Premium
Elevated atmospheric CO 2 suppresses jasmonate and silicon‐based defences without affecting herbivores
Author(s) -
Hall Casey R.,
Mikhael Meena,
Hartley Susan E.,
Johnson Scott N.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
functional ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.272
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2435
pISSN - 0269-8463
DOI - 10.1111/1365-2435.13549
Subject(s) - methyl jasmonate , herbivore , jasmonic acid , biology , brachypodium distachyon , jasmonate , botany , horticulture , salicylic acid , biochemistry , arabidopsis , gene , mutant , genome
Elevated atmospheric CO 2 (eCO 2 ) not only increases plant growth but can also interfere with defence against insect herbivory through the disruption of the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway. Silicon (Si) plays an important role in plant stress tolerance and resistance to herbivory, particularly in grasses, many of which accumulate high amounts of Si. Activation of the JA pathway has been reported to stimulate Si uptake, while Si supplementation can alter both constitutive and induced phytohormone levels. A reduction in JA concentration under eCO 2 has the potential to reduce Si uptake in plants. Using both Si supplemented (Si+) and control (Si−) plants ( Brachypodium distachyon ) grown under ambient (400 ppm) and elevated (640 ppm) CO 2 concentrations, we tested how plant growth, foliar Si concentration and endogenous JA responded to methyl jasmonate (MeJA) application and the subsequent effects on insect herbivore performance ( Helicoverpa armigera ). Elevated CO 2 reduced Si concentration by 19% and endogenous JA by 70% on average. MeJA significantly increased Si concentration in Si+ plants. Si+ plants had higher baseline JA levels compared to Si− plants under control conditions (i.e. no stress), however, when plants were chemically induced with MeJA, the JA response was on average 84% lower in Si+ plants compared to Si− plants. Plants without MeJA treatment showed the opposite response, that is, Si+ plants had higher baseline JA levels compared to Si− plants. Si significantly reduced herbivore consumption and growth rate. Despite eCO 2 significantly reducing both Si and endogenous JA, no effect was seen on herbivores feeding on eCO 2 plants. Collectively our results suggest that Si alters the JA response of plants. We show that JA induces Si uptake, however, Si then reduces the JA response of plants under induced stress conditions. However, predicted increases in CO 2 levels within this century may significantly reduce Si‐based mechanical defences against herbivory via a reduction of endogenous JA. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.