Plant Ontogeny Research Articles

Prickles, latex, and tolerance in the endemic Hawaiian prickly poppy (Argemone glauca): variation between populations, across ontogeny, and in response to abiotic factors

Covariance among plant defense traits is predicted to occur both within and among plant species, potentially leading to characteristic defense syndromes. I examined patterns of variation in prickle density, latex exudation, and tolerance in order to assess whether traits varied between populations, across plant ontogeny, and as phenotypic plasticity in response to water and light limitation and physical damage using the endemic Hawaiian prickly poppy, Argemone glauca, as a model system. Plants produced copious latex, had extremely variable prickle densities, and were generally tolerant of 50% defoliation. However, expression patterns differed among defense traits. Prickle density was consistent across ontogeny and was not induced by either water limitation or mechanical damage, but was significantly induced under high light conditions. In contrast, latex exudation increased significantly across ontogeny and was reduced by water limitation, but had no response to mechanical damage or light. Prickles, latex, and tolerance differed considerably between populations, suggesting different evolutionary histories for these populations. These disparate patterns indicate that latex and prickles are unlinked within A. glauca, potentially as a result of differences in their function, and providing little evidence that they jointly function as a defense syndrome. Moreover, this study provides the first description patterns of variation for multiple defense traits in an island endemic, and high levels of prickles, latex, and tolerance suggest that A. glauca is well defended against herbivores. Future research in the field will provide additional insights into the functional ecology of these traits in A. glauca.

Explaining intraspecific diversity in plant secondary metabolites in an ecological context

Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) are ubiquitous in plants and play many ecological roles. Each compound can vary in presence and/or quantity, and the composition of the mixture of chemicals can vary, such that chemodiversity can be partitioned within and among individuals. Plant ontogeny and environmental and genetic variation are recognized as sources of chemical variation, but recent advances in understanding the molecular basis of variation may allow the future deployment of isogenic mutants to test the specific adaptive function of variation in PSMs. An important consequence of high intraspecific variation is the capacity to evolve rapidly. It is becoming increasingly clear that trait variance linked to both macro- and micro-environmental variation can also evolve and may respond more strongly to selection than mean trait values. This research, which is in its infancy in plants, highlights what could be a missing piece of the picture of PSM evolution. PSM polymorphisms are probably maintained by multiple selective forces acting across many spatial and temporal scales, but convincing examples that recognize the diversity of plant population structures are rare. We describe how diversity can be inherently beneficial for plants and suggest fruitful avenues for future research to untangle the causes and consequences of intraspecific variation.

Trichome production and variation in young plant resistance to the specialist insect herbivore Plutella xylostella among natural populations of Arabidopsis lyrata

AbstractThe strength of plant‐herbivore interactions varies spatially and through plant ontogeny, which may result in variable selection on plant defense, both among populations and life‐history stages. To test whether populations have diverged in herbivore resistance at an early plant stage, we quantified oviposition preference and larval feeding by Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) on young (5–6 weeks old) Arabidopsis lyrata (L.) O'Kane & Al‐Shehbaz (Brassicaceae) plants, originating from 12 natural populations, six from Sweden and six from Norway. Arabidopsis lyrata can be trichome‐producing or glabrous, with glabrous plants usually receiving more damage from insect herbivores in natural populations. We used the six populations polymorphic for trichome production to test whether resistance against P. xylostella differs between the glabrous and the trichome‐producing morph among young plants. There was considerable variation among populations in the number of eggs received and the proportion of leaf area consumed by P. xylostella, but not between regions (Sweden vs. Norway) or trichome morphs. Rosette size explained a significant portion of the variation in oviposition and larval feeding. The results demonstrate that among‐population variation in resistance to insect herbivory can be detected among very young individuals of the perennial herb A. lyrata. They further suggest that trichome densities are too low at this plant developmental stage to contribute to resistance, and that the observed among‐population variation in resistance is related to differences in other plant traits.

