title: Effects of Insect Herbivory on Bilberry Production and Removal of Berries by Frugivores.
abstract: The evolutionary purpose of a fleshy fruit is to attract seed dispersers and get the seeds dispersed by frugivorous animals. For this reason, fruits should be highly rewarding to these mutualists. However, insect herbivory can alter plant reproductive success e.g. by decreasing fruit yield or affecting the attractiveness of the fruits to mutualistic seed dispersers. Under natural conditions, we tested the effects of experimental larval-defoliation on berry ripening and consumption of a non-cultivated dwarf shrub, the bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), which produces animal-dispersed berries with high sugar and anthocyanin concentration. Bilberry ramets with high fruit yield were most likely to have their berries foraged, indicating that frugivores made foraging choices based on the abundance of berries. Moreover, the probability for berries being foraged was the lowest for non-defoliated ramets that grew adjacent to larval-defoliated ramets, even though larval-defoliation did not affect the biochemical composition (total concentrations of anthocyanins, sugars and organic acids) or the probability of ripening of berries. We hypothesise that the lower probability for berries being foraged in these ramets may be a consequence of rhizome- or volatile-mediated communication between ramets, resulting in a priming effect of the herbivore defence and lower attractiveness of the non-defoliated ramets.
authors.affiliation: Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland. tmhkos@utu.fi.
authors.forename: Tuuli-Marjaana
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1439-4069
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Koski
authors.affiliation: Section of Food Chemistry and Food Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland.
authors.forename: Marika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kalpio
authors.affiliation: Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland.
authors.forename: Toni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Laaksonen
authors.affiliation: Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland.|Finnish Natural History Museum, Zoology Unit, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, FI, Finland.
authors.forename: Päivi M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Sirkiä
authors.affiliation: Section of Food Chemistry and Food Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland.|Centre for Environmental Research, Kevo Subarctic Research Institute, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland.
authors.forename: Heikki P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Kallio
authors.affiliation: Section of Food Chemistry and Food Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland.
authors.forename: Baoru
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Section of Food Chemistry and Food Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland.
authors.forename: Kaisa M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Linderborg
authors.affiliation: Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland.
authors.forename: Tero
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klemola
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005638:Fruit / Q000254:growth & development*; D060434:Herbivory; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology; D009036:Moths / Q000502:physiology*; D058614:Seed Dispersal; D012639:Seeds / Q000502:physiology; D029800:Vaccinium myrtillus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins
keywords: Foraging; Frugivory; Herbivory; Mutualism; Tritrophic interactions