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Eco‐evolutionary factors drive induced plant volatiles: a meta‐analysis
Author(s) -
Rowen Elizabeth,
Kaplan Ian
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.13804
Subject(s) - generalist and specialist species , herbivore , guild , biology , domestication , green leaf volatiles , botany , ecology , habitat
Summary Herbivore‐induced plant volatiles ( HIPV s) mediate critical ecological functions, but no studies have quantitatively synthesized data published on HIPV s to evaluate broad patterns. We tested three hypotheses that use eco‐evolutionary theory to predict volatile induction: feeding guild (chewing arthropods > sap feeders), diet breadth (specialist herbivores > generalists), and selection history (domesticated plants < wild species). To test these hypotheses, we extracted data from 236 experiments that report volatiles produced by herbivore‐damaged and undamaged plants. These data were subjected to meta‐analysis, including effects on total volatiles and major biochemical classes. Overall, we found that chewers induced more volatiles than sap feeders, for both total volatiles and most volatile classes (e.g. green leaf volatiles, monoterpenes). Although specialist herbivores induced more total volatiles than generalists, this was inconsistent across chemical classes. Contrary to our expectation, domesticated species induced stronger volatile responses than wild species, even when controlling for plant taxonomy. Surprisingly, this is the first quantitative synthesis of published studies on HIPV s. Our analysis provides support for perceptions in the published literature (chewers > sap feeders), while challenging other commonly held notions (wild > crop). Despite the large number of experiments, we identified several gaps in the existing literature that should guide future investigations.