Biomass allocation of branches and leaves in Phyllostachys heterocycla ‘Pubescens’ under different management modes: allometric scaling analysis

Aims Allometric relationship between branch and leaf is limited by plant ontogeny and affected by environmental conditions,which is not well investigated in giant clone species such as Phyllostachys heterocycla ‘Pubescens'.Our objectives were to study the effects of different management modes(obtruncation and fertilization) on branch and leaf biomass allocations of P.heterocycla ‘Pubescens' and to discuss the effects within canopy.Methods Obtruncation is a particular pruning operation cutting off the top(about 40%–70% canopy) of P.heterocycla ‘Pubescens'.This management methods used in north Zhejiang of China to reduce trees falling from strong wind or heavy snow.A replicated 2 × 2 factorial experiment(obtruncation and fertilization) was established in Zhejiang Province in 2004.In 2010 and 2011,a total of 50 plants were cut down to investigate branch and leaf biomass,as well as leaf area of selected leaves within the canopy.Allometric scaling was applied to analyze the relation of branch and leaf biomass.Important findings Averaged branch and leaf biomass for individual plant were decreased 40.23% and 41.01%,respectively,following obtruncation and increased 20.18% and 30.23%,respectively,following fertilization.Obtruncation severely changed the growth trajectory and resulted in a greater standardized major axis(SMA) slope,which indicated relatively more biomass was allocated to leaves.This was more significant under non-fertilization treatments.When compared to non-fertilization,fertilization significantly decreased SMA slope in unobtruncated trees,which was attributed to relatively larger leaf photosynthetic products partitioning to branches after fertilization.In addition,allocation patterns of branch and leaf biomass at different canopy parts were affected by light availability that was different in different fertilization treatments.Obtruncation changed SMA slope by nearly 50% and 10% for fertilization,which indicated that direct interference(obtruncation) easily changed the grown trajectory and indirect effects(fertilization) were more limited by plant ontogeny.

Seedling-herbivore interactions: insights into plant defence and regeneration patterns.

Herbivores have the power to shape plant evolutionary trajectories, influence the structure and function of vegetation, devastate entire crops, or halt the spread of invasive weeds, and as a consequence, research into plant-herbivore interactions is pivotal to our understanding of plant ecology and evolution. However, the causes and consequences of seedling herbivory have received remarkably little attention, despite the fact that plants tend to be most susceptible to herbivory during establishment, and this damage can alter community composition and structure. In this Viewpoint article we review why herbivory during early plant ontogeny is important and in so doing introduce an Annals of Botany Special Issue that draws together the latest work on the topic. In a synthesis of the existing literature and a collection of new studies, we examine several linked issues. These include the development and expression of seedling defences and patterns of selection by herbivores, and how seedling selection affects plant establishment and community structure. We then examine how disruption of the seedling-herbivore interaction might affect normal patterns of plant community establishment and discuss how an understanding of patterns of seedling herbivory can aid our attempts to restore semi-natural vegetation. We finish by outlining a number of areas where more research is required. These include a need for a deeper consideration of how endogenous and exogenous factors determine investment in seedling defence, particularly for the very youngest plants, and a better understanding of the phylogenetic and biogeographical patterns of seedling defence. There is also much still be to be done on the mechanisms of seedling selection by herbivores, particularly with respect to the possible involvement of volatile cues. These inter-related issues together inform our understanding of how seedling herbivory affects plant regeneration at a time when anthropogenic change is likely to disrupt this long-established, but all-too-often ignored interaction.

Host Plant Resistance of Cool-Season (C3) Turfgrasses to Above- and Belowground Feeding by <I>Tipula paludosa</I> (Diptera: Tipulidae)

