Solar Ultraviolet-B Radiation and Insect Herbivory Trigger Partially Overlapping Phenolic Responses in Nicotiana attenuata and Nicotiana longiflora

摘要

Background and Aims Plants exposed to solar ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280–315 nm) frequently suffer less insect herbivory than do plants that receive attenuated levels of UV-B. This anti-herbivore effect of solar UV-B exposure, which has been documented in several ecosystems, is in part mediated by changes in plant tissue quality. Exposure to UV-B can modify the abundance of a number of secondary metabolites, including phenolic compounds with potential impacts on insect herbivores. The aim of this study is to assess the potential anti-herbivore role of UV-B-induced phenolic compounds by comparing the phenolic profiles induced by UV-B and simulated insect herbivory in two wild species of the genus Nicotiana.