A Cognitive Behavioral Defense Mechanism of Plants Against Herbivory

Abstract

Plants interactions with animals, insects, and pathogens is the need of ecosystem. Herbivory is the most critical part of food chain. In an ecosystem, the relationship between prey and predators and mutualism are inevitable breathing junctions. Plants are eaten by herbivores, but plants in return have evolved in such a way which affect herbivores and other organisms that come in contact with them at every level from basic biological interaction to genetics. In other words, plants have adapted strategies to defend themselves against herbivory.Mainly, there are two defense strategies, 1) direct defense responses and 2) indirect defense responses. The former one includes production of such enzymes which reduce the digestibility of consumed food,reallocation of resources, morphological adaptations, and the production of specialized bioactive molecules such as alkaloids, phenolics, terpenoids, glucosinolates.The later one includes the production of volatiles and extrafloral nectars to attract pollinators and other microorganisms to reduce enemy pressure and for their own benefit, pollination. All these strategies are to intoxicate or repel the insect herbivores and to reduce the herbivory.