Feeding on above- and belowground plant tissues by Tipula paludosa Meigen during the period of rapid growth from second to forth instars is highly damaging to cool-season (C3) turfgrasses. It may be possible to reduce this damage by identifying grass genotypes that increase host plant protection. This study examined the impacts of plant genotype, endophyte infection, and plant ontogeny on host plant and insect responses during whole-plant feeding by T. paludosa. A series of no-choice greenhouse trials were conducted with third instar crane flies to determine 1) host plant tolerance in terms of reductions to above- and belowground plant biomass, 2) antixenosis resistance impacting insect behavior (emigration), and 3) antibiosis resistance impacting insect growth. Results showed that insect infestation level was the primary factor influencing plant biomass reductions. Belowground tissues were more tolerant to feeding than were aboveground tissues, with tall fescues, Festuca arundinacea Schreber, being most resistant to aboveground biomass reduction. Host plant associations with intercellular fungal endophytes (E+) decreased insect weight gain and decreased insect movement, but did not increase host plant tolerance. Plant ontogeny affected this response with insect weight gain significantly decreased on young (28 d) growth E+ grasses but not on old (90 d) growth E+ grasses, however. Host plant genotype and plant ontogeny can have significant impacts to host plant tolerance and insect physiology for T. paludosa larva. Furthermore, plant-endophyte associations have apparent sublethal effects that impact insect fitness and may further enhance host plant protection.

Fluctuating asymmetry and herbivory in two ontogenetical stages of Chamaecrista semaphora in restored and natural environments

Reintroduced environments represent stressful conditions to plants that can be observed in different ways. We evaluated the relationships between fluctuating asymmetry (FA), herbivory, and plant ontogeny of Chamaecrista semaphora (Fabaceae) under natural and restored habitat conditions. The patterns of leaf FA and herbivory by folivorous insects (chewing) on saplings and mature plants in each habitat were determined. No relationship was found between FA and herbivory on the two ontogenetic stages in both environments, suggesting that FA did not represent an indicator of stress. The frequency and amount of leaf area removed by folivores were higher in saplings compared to adult plants under the natural habitat, while the opposite trend was observed on restored habitat for adult plants. The restored habitat did not represent an environmental stress condition to C. semaphora, indicating that this endemic plant may represent a good candidate to restoration programs in harsh environments. However, we observed great differences in leaf FA and herbivory among individuals within habitats. Knowledge on plant quality, competition, physiology, and interactions with natural enemies are highly needed to support long lasting programmes on restoration of harsh environments.

Dark-chilling of Seedlings Affects Initiation and Morphology of Broccoli Inflorescence

The constant supply of broccoli heads for a vegetable market can be kept by the differentiation of sowing time and the age of seedlings. Dark-chilling of young seedlings can also modify the time of transplanting, subsequent plant development, yield and inflorescence quality. The aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of seedling dark-chilling on the inflorescence initiation and the morphological quality of broccoli heads. The experiment was carried out at the University of Agriculture in Krakow (South Poland) in the years 2009 and 2010, with broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck) medium late cultivar ‘Monaco’ F1. The examined factors were the age of seedlings (4-, 6-, 8-, and 10-week-old) and dark-chilling (2°C/2 weeks and non-chilled control). Microscopic analysis of the apex sections was performed to determine the time of the inflorescence differentiation in chilled and non-chilled seedlings of different age. Chosen morphological features of the mature heads were also described as depended on age and chilling of seedlings. The inflorescence initiation was observed between 4 and 6 week of the plant ontogeny. Especially 4-week-old seedlings, chilled by two weeks, were more advanced in the generative development in comparison to non-chilled control. Low temperature applied in the seedling stage did not cause the head buttoning. Inflorescences developed by broccoli planted from 4 and 6-week-old seedlings, both chilled and control, were characterized by the best visual quality, determined by a convex head shape, tight branching angle, small and uniform size and regular form of flower buds. Chilling of oldest, 8- and 10-week-old seedlings negatively affected the inflorescence quality, through planed and spread shape of heads and non-uniform shape of flower buds.

