Ecology of Plastic Flowers

Plant phenotypic plasticity in response to herbivore attack includes changes in flower traits. Such herbivore-induced changes in flower traits have consequences for interactions with flower visitors. We synthesize here current knowledge on the specificity of herbivore-induced changes in flower traits, the underlying molecular mechanisms, and the ecological consequences for flower-associated communities. Herbivore-induced changes in flower traits seem to be largely herbivore species-specific. The extensive plasticity observed in flowers influences a highly connected web of interactions within the flower-associated community. We argue that the adaptive value of herbivore-induced plant responses and flower plasticity can be fully understood only from a community perspective rather than from pairwise interactions.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Rusman, Quint, Lucas-Barbosa, Dani, Poelman, Erik H., Dicke, Marcel
Format:	Article/Letter to editor biblioteca
Language:	English
Subjects:	flower traits, flower visitors, herbivore-induced plant responses, phenotypic plasticity, plant defense, specificity,
Online Access:	https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/ecology-of-plastic-flowers
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!