Herbivore Chewing Vibrations Induce Plant Defenses

by Kaya Wurtzel (Bowdoin ‘21)

In order to defend themselves from herbivory, plants must be able to detect local herbivores. Herbivory cues can include mechanical damage, chemicals from insect saliva or eggs, and even feeding vibrations. Previous studies demonstrated that Arabadopsis thaliana upregulated defensive chemicals in response to Pieris rapae larvae feeding but not wind or vibrations caused by leafhoppers. In a recently published paper in the journal Oecologia, researchers at the University of Missouri demonstrated that the vibrations patterns from larval feeding induced increases in defensive chemicals in A. thaliana across multiple species. A. thaliana responded with a uniform chemical defense response to larval chewing vibrations between individuals within a species and across the species studied.

Illustration by Kaya Wurtzel (Bowdoin ‘21)