Changes in aroma profiles of 11 Indian Ocimum taxa during plant ontogeny

The genus Ocimum is an important source of many essential oils and aromatic chemicals used principally in the food and cosmetic industries. The aromas (compositions) of essential oils of genus Ocimum are characterized by a great chemical variability affecting the commercial value of this genus. This study was conducted to evaluate the ontogenic variations in aroma profiles of 11 Indian Ocimum taxa belonging to 5 Ocimum species, viz. O. basilicum L., O. americanum L., O. gratissimum L., O. tenuiflorum L., and O. kilimandscharicum Guerke, grown in foot hills of Uttarakhand, India during rain-autumn cropping season. Essential oil yield was found to vary significantly during different phenophases: from 0.34 to 0.87 % in four landraces of O. basilicum, 0.16 to 0.38 % in ‘Green and Purple’ of O. tenuiflorum, 0.23 to 0.43 % in O. americanum, 0.34 to 0.78 % in O. kilimandscharicum and 0.48 to 0.68 % in O. gratissimum. The variation in composition of the essential oils was analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Analyses of the essential oils led to the identification of 95 constituents forming 93.8–99.7 % of the total essential oil compositions, with phenyl propanoids (≤0.1–90.0 %) and monoterpenoids (2.8–95.5 %) as the prevalent components. Substantial variations in essential oil yield, and qualitative and quantitative compositions due to different stages of plants growth were noticed. These results indicated that the knowledge of appropriate growth stage is very important to obtain higher essential oil yield and desired active constituents of Ocimum, which were used extensively in food, cosmetics and allied industries.

Plant Ontogeny, Spatial Distance, and Soil Type Influence Patterns of Relatedness in a Common Amazonian Tree

The formation of spatial genetic structure (SGS) may originate from different patterns of seed deposition in the landscape, and is mostly determined by seed dispersal limitation. After dispersal, mechanisms such as filtering by environmental factors or attack by herbivores/pathogens throughout plant development stages, and potentially either disrupt or intensify SGS patterns. We investigated how the genotype of Protium subserratum (Burseraceae), a common tree species in the Ducke Reserve, Brazil, is distributed across the landscape. We used seven microsatellite markers to assess the SGS among plants at different life stages and in different environments. By quantifying the patterns of relatedness among plants of different sizes, we inferred the ontogenetic stage in which SGS changes occurred, and compared these effects across soil types. Relatedness among seedlings decreased when distance between seedlings increased, especially for the youngest seedlings. However, this trend was not continued by older plants, as relatedness values were higher among neighboring individuals of the juvenile and adult size class. Contrasting relatedness patterns between seedlings and larger individuals suggests a trade-off between the negative effects of being near closely-related adults (e.g. due to herbivore and pathogen attack) and the advantage of being in a site favorable to establishment. We also found that soil texture strongly influenced density-dependence patterns, as young seedlings in clay soils were more related to each other than were seedlings in bottomland sandy soils, suggesting that the mechanisms that create and maintain patterns of SGS within a population may interact with environmental heterogeneity.

Complexity in matrix population models: Polyvariant ontogeny and reproductive uncertainty

Linear matrix models of stage-structured population dynamics are widely used in plant and animal demography as a tool to evaluate the growth potential of a population in a given environment. The potential is identified with λ1, the dominant eigenvalue of the projection matrix, which is compiled of stage-specific transition and fertility rates. Advanced botanical studies reveal polyvariant ontogeny in perennial plants, i.e., multiple different versions of individual development within a local population of a single species. This phenomenon complicates any standard, successive-stage, life cycle graph to a digraph defined on a 2D lattice in the age and stage dimensions, the pattern of projection matrix becoming more complex too. In a kind of experimental design, the transition rates can be calculated directly from the data for two successive time moments, but the age-stage-specific rates of reproduction still remain uncertain, adding more complexity to the calibration problem. Simple additional assumptions could technically eliminate the uncertainty, but they contravene the biology of a species in which polyvariant ontogeny is considered to be the major mechanism of adaptation. Given the data and expert constraints, the calibration can be reduced instead to a nonlinear maximization problem, yet with linear constraints. I prove that it has a unique solution to be attained at a vertex of the constraint polyhedral. To facilitate searching for the solution in practice, I use the net reproductive rate R0, a well-known indicator for the principal property of λ1 to be greater or less than 1. The method is exemplified with the calibration of a projection matrix in an age-stage-structured model (published elsewhere) for Calamagrostis canescens, a perennial herbaceous species with a complex (multivariant) life cycle that features unlimited growth when colonizing open areas.

Effects of insect herbivory on induced chemical defences and compensation during early plant development in Penstemon virgatus.

