Plant defence strategies to multi-herbivore attack

Abstract

HIGHLIGHTS• Virtually all plants are under attack by a species rich community of antagonists. By recognizing the individual attacker, plants may effectively tailor their defence response. However, the response to one attacker should be balanced with the costs that this response may entail towards defence against other attackers. • Reprogramming of plant physiology to counteract herbivory is typically studied under single or at most dual attack. Often these studies identify antagonistic interactions that limit plants in their ability to resist a second attacker. The emerging physiological concepts may mismatch with the adaptive nature of plant responses in community context. • Identifying plant plasticity to deal with their full community of attackers is key in understanding plant defence strategies and requires unifi ed terminology to illustrate the repertoire of plant plasticity matching ecological patterns of attack.