Abstract
It is known that the release of volatile chemicals by many plants can attract the natural enemies of herbivorous insects. Such indirect interactions are likely when plants produce nectar from their extrafloral nectaries, and particularly when the production of extrafloral nectar (EFN) is induced by herbivory. In the present study, we conducted experiments to test whether foliar herbivory inflicted by Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Noctuidae) increases nectar production by extrafloral nectaries on one of its host plants, Ricinus communis L. (Euphorbiaceae). Due to the current economic importance of R. communis, we also investigated whether the following seed traits-water content, dry mass, and essential oil production-are negatively affected by herbivory. Finally, we tested whether or not nectar production and seed traits are influenced by plant fertilization (plant quality). We found that nectar production was increased after herbivory, but it was not affected by the type of fertilization. Seed dry mass was higher in plants that were subjected to full fertilization, without herbivory; plants maintained in low fertilization conditions, however, had higher seed mass when subjected to herbivory. The same inverted pattern was observed for oil production. Therefore, our results suggest that EFN production in R. communis may act as an indirect defense strategy against herbivores, and that there is a trade-off between reproduction and plant growth when low-fertilized plants are subjected to herbivory.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Herbivory increased extrafloral nectar production.
- Taxon
- Ricinus communis L.
Ricinus communise1 - Treatment
- herbivorye0
- Interactor
- Spodoptera frugiperda Smith
.jpg?width=60)
Spodoptera frugiperdae2herbivore - Outcome
- nectar productione0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“nectar production was increased after herbivory”
e1“Ricinus communis L.”
e2“Spodoptera frugiperda Smith”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilization type did not affect nectar production.
- Taxon
- Ricinus communis L.Ricinus communise1
- Treatment
- type of fertilizatione0
- Outcome
- nectar productione0
- Direction
- not affectede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“nectar production was increased after herbivory, but it was not affected by the type of fertilization”
e1“Ricinus communis L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Seed dry mass was higher under full fertilization without herbivory.
- Taxon
- Ricinus communis L.Ricinus communise1
- Treatment
- full fertilization, without herbivorye0
- Outcome
- Seed dry masse0
- Direction
- highere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Seed dry mass was higher in plants that were subjected to full fertilization, without herbivory”
e1“Ricinus communis L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Under low fertilization, herbivory was associated with higher seed mass.
- Taxon
- Ricinus communis L.Ricinus communise1
- Treatment
- herbivorye0
- Interactor
- Spodoptera frugiperda SmithSpodoptera frugiperdae2herbivore
- Outcome
- seed masse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Qualifier
- low fertilization conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“plants maintained in low fertilization conditions, however, had higher seed mass when subjected to herbivory”
e1“Ricinus communis L.”
e2“Spodoptera frugiperda Smith”
Claim · model-written summary
Oil production showed the same reversed pattern across fertilization and herbivory conditions.
- Taxon
- Ricinus communis L.Ricinus communise1
- Outcome
- oil productione0
- Qualifier
- same inverted patterne0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The same inverted pattern was observed for oil production”
e1“Ricinus communis L.”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest extrafloral nectar production may be an indirect defense against herbivores.
- Taxon
- R. communisRicinus communise0
- Outcome
- indirect defense strategy against herbivorese0
- Qualifier
- EFN productione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“EFN production in R. communis may act as an indirect defense strategy against herbivores”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest a trade-off between reproduction and growth in low-fertilized, herbivore-exposed plants.
- Taxon
- Ricinus communis L.Ricinus communise1
- Outcome
- trade-off between reproduction and plant growthe0
- Qualifier
- low-fertilized plants are subjected to herbivorye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“there is a trade-off between reproduction and plant growth when low-fertilized plants are subjected to herbivory”
e1“Ricinus communis L.”
The same questions in other papers
fertilization · yield · Ricinus communis (castor bean)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 40 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
39 papers more in this group
See all 43 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.