The lack of studies assessing the simultaneous expression of tolerance and resistance traits during seedling development and overall seedling defences as compared with adult plants, in general, constitutes a significant research need that can greatly improve our understanding of overall investment in defences during plant ontogeny. Using two seedling and two juvenile stages of the perennial herb Penstemon virgatus (Plantaginaceae) evaluations were made of (a) patterns of investment in constitutive chemical defences [i.e. iridoid glycosides (IGs)], and (b) simultaneous variation in the short-term ability of seedling and juvenile stages to induce resistance traits, measured as induced chemical defences, or tolerance traits, measured as compensatory re-growth following moderate levels of damage by a specialist insect herbivore. Plants were highly defended during most of their transition from seedling to early juvenile stages, reaching a constant approx. 20 % dry weight total IGs. Furthermore, following 30 % above-ground tissue damage, seedlings and juvenile stages were equally able to induce resistance, by raising their IG concentration by approx. 8 %, whereas compensatory re-growth was only achieved at young juvenile but not seedling stages. Two major trends emerged from this study: (1) in contrast to expected and previously observed trends, in this perennial plant species, seedlings seem to be one of the most well-defended stages as compared with adult ones; (2) high levels of constitutive defences did not limit the ability of young developmental stages to induce resistance following damage, although this response may come with a cost (i.e. decreased compensation) in young seedling stages. Hence, as has been previously demonstrated in few other systems, these results points towards an indirect evidence for a trade-off between tolerance and resistance traits at some, but not all, developmental stages; making them often difficult to detect.

Understanding ontogenetic trajectories of indirect defence: ecological and anatomical constraints in the production of extrafloral nectaries.

Early ontogenetic stages of myrmecophytic plants are infrequently associated with ants, probably due to constraints on the production of rewards. This study reports for the first time the anatomical and histological limitations constraining the production of extrafloral nectar in young plants, and the implications that the absence of protective ants imposes for plants early during their ontogeny are discussed. Juvenile, pre-reproductive and reproductive plants of Turnera velutina were selected in a natural population and their extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) per leaf were quantified. The anatomical and morphological changes in EFNs during plant ontogeny were studied using scanning electron and light microscopy. Extrafloral nectar volume and sugar concentration were determined as well as the number of patrolling ants. Juvenile plants were unable to secrete or contain nectar. Pre-reproductive plants secreted and contained nectar drops, but the highest production was achieved at the reproductive stage when the gland is fully cup-shaped and the secretory epidermis duplicates. No ants were observed in juvenile plants, and reproductive individuals received greater ant patrolling than pre-reproductive individuals. The issue of the mechanism of extrafloral nectar release in T. velutina was solved given that we found an anatomical, transcuticular pore that forms a channel-like structure and allows nectar to flow outward from the gland. Juvenile stages had no ant protection against herbivores probably due to resource limitation but also due to anatomical constraints. The results are consistent with the growth-differentiation balance hypothesis. As plants age, they increase in size and have larger nutrient-acquiring, photosynthetic and storage capacity, so they are able to invest in defence via specialized organs, such as EFNs. Hence, the more vulnerable juvenile stage should rely on other defensive strategies to reduce the negative impacts of herbivory.

A Comprehensive Expression Analysis of the Arabidopsis MICRORNA165/6 Gene Family during Embryogenesis Reveals a Conserved Role in Meristem Specification and a Non-Cell-Autonomous Function

One of the most fundamental events in plant ontogeny is the specification of the shoot and root apical meristem (SAM and RAM) in embryogenesis. In Arabidopsis, the restricted expression of class III homeodomain leucine zipper (HD-ZIP III) transcription factors (TFs) at the central-apical domain of early embryos is required for the correct specification of the SAM and RAM. Because the expression of HD-ZIP III TFs is suppressed by microRNA165/166 (miR165/6), elucidation of the sites of miR165/6 production and their activity range is a key to understanding the molecular basis of SAM and RAM specification in embryogenesis. Here, we present a comprehensive reporter analysis of all nine Arabidopsis MICRORNA165/166 (MIR165/6) genes during embryogenesis. We show that five MIR165/6 genes are transcribed in a largely conserved pattern in embryos, with their expression being preferentially focused at the basal-peripheral region of embryos. Our analysis also indicated that MIR165/6 transcription does not depend on SCARECROW (SCR) function in early embryos, in contrast to its requirement in post-embryonic roots. Furthermore, by observing the expression pattern of the miR-resistant PHBmu-GFP (green fluorescent protein) reporter, in either the presence or absence of the MIR165Amu transgene, which targets PHBmu-GFP, we obtained data that indicate a non-cell-autonomous function for miR165 in early embryos. These results suggest that miR165, and possibly miR166 as well, has the capacity to act as a positional cue from the basal-peripheral region of early embryos, and remotely controls SAM and RAM specification with their non-cell-autonomous function.

