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Is protection against florivory consistent with the optimal defense hypothesis?

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Plant Biology, January 2016
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Title
Is protection against florivory consistent with the optimal defense hypothesis?
Published in
BMC Plant Biology, January 2016
DOI 10.1186/s12870-016-0719-2
Pubmed ID
Authors

Adrienne L. Godschalx, Lauren Stady, Benjamin Watzig, Daniel J. Ballhorn

Abstract

Plant defense traits require resources and energy that plants may otherwise use for growth and reproduction. In order to most efficiently protect plant tissues from herbivory, one widely accepted assumption of the optimal defense hypothesis states that plants protect tissues most relevant to fitness. Reproductive organs directly determining plant fitness, including flowers and immature fruit, as well as young, productive leaf tissue thus should be particularly well-defended. To test this hypothesis, we quantified the cyanogenic potential (HCNp)-a direct, chemical defense-systemically expressed in vegetative and reproductive organs in lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus), and we tested susceptibility of these organs in bioassays with a generalist insect herbivore, the Large Yellow Underwing (Noctuidae: Noctua pronuba). To determine the actual impact of either florivory (herbivory on flowers) or folivory on seed production as a measure of maternal fitness, we removed varying percentages of total flowers or young leaf tissue and quantified developing fruit, seeds, and seed viability. We found extremely low HCNp in flowers (8.66 ± 2.19 μmol CN(-) g(-1) FW in young, white flowers, 6.23 ± 1.25 μmol CN(-) g(-1) FW in mature, yellow flowers) and in pods (ranging from 32.05 ± 7.08 to 0.09 ± 0.08 μmol CN(-) g(-1) FW in young to mature pods, respectively) whereas young leaves showed high levels of defense (67.35 ± 3.15 μmol CN(-) g(-1) FW). Correspondingly, herbivores consumed more flowers than any other tissue, which, when taken alone, appears to contradict the optimal defense hypothesis. However, experimentally removing flowers did not significantly impact fitness, while leaf tissue removal significantly reduced production of viable seeds. Even though flowers were the least defended and most consumed, our results support the optimal defense hypothesis due to i) the lack of flower removal effects on fitness and ii) the high defense investment in young leaves, which have high consequences for fitness. These data highlight the importance of considering plant defense interactions from multiple angles; interpreting where empirical data fit within any plant defense hypothesis requires understanding the fitness consequences associated with the observed defense pattern.

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 59 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Brazil 1 2%
Unknown 58 98%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 12 20%
Student > Master 12 20%
Student > Doctoral Student 5 8%
Student > Bachelor 4 7%
Researcher 4 7%
Other 8 14%
Unknown 14 24%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 34 58%
Environmental Science 3 5%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 1 2%
Immunology and Microbiology 1 2%
Psychology 1 2%
Other 2 3%
Unknown 17 29%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 25 August 2016.
All research outputs
#18,836,331
of 23,344,526 outputs
Outputs from BMC Plant Biology
#2,133
of 3,316 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#289,822
of 399,209 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Plant Biology
#44
of 65 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,344,526 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 11th percentile – i.e., 11% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 3,316 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 3.0. This one is in the 22nd percentile – i.e., 22% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 65 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 16th percentile – i.e., 16% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.