Does spider-mite damage induce information transfer between plants of different species?
1994
Oudejans, A.M.C. | Bruin, J. (Amsterdam Univ. (Netherlands). Dept. of Pure and Applied Ecology)
Spider-mite damage to plants induces production of volatile plant signals that mediate attraction of predatory mites, natural enemies of spider mites. These volatiles will also reach downwind undamaged plants. Recently, it was shown that exposure of undamaged plants to volatiles from spider-mite damaged conspecific plants can result in attraction of predatory mites to the exposed plants. In this paper we studied airborne information transfer between plants of different species. We found that undamaged cucumber plants become attractive to predatory mites after exposure to volatiles from spider-mite damaged Lima bean plants. However, exposure of undamaged Lima bean to damaged cucumber did not result in attraction of predators to Lima bean. Hence, airborne information transfer between cucumber and Lima bean does occur but seems to be unidirectional. Explanations for this apparent asymmetry are discussed.
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