Plant architecture, its diversity and manipulation in agronomic conditions, in relation with pest and pathogen attacks

Plant architectural traits have been reported to impact pest and disease, i.e., attackers, incidence on several crops and to potentially provide alternative, although partial, solutions to limit chemical applications. In this paper, we introduce the major concepts of plant architecture analysis that can be used for investigating plant interactions with attacker development. We briefly review how primary growth, branching and reiteration allow the plant to develop its 3D structure which properties may allow it (or not) to escape or survive to attacks. Different scales are considered: (i) the organs, in which nature, shape and position may influence pest and pathogen attack and development; (ii) the individual plant form, especially the spatial distribution of leaves in space which determines the within-plant micro-climate and the shoot distribution, topological connections which influence the within-plant propagation of attackers; and (iii) the plant population, in which density and spatial arrangement affect the micro-climate gradients within the canopy and may lead to different risks of propagation from plant to plant. At the individual scale, we show how growth, branching and flowering traits combine to confer to every plant species an intrinsic architectural model. However, these traits vary quantitatively between genotypes within the species. In addition, we analyze how they can be modulated throughout plant ontogeny and by environmental conditions, here considered lato sensu, i.e. including climatic conditions and manipulations by humans. Examples from different plant species with various architectural types, in particular for wheat and apple, are provided to draw a comprehensive view of possible plant protection strategies which could benefit from plant architectural traits, their genetic variability as well as their plasticity to environmental conditions and agronomic manipulations. Associations between species and/or genotypes having different susceptibility and form could also open new solutions to improve the tolerance to pest and disease at whole population scale.

Cytokinin oxidase is key enzyme of cytokinin degradation

Cytokinin oxidase (EC 1.5.99.12) is an enzyme that catalyzes the irreversible degradation of cytokinin phytohormones that are extremely necessary for growth, development, and differentiation of plants. Cytokinin oxidase plays an important role in the regulation of quantitative level of cytokinins and their distribution in plant tissues. This review generalizes the available information on the structure, properties, and functional role of this enzyme in plant ontogeny under conditions of normal growth and under the influence of unfavorable environmental factors.

Diversity and evolution of a trait mediating ant–plant interactions: insights from extrafloral nectaries in Senna (Leguminosae)

Plants display a wide range of traits that allow them to use animals for vital tasks. To attract and reward aggressive ants that protect developing leaves and flowers from consumers, many plants bear extrafloral nectaries (EFNs). EFNs are exceptionally diverse in morphology and locations on a plant. In this study the evolution of EFN diversity is explored by focusing on the legume genus Senna, in which EFNs underwent remarkable morphological diversification and occur in over 80 % of the approx. 350 species. EFN diversity in location, morphology and plant ontogeny was characterized in wild and cultivated plants, using scanning electron microscopy and microtome sectioning. From these data EFN evolution was reconstructed in a phylogenetic framework comprising 83 Senna species. Two distinct kinds of EFNs exist in two unrelated clades within Senna. 'Individualized' EFNs (iEFNs), located on the compound leaves and sometimes at the base of pedicels, display a conspicuous, gland-like nectary structure, are highly diverse in shape and characterize the species-rich EFN clade. Previously overlooked 'non-individualized' EFNs (non-iEFNs) embedded within stipules, bracts, and sepals are cryptic and may represent a new synapomorphy for clade II. Leaves bear EFNs consistently throughout plant ontogeny. In one species, however, early seedlings develop iEFNs between the first pair of leaflets, but later leaves produce them at the leaf base. This ontogenetic shift reflects our inferred diversification history of iEFN location: ancestral leaves bore EFNs between the first pair of leaflets, while leaves derived from them bore EFNs either between multiple pairs of leaflets or at the leaf base. EFNs are more diverse than previously thought. EFN-bearing plant parts provide different opportunities for EFN presentation (i.e. location) and individualization (i.e. morphology), with implications for EFN morphological evolution, EFN-ant protective mutualisms and the evolutionary role of EFNs in plant diversification.

