Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Resource availability and the trichome defenses of tomato plants

  • Ecophysiology
  • Published:
Oecologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We conducted two experiments to determine how resource availability influenced allocation by tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) to trichomes, and how different patterns of trichome allocation by plants grown in different resource environments might then influence the behavior of tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) caterpillars. In the first experiment we used high and low levels of light and water, and then, using scanning electron microscopy, determined trichome densities on the leaves and stems. We sampled leaves and stems at several places throughout the plant to determine whether there were within-plant differences in allocation to trichomes. The results of the first experiment showed that resource availability influenced allocation to trichome growth. Patterns in high and low-light supported both the growth-differentiation balance hypothesis (GDBH) and the carbon-nutrient balance hypothesis (CNBH). However, the GDBH was not supported by differences among water treatments. Contrary, to predictions of the GDBH, plants with intermediate growth did not have the highest trichome densities, and plants with similar growth differed in trichome density. Possible biological and artifactual explanations are discussed. The first experiment also showed that there was within-plant variation in allocation to trichomes, and that plant resource availability may influence within-plant variation in allocation to trichomes. In the second experiment, we grew plants in high and low-light, and then monitored the behavior of tobacco hornworms on the stems of these plants in the laboratory. This experiment demonstrated that the light environment that tomato plants were grown in influenced the resting behavior of caterpillars. Furthermore, it demonstrated that both glandular and non-glandular trichomes impeded caterpillars from searching for food. Overall, this study indicated that plant resource availability can influence allocation to trichome defenses, and that these differences may affect insect herbivores.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ayres MP (1993) Plant defense, herbivory, and climate change. In: Kareiva PM, Kingsolver JG, Huey RB (eds) Biotic interactions and global change. Sinauer, Sunderland, pp 75–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Belcher DW, Thurston R (1982) Inhibition of movement of larvae of the convergent lady beetle by leaf trichomes of tobacco. Environ Entomol 11: 91–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Berenbaum MR, Zangerl AR, Nitao JK (1986) Constraints on chemical coevolution: wild parsnips and the parsnip webworm. Evolution 40: 1215–1228

    Google Scholar 

  • Björkman C, Andersson SB (1990) Trade-off among antiherbivore defences in a South American blackberry (Rubus bogotensis). Oecologia 85: 247–249

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryant JP, Chapin FS III, Klein DR (1983) Carbon/nutrient balance of boreal plants in relation to vertebrate herbivory. Oikos 40: 357–368

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryant JP, Clausen TP, Reichardt PB, McCarthy MC, Werner RA (1987) Effect of nitrogen fertilization upon the secondary chemistry and nutritional value of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) leaves for the large aspen tortrix (Choristoneura conflictana (Walker)). Oecologia 73: 513–517

    Google Scholar 

  • Cano-Santana Z, Oyama K (1992) Variation in leaf trichomes and nutrients of Wigandiaturens (Hydrophyllaceae) and its implications for herbivory. Oecologia 92: 405–409

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter CD, Snyder JC (1986) Mite responses and trichome characters in a full-sib F2 family of Lycopersicon esculentum x L. hirsutum. J Am Soc Hort Sci 111: 130–133

    Google Scholar 

  • Channarayappa AK, Shivashankar G, Muniyappa V, Frist RH (1992) Resistance of Lycopersicon species to Bemisia tabaci, a tomato leaf curl virus vector. Can J Bot 70: 2184–2192

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapin FS III (1980) The mineral nutrition of wild plants. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 11: 233–260

    Google Scholar 

  • Dietz K (1989) Leaf and chloroplast development in relation to nutrient availability. J Plant Physiol 134: 544–550

    Google Scholar 

  • Dillon PM, Lowrie S, McKey D (1983) Disarming the “evil woman”: petiole constriction by a sphingid larva circumvents mechanical defenses of its host plant, Cnidoscolus urens (Euphorbiaceae). Biotropica 15:112–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimock MB, Tingey WM (1987) Mechanical interaction between larvae of the Colorado potato beetle and glandular trichomes of Solanum bethaultii Hawkes. Am Potato J 64: 507–515

    Google Scholar 

  • Duffey SS, Isman MB (1981) Inhibition of insect larval growth by phenolics in glandular trichomes of tomato leaves. Experimentia 37: 574–576

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehleringer JR, Mooney HA (1978) Leaf hairs: effects on physiological activity and adaptive value to a desert shrub. Oecologia 37: 183–200

    Google Scholar 

  • Elliger CA, Wong Y, Chan BG, Waiss AC Jr (1981) Growth inhibitors in tomato (Lycopersicon) to tomato fruitworm (Heliothis zea). J Chem Ecol 7: 753–758

