Induced Responses to Herbivory

Induced Responses to Herbivory
Author: Richard Karban
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2007-12-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0226424979

Plants face a daunting array of creatures that eat them, bore into them, and otherwise use virtually every plant part for food, shelter, or both. But although plants cannot flee from their attackers, they are far from defenseless. In addition to adaptations like thorns, which may be produced in response to attack, plants actively alter their chemistry and physiology in response to damage. For instance, young potato plant leaves being eaten by potato beetles respond by producing chemicals that inhibit beetle digestive enzymes. Over the past fifteen years, research on these induced responses to herbivory has flourished, and here Richard Karban and Ian T. Baldwin present the first comprehensive evaluation and synthesis of this rapidly developing field. They provide state-of-the-discipline reviews and highlight areas where new research will be most productive. Their comprehensive overview will be welcomed by a wide variety of theoretical and applied researchers in ecology, evolutionary biology, plant biology, entomology, and agriculture.

Induced Plant Resistance to Herbivory

Induced Plant Resistance to Herbivory
Author: Andreas Schaller
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 450
Release: 2008-03-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1402081820

This timely book provides an overview of the anatomical, chemical, and developmental features contributing to plant defense, with an emphasis on plant responses that are induced by wounding or herbivore attack. The book first introduces general concepts of direct and indirect defenses, followed by a focused review of the different resistance traits. Finally, signal perception and transduction mechanism for the activation of plant defense responses are discussed.

Insects and Ecosystem Function

Insects and Ecosystem Function
Author: W.W. Weisser
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 419
Release: 2013-06-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 354074004X

Insects are a dominant component of biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems and play a key role in mediating the relationship between plants and ecosystem processes. This volume examines their effects on ecosystem functioning, focusing mainly, but not exclusively, on herbivorous insects. Renowned authors with extensive experience in the field of plant-insect interactions, contribute to the volume using examples from their own work.

Insect-Plant Interactions and Induced Plant Defence

Insect-Plant Interactions and Induced Plant Defence
Author: Derek J. Chadwick
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 300
Release: 1999-09-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780471988151

Insect-Plant Interactions and Induced Plant Defence Chair: John A. Pickett, 1999 This book examines the sophisticated mechanisms that plants use to defend themselves against attack by insects and pathogens, focusing on the networks of plant signalling pathways that underlie these defences. In response to herbivory, plants release a complex blend of as many as 100 volatile chemicals, known as semiochemicals ('sign chemicals'). These act as an airborne SOS signal, revealing the presence of the herbivore to the predators and parasitoids that are its natural enemies. Plants also have endogenous defence mechanisms that can be induced in response to pathogens, and separate chapters deal with systemic acquired resistance, phytoalexins, and the interacting pathways in pathogen and pest resistance. The book discusses underlying biochemical mechanisms by which plant stress leads to the biosynthesis of chemical signals from pools of secondary metabolite precursors, or even from the primary metabolism source. Finally, consideration is given to the possibilities for exploiting these signalling pathways by plant molecular genetics. The use of plant signals and their analogues to switch on defence pathways in crop plants is covered in depth. Bringing together contributions from entomologists, chemical ecologists, molecular biologists and plant physiologists this book is truly interdisciplinary, and will be essential reading for anyone with an interest in agricultural pest control.

Plant Sensing & Communication

Plant Sensing & Communication
Author: Richard Karban
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2015-06-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 022626484X

The news that a flowering weed—mousear cress (Arabidopsis thaliana)—can sense the particular chewing noise of its most common caterpillar predator and adjust its chemical defenses in response led to headlines announcing the discovery of the first “hearing” plant. As plants lack central nervous systems (and, indeed, ears), the mechanisms behind this “hearing” are unquestionably very different from those of our own acoustic sense, but the misleading headlines point to an overlooked truth: plants do in fact perceive environmental cues and respond rapidly to them by changing their chemical, morphological, and behavioral traits. In Plant Sensing and Communication, Richard Karban provides the first comprehensive overview of what is known about how plants perceive their environments, communicate those perceptions, and learn. Facing many of the same challenges as animals, plants have developed many similar capabilities: they sense light, chemicals, mechanical stimulation, temperature, electricity, and sound. Moreover, prior experiences have lasting impacts on sensitivity and response to cues; plants, in essence, have memory. Nor are their senses limited to the processes of an individual plant: plants eavesdrop on the cues and behaviors of neighbors and—for example, through flowers and fruits—exchange information with other types of organisms. Far from inanimate organisms limited by their stationary existence, plants, this book makes unquestionably clear, are in constant and lively discourse.

Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores

Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores
Author: Peter Frank Scogings
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 794
Release: 2019-09-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1119081106

Insights on current research and recent developments in understanding global savanna systems Increasingly recognized as synonymous with tropical grassy biomes, savannas are found in tropical and sub-tropical climates as well as warm, temperate regions of North America. Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores examines the interactions between woody plants and browsing mammals in global savannas—focusing primarily on the C4 grassy ecosystems with woody components that constitute the majority of global savannas—and discusses contemporary savanna management models and applications. This much-needed addition to current research examines topics including the varying behavior of browsing mammals, the response to browsing by woody species, and the factors that inhibit forage intake. Contributions from an international team of active researchers and experts compare and contrast different savanna ecosystems, offering a global perspective on savanna functioning, the roles of soil and climate in resource availability and organism interaction, and the possible impacts of climate change across global savannas. Fills a gap in literature on savanna management issues, including biodiversity conservation and animal production Applies concepts developed in other biomes to future savanna research Complements contemporary books on savanna or large herbivore ecology Focuses on the woody component of savanna ecosystems and large herbivore interactions in savannas Compares tree-mammal systems of savannas and other eco-systems of temperate and boreal regions Provides numerous case studies of plant-mammal interactions from various savanna ecosystems Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores is a valuable addition to those in fields such as ecology, wildlife and conservation biology, natural resource management, and environmental science.

Induced Plant Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores

Induced Plant Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores
Author: Anurag A. Agrawal
Publisher: American Phytopathological Society
Total Pages: 404
Release: 1999
Genre: Science
ISBN:

This book investigates the induced responses of plants to herbivores and to diseases. Plant pathologists and entomologists will find that their disciplines have a lot in common when it comes to the interest in the transduction signals of plants that mediate induced responses. Induced Plant Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores will allow these two disciplines to converse and learn from their similarities and differences.

How to Do Ecology

How to Do Ecology
Author: Richard Karban
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2014-07-21
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0691161763

The essential guide to successful ecological research—now updated and expanded Most books and courses in ecology cover facts and concepts but don't explain how to actually do ecological research. How to Do Ecology provides nuts-and-bolts advice on organizing and conducting a successful research program. This one-of-a-kind book explains how to choose a research question and answer it through manipulative experiments and systematic observations. Because science is a social endeavor, the book provides strategies for working with other people, including professors and collaborators. It suggests effective ways to communicate your findings in the form of journal articles, oral presentations, posters, and grant and research proposals. The book also includes ideas to help you identify your goals, organize a season of fieldwork, and deal with negative results. In short, it makes explicit many of the unspoken assumptions behind doing good research in ecology and provides an invaluable resource for meaningful conversations between ecologists. This second edition of How to Do Ecology features new sections on conducting and analyzing observational surveys, job hunting, and becoming a more creative researcher, as well as updated sections on statistical analyses.

Physiology of Trees

Physiology of Trees
Author: Paul Jackson Kramer
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
Total Pages: 664
Release: 1960
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

Growth and structure. Photosynthesis. Carbohydrate metabolism. Nitrogen relations of trees. Fats, oils, terpenes, and related substances. Assimilation and respiration. Translocation and accumulation. Mineral nutrition and sakt absorption. Water relation and transpiration. Absorption of water and ascent of sap. Internal water relations. Reproduction. Physiology of seeds and seed germination. Internal factors afecting growth. Environmental factors affecting growth.

Co-Evolution of Secondary Metabolites

Co-Evolution of Secondary Metabolites
Author: Jean-Michel Mérillon
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 973
Release: 2020-02-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9783319963983

This Reference Work is devoted to plant secondary metabolites and their evolutionary adaptation to different hosts and pests. Secondary metabolites play an important biological role in plants’ defence against herbivores, abiotic stresses and pathogens, and they also attract beneficial organisms such as pollinators. In this work, readers will find a comprehensive review of the phytochemical diversity, modification and adaptation of secondary metabolites, and the consequences of their co-evolution with plant parasites, pollinators, and herbivores. Chapters from expert contributors are organised into twelve sections that collate the current knowledge in intra-/inter-specific diversity in plant secondary metabolites, changes in secondary metabolites during plants’ adaptation to different environmental conditions, and co-evolution of host-parasite metabolites. Among the twelve themed parts, readers will also discover expert analysis on the genetics and chemical ecology evolution of secondary metabolites, and particular attention is also given to allelochemicals, bioactive molecules in plant defence and the evolution of sensory perception in vertebrates. This reference work will appeal to students, researchers and professionals interested in the field of plant pathology, plant breeding, biotechnology, agriculture and phytochemistry.