Defensive function of herbivore-induced plant volatile emissions in nature.
Herbivore attack is known to increase the emission of volatiles, which attract predators to herbivore-damaged plants in the laboratory and agricultural systems. We quantified volatile emissions from Nicotiana attenuata plants growing in natural populations during attack by three species of leaf-feeding herbivores and mimicked the release of five commonly emitted volatiles individually. Three compounds (cis-3-hexen-1-ol, linalool, and cis-alpha-bergamotene) increased egg predation rates by a generalist predator; linalool and the complete blend decreased lepidopteran oviposition rates. As a consequence, a plant could reduce the number of herbivores by more than 90% by releasing volatiles. These results confirm that indirect defenses can operate in nature.
Kessler
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Department of Molecular Ecology, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany.
Baldwin
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D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D000818:Animals; D001643:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D020062:Heteroptera / Q000502:physiology; D000441:Hexanols / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007313:Insecta / Q000502:physiology*; D018402:Manduca / Q000502:physiology; D039821:Monoterpenes; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010058:Oviposition / Q000187:drug effects; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D013729:Terpenes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000469:parasitology*; D014835:Volatilization
D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D001643:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds; D000441:Hexanols; D039821:Monoterpenes; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D013729:Terpenes; C423904:alpha-bergamotene; C051918:3-hexen-1-ol; C018584:linalool