Leaf biomechanical properties as mechanisms of resistance to black cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon) amongPoaspecies

Biomechanical properties can be important parameters in resistance of plants to herbivorous insects. As plants age, however, there can be dramatic changes in physical defenses that can then influence their susceptibility to insect herbivores. We measured changes in leaf biomechanical properties during ontogeny of Poa species and the relationship of these changes to the development of a generalist herbivore, the black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon Hufnagel (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), was investigated. Larvae were reared on two representative age classes, i.e., young ( 1 year after planting), of foliage in laboratory assays. Foliage generally reaches a peak fracture force between 80 and 109 days after planting depending on grass type. Foliage from old plants was significantly tougher than that of young plants, and black cutworm larvae reared on foliage from young plants gained significantly (ca. four times) more weight than those fed on foliage from old Poa plants. In addition, fracture force has a negative relationship with black cutworm development. Plant fiber, particularly neutral detergent fiber accounted for 65 and 46% of the variation in fracture force and larval development, respectively. These results provide additional insight into how plant ontogeny influences physical defenses to an insect herbivore in a grass system. Likewise, this is seemingly the first study to suggest a mechanism for host plant resistance to black cutworm. Plant fiber may be a useful trait to explore in plant improvement programs in which black cutworm is a primary pest (e.g., managed turfgrass).

Comprehensive screening and selection of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) germplasm for salinity tolerance at the seedling stage and during plant ontogeny

The okra germplasm was screened for salinity tolerance at the seedling stage and during plant ontogeny. Substantial variation existed in okra for salinity tolerance at the seedling stage. An 80 mmol/L NaCl concentration was suitable for discriminating tolerant and non-tolerant okra genotypes. The pooled ranking of the genotypes, based on individual rankings for each trait (root and shoot length, germination percentage, and relative Na(+) and K(+)) in individual NaCl concentrations, was effective for selecting tolerant genotypes. Genotypes selected at the seedling stage maintained their tolerance to NaCl during plant ontogeny, suggesting that screening of the germplasm entries and advanced breeding materials for salt tolerance at the seedling stage is effective. Among 39 okra genotypes, five were identified as the most tolerant genotypes and showed potential for use in breeding programs that focus on the development of salt-tolerant, high-yield okra cultivars.

Ontogenetic and Temporal Variations in Herbivory and Defense ofHandroanthus spongiosus(Bignoniaceae) in a Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest

We compared the richness and abundance of free-feeding herbivore insects (sap-sucking and leaf-chewing), leaf herbivory damage, leaf toughness and total phenolic content between two ontogenetic stages (juvenile and reproductive) of Handroanthus spongiosus (Rizzini) S. O. Grose (Bignoniaceae) throughout the rainy season in a Brazilian seasonally dry tropical forest. Twenty marked individuals of H. spongiosus were sampled per ontogenetic stage in each period of the rainy season (beginning, middle, and end). Herbivore richness and abundance did not differ between ontogenetic stages, but higher percentage of leaf damage, higher concentration of phenolic compounds, and lower leaf toughness were observed for juvenile individuals. The greatest morphospecies abundance was found at the beginning of the rainy season, but folivory increment was higher at the end, despite the fact that leaf toughness and total phenolic content increased in the same period. No significant relationships between leaf damage and both total phenolic content and leaf toughness were observed. These results suggest that insect richness and abundance do not track changes in foliage quality throughout plant ontogeny, but their decrease along rainy season confirms what was predicted for tropical dry forests. The general trends described in the current study corroborate those described in the literature about herbivores and plant ontogeny. However, the lack of relationship between herbivore damage and the two plant attributes considered here indicates that the analyses of multiple defensive traits (the defense syndrome) must be more enlightening to determine the mechanisms driving temporal and spatial patterns of herbivore attack.