Jasmonic acid treatment to part of the root system is consistent with simulated leaf herbivory, diverting recently assimilated carbon towards untreated roots within an hour.
It is known that shoot application of jasmonic acid (JA) leads to an increased carbon export from leaves to stem and roots, and that root treatment with JA inhibits root growth. Using the radioisotope (11)C, we measured JA effects on carbon partitioning in sterile, split-root, barley plants. JA applied to one root half reduced carbon partitioning to the JA-treated tissue within minutes, whereas the untreated side showed a corresponding--but slower--increase. This response was not observed when instead of applying JA, the sink strength of one root half was reduced by cooling it: there was no enhanced partitioning to the untreated roots. The slower response in the JA-untreated roots, and the difference between the effect of JA and temperature, suggest that root JA treatment caused transduction of a signal from the treated roots to the shoot, leading to an increase in carbon allocation from the leaves to the untreated root tissue, as was indeed observed 10 min after the shoot application of JA. This supports the hypothesis that the response of some plant species to both leaf and root herbivores may be the diversion of resources to safer locations.
Henkes
Gunnar Jakob
GJ
ICG-3 Phytosphere, Forschungszentrum Jülich Jülich, Germany. gunnarhenkes@gmx.de
Thorpe
Michael R
MR
Minchin
Peter E H
PE
Schurr
Ulrich
U
Röse
Ursula S R
US
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001467:Hordeum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D054883:Oxylipins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013696:Temperature
D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D003517:Cyclopentanes; D054883:Oxylipins; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; C011006:jasmonic acid; D002244:Carbon