or faster to insect attack succeeding the priming event than nonprimed plants, while the energetic costs of priming are relatively low. To better understand the evolution of priming, we developed a simulation model, partly parameterized for Brassica nigra plants, to explore how the fitness benefits of priming change when plants are grown in different biotic environments. Model simulations showed that herbivore dynamics (arrival probability, arrival time, and feeding rate) affect the optimal duration, the optimal investment and the fitness benefits of priming. Competition for light increases the indirect costs of priming, but may also result in a larger payoff when the no2017-01-01T00:00:00Z2017 Nov2025-05-29T22:02:53.353Z2025-05-29T22:02:53.353ZS-EPMC56591372889216210.1111/nph.14771