Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The effect of elevated UV-B radiation on herbivory of pea by Autographa gamma.
AU - Hatcher, P. E.
AU - Paul, N. D.
PY - 1994/6
Y1 - 1994/6
N2 - Leaves exposed to above-ambient fluxes of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation commonly contain increased concentrations of phenolic compounds which may influence herbivores. However, the hypothesis that elevated UV-B modifies herbivory, whether mediated by phenolics or other plant constituents, has rarely been studied experimentally. We investigated the responses of the mothAutographa gamma L. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to pea (Pisum sativum L.) grown at a range of plant-effective UV-B fluxes. Although total phenolics did increase significantly with increasing UV-B, this change had little deleterious effect on the 5th instar larvae ofA. gamma. However, tissue nitrogen also increased with increasing UV-B. Increased nitrogen was correlated with an increase in the efficiency with which larvae utilized their food and in larval growth rate, but in a reduction in the amount of plant material consumed. The apparently major role of nitrogen in determining herbivore responses to changing UV-B demonstrates the risks in predicting such responses soley on the basis of changes in phenolics and other secondary metabolites.
AB - Leaves exposed to above-ambient fluxes of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation commonly contain increased concentrations of phenolic compounds which may influence herbivores. However, the hypothesis that elevated UV-B modifies herbivory, whether mediated by phenolics or other plant constituents, has rarely been studied experimentally. We investigated the responses of the mothAutographa gamma L. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to pea (Pisum sativum L.) grown at a range of plant-effective UV-B fluxes. Although total phenolics did increase significantly with increasing UV-B, this change had little deleterious effect on the 5th instar larvae ofA. gamma. However, tissue nitrogen also increased with increasing UV-B. Increased nitrogen was correlated with an increase in the efficiency with which larvae utilized their food and in larval growth rate, but in a reduction in the amount of plant material consumed. The apparently major role of nitrogen in determining herbivore responses to changing UV-B demonstrates the risks in predicting such responses soley on the basis of changes in phenolics and other secondary metabolites.
KW - ultraviolet-B radiation - herbivory - Pisum sativum - nutritional indices - Autographa gamma
U2 - 10.1007/BF02426406
DO - 10.1007/BF02426406
M3 - Journal article
VL - 71
SP - 227
EP - 233
JO - Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata
JF - Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata
SN - 1570-7458
IS - 3
ER -