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrar RR Jr, Kennedy GG (1987) Growth, food consumption and mortality of Heliothis zea larvae on foliage of the wild tomato Lycopersicon hirsutum f. glabratum and the cultivated tomato, L. esculentum. Entomol Exp Appl 44: 213–219

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentile AG, Webb RE, Stoner AK (1968) Resistance in Lycopersicon and Solanum to the potato aphid. J Econ entomol 61: 1152–1154

    Google Scholar 

  • Gianfagna TJ, Carter CD, Sacalis JN (1992) Temperature and photoperiod influence trichome density and sesquiterpene content of Lycopersicon hirsutum f. hirsutum. Plant Physiol 100: 1403–1405

    Google Scholar 

  • Goffreda JC, Mutschler MA, Tingey WM (1988) Feeding behavior of potato aphid affected by glandular trichomes of wild tomato. Entomol Exp Appl 48: 101–107

    Google Scholar 

  • Good DE Jr Snyder JC, (1988) Seasonal variation of leaves and mite resistance of Lycopersicon interspecific hybrids. HortScience 23: 891–894

    Google Scholar 

  • Herms DA, Mattson WJ (1992) The dilemma of plants: to grow or defend. Q Rev Biol 67: 283–335

    Google Scholar 

  • Hulley PE (1988) Caterpillar attacks plant mechanical defence by mowing trichomes before feeding. Ecol Entomol 13: 239–241

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyat MA (1981) Fixation for electron microscopy. Academic Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Isman MB, Duffey SS, (1982) Toxicity of tomato phenolic compounds to the fruitworm, Heliothis zea. Entomol Exp Appl 31: 370–376

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson B (1975) Plant pubescence: and ecological perspective. Bot Rev 41: 233–258

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy GG, Yamamoto RT, Dimock MB, Williams WG, Bordner J (1981) Effect of day length and light intensity on 2-tridecanone levels and resistance in Lycopersicon hirsutum f. glabratum to Manduca sexta. J Chem Ecol 7: 707–716

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy GG, Sorenson CF (1985) Role of glandular trichomes in the resistance of Lycopersicon hirsutum f. glabratum to Colorado potato beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). J Econ Entomol 78: 547–551

    Google Scholar 

  • Körner CH (1991) Some often overlooked plant characteristics as determinants of plant growth: a reconsideration. Funct Ecol 5: 162–173

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsson S, Wiren A, Lundgren L, Ericsson T (1986) Effects of light and nutrient stress on leaf phenolic chemistry in Salix dasyclados and susceptibility to Galerucella lineola (Coleoptera). Oikos 47: 205–210

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin DA (1973) The role of trichomes in plant defense. Q Rev Biol 48: 3–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin SYH, Trumble JT, Kumamoto J (1987) Activity of volatile compounds in glandular trichomes of Lycopersicon species against two insect herbivores. J Chem Ecol 13: 837–850

    Google Scholar 

  • Loomis WE (1932) Growth-differentiation balance vs. carbohydrate nitrogen ratio. Am Soc Hort Sci 29: 240–245

    Google Scholar 

  • Loomis WE (1953) Growth correlation. In: Loomis WE (ed) Growth and differentiation in plants. The Iowa State College Press, Ames, pp 197–252

    Google Scholar 

  • Lorio PL Jr (1986) Growth-differentiation balance: a basis for understanding southern pine beetle-tree interactions. For Ecol Manage 14: 259–273

    Google Scholar 

  • Luckwill LC (1943) The genus Lycopersicon: an historical, biological, and taxonomic survey of the wild and cultivated tomatoes. The University Press, Aberdeen

    Google Scholar 

  • Luxmoore RJ (1991) A source-sink framework for coupling water, carbon, and nutrient dynamics of vegetation. Tree Physiol 9: 267–280

    Google Scholar 

  • McFadden MW (1968) Observations on feeding and movement of tobacco hornworm larvae. J Econ Entomol 61: 352–356

    Google Scholar 

  • McKey D (1979) The distribution of secondary compounds within plants. In: Rosenthal GA, Janzen DH (eds) Herbivores: their interaction with secondary plant metabolites. Academic Press, New York, pp 56–134

    Google Scholar 

  • McLean RC, Cook WRI (1952) Plant science formulae. Macmillan, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers JH, Bazely D (1991) Thorns, spikes, prikles, and hairs: are they stimulated by herbivory and do they deter herbivores? In: Tallamy DW, Raupp MJ (ed.) Phytochemical induction by herbivores. Wiley, New York, pp 325–344

    Google Scholar 

  • Neal JJ, Steffens JC, Tingey WM (1989) Glandular trichomes of Solanum berthaultii and resistance to the Colorado potato beetle. Entomol Exp Appl 51: 133–140

    Google Scholar 

  • Obrycki JJ