Leaves Deter Herbivory

conical yellow and red blossoms are seen hanging from a birch tree with a blurry background in the sunlight

Biological Strategy

Birch

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Protect From Animals

Animals–organisms that range from microscopic to larger than a bus–embody a wide variety of harms to living systems, including other animals. They threaten through predation, herbivory, defense, and parasitism, and they compete for resources such as water, nutrients, and space. Any given living organism commonly faces threats from a variety of animals, requiring strategies that effectively defend from each. Trout and other bony fish, for example, escape predators by having scales made of very thin, flake-like pieces of bone covered with slippery mucus. They also have behavioral strategies such as camouflage, fast swimming, and twisting and turning to achieve release from a predator’s grip.

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Cooperate Within an Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a community of organisms (plants, animals, and microbes) interacting with one another and the nonliving components of their environment (such as air, water, and mineral soil). This interaction can be passive or active, and can cooperatively enhance the functioning of the ecosystem as a whole. For cooperation to contribute to maintaining communities within an ecosystem, it must be beneficial to at least some members of the community. Cooperation consists of symbiotic relationships, such as mutualism (in which two or more species in an ecosystem benefit) and commensalism (in which one species benefits and the effect on others is neutral). An example of a commensal relationship is that between bromeliad plants and trees: bromeliads live on trees without harming them. Bromeliads have mutualistic relationships with other species, including insects, frogs, and worms. The plants capture water in their base, forming a pond that these organisms join. The nutrients that these organisms excrete in their droppings nourish the bromeliad.

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Flowering Plants

Clade Angiosperms (“receptacle seed”): Dandelions, oaks, grasses, cacti, apples

With 416 families containing some 300,000 known species, angiosperms are the most diverse group of plants, and they can be found around the globe in a wide variety of habitats. They are characterized by seeds that grow enclosed in ovaries, which are enclosed in flowers. The floral organs then develop into fruits of myriad kinds and dimensions, from simple seed casings on maples to elaborate fleshy growths like papayas. The oldest flower known from fossils, Montsechia vidalii, appeared during the Jurassic Period 130 million years ago. They are the primary food source for herbivorous animals, which in turn makes them the indirect food source for carnivores as well.

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The leaves of some birch trees may help deter herbivory by adsorbing arthropod-repelling chemical compounds emitted from neighboring plants.

“Plant-emitted semi-volatile compounds have low vaporization rates at
20–25°C and may therefore persist on surfaces such as plant foliage. The
passive adsorption of arthropod-repellent semi-volatiles to
neighbouring foliage could convey associational resistance, whereby a
plant’s neighbours reduce damage caused by herbivores.

“We found that birch (Betula spp.) leaves adsorb
and re-release the specific arthropod-repelling C₁₅
semi-volatiles ledene, ledol and palustrol produced by Rhododendron
tomentosum when grown in mixed association in a field setup…

“In assessments for associational resistance, we found that
the polyphagous green leaf weevils (Polydrusus flavipes)
and autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata) larvae
both preferred B. pendula to R.
tomentosum. P. flavipes also preferred
birch leaves not exposed to R. tomentosum to
leaves from mixed associations. In the field, a reduction in Euceraphis betulae aphid density occurred in mixed
associations.

“Our results suggest that plant/tree species may be protected by
semi-volatile compounds emitted by a more herbivore-resistant
heterospecific neighbour.” (Himanen et al. 2010:722)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100309202931.htm
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123318496/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Last Updated August 28, 2020

References

Journal article

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Plants discover the benefits of good neighbors in strategy against herbivores.

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Reference

Journal article

Himanen SJ; Blande JD; Klemola T; Pulkkinen J; Heijari J; Holopainen JK

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