Leaf herbivory and nutrients increase nectar alkaloids

Adler, Lynn S.; Wink, Michael; Distl, Melanie; Lentz, Amanda J.

doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00944.x

Cited by 170 publications

(200 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Several aspects of the relationship between herbivory and nectar production have been studied. Some studies have pointed out a possible connection between herbivore activity and nectar production, through changes in sugar and alkaloid concentrations (Strauss 1997;Adler et al 2006). Moreover, showed that petal feeding of Isomeris arborea by the beetle Meligethes rufimanus caused a significant decline in nectar production by a factor of up to 3, compared with undamaged flowers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbivory by sucking mirid bugs can reduce nectar production in Asphodelus aestivus Brot.

Samocha

Sternberg

2010

Arthropod-Plant Interactions

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This experimental study focused on the effects of a mirid bug herbivore, Capsodes infuscatus on the flower nectar yield of a Mediterranean geophyte, Asphodelus aestivus. The effects of increasing densities of adult C. infuscatus bugs on A. aestivus, on the nectar volume and concentration were examined. Significant decreases were found in the number of flowers and nectar production as C. infuscatus densities increased. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that nectar production was not affected by environmental variables (air temperature, relative air humidity and day-time) that were treated as covariates for the various bug herbivory intensities. Sugar concentration did not vary significantly among treatments, indicating that abiotic conditions were not responsible for differing nectar amounts. In light of A. aestivus's dependence on pollinator visits to produce seeds, we conclude that C. infuscatus could impair pollination success by reducing the amount of nectar in flowers. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to show that insect herbivores do not necessarily have to remove segments from the flower in order to decrease nectar secretion.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbivory by sucking mirid bugs can reduce nectar production in Asphodelus aestivus Brot.

Samocha

Sternberg

2010

Arthropod-Plant Interactions

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“…Historically, studies of plant-herbivore and plant-pollinator interactions have focused either on pollinator attraction to floral traits or herbivore deterrence by plant defenses. However, most plants interact simultaneously with a variety of pollinators and herbivores that could exert reinforcing or conflicting selection pressure on plant traits (Strauss and Whittall 2006;Adler 2007) The study of pair-wise interactions in isolation may not give us an adequate understanding of the costs and benefits of phenotypic traits that mediate interactions with both herbivores and pollinators (Gomez and Zamora 2000;Herrera 2000;Adler et al 2006). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollinator and Herbivore Attraction to Cucurbita Floral Volatiles

2007

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Mutualists and antagonists may place conflicting selection pressures on plant traits. For example, the evolution of floral traits is typically studied in the context of attracting pollinators, but traits may incur fitness costs if they are also attractive to antagonists. Striped cucumber beetles (Acalymma vittatum) feed on cucurbits and are attracted to several volatiles emitted by Cucurbita blossoms. However, the effect of these volatiles on pollinator attraction is unknown. Our goal was to determine whether pollinators were attracted to the same or different floral volatiles as herbivorous cucumber beetles. We tested three volatiles previously found to attract cucumber beetles in a factorial design to determine attraction of squash bees (Peponapis pruinosa), the specialist pollinators of cucurbita species, as well as the specialist herbivore A. vittatum. We found that 1,2,4-trimethoxybenzene was attractive to both the pollinator and the herbivore, indole was attractive only to the herbivore, and (E)-cinnamaldehyde was attractive only to the pollinator. There were no interactions among volatiles on attraction of squash bees or cucumber beetles. Our results suggest that reduced indole emission could benefit plants by reducing herbivore attraction without loss of pollination, and that 1,2,4-trimethoxybenzene might be under conflicting selection pressure from mutualists and antagonists. By examining the attraction of both mutualists and antagonists to Cucurbita floral volatiles, we have demonstrated the potential for some compounds to influence only one type of interaction, while others may affect both interactions and possibly result in tradeoffs. These results shed light on the potential evolution of fragrance in native Cucurbita, and may have consequences for yield in agricultural settings.

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“…Previous studies determined 0.1-0.5 µg/mL and 0.6-5 µg/mL as the concentration range of nicotine and anabasine, respectively, in the nectar of N. glauca [57]; whereas in N. tabacum 0.33 µg/mL was measured as the concentration of nicotine and anabasine [3]. In the nectar of N. attenuata the concentration of nicotine was 3 ± 0.35 µg/mL [13].…”

Section: Alkaloid Content Of the Floral Nectarmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protein and alkaloid patterns of the floral nectar in some solanaceous species

Kerchner¹,

Darók²,

Bacskay³

et al. 2015

Acta Biologica Hungarica

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The family Solanaceae includes several melliferous plants, which tend to produce copious amounts of nectar. Floral nectar is a chemically complex aqueous solution, dominated by sugars, but minor components such as amino acids, proteins, flavonoids and alkaloids are present as well. This study aimed at analysing the protein and alkaloid profile of the nectar in seven solanaceous species. Proteins were examined with SDS-PAGE and alkaloids were analyzed with HPLC. The investigation of protein profile revealed significant differences in nectar-protein patterns not only between different plant genera, but also between the three Nicotiana species investigated. SDS-PAGE suggested the presence of several Nectarin proteins with antimicrobial activity in Nicotiana species. The nectar of all tobacco species contained the alkaloid nicotine, N. tabacum having the highest nicotine content. The nectar of Brugmansia suaveolens, Datura stramonium, Hyoscyamus niger and Lycium barbarum contained scopolamine, the highest content of which was measured in B. suaveolens. The alkaloid concentrations in the nectars of most solanaceous species investigated can cause deterrence in honeybees, and the nectar of N. rustica and N. tabacum can be considered toxic for honeybees.

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Leaf herbivory and nutrients increase nectar alkaloids

Cited by 170 publications

References 59 publications

Herbivory by sucking mirid bugs can reduce nectar production in Asphodelus aestivus Brot.

Herbivory by sucking mirid bugs can reduce nectar production in Asphodelus aestivus Brot.

Pollinator and Herbivore Attraction to Cucurbita Floral Volatiles

Protein and alkaloid patterns of the floral nectar in some solanaceous species

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