Plant Anti-Insect Armaments

摘要

Because individual plants are unable to relocate, they are subject to extreme selection by the insects feeding upon them. One means by which plants suppress herbivory is to produce toxic compounds to deter feeding (see the Perspective by Hare). Agrawal et at. (p. 113) compared pesticide-treated or untreated evening primroses. Over 5 years of pesticide treatment, the production of defensive chemicals in the fruit reduced and flowering times shifted, and the primrose's competitive ability against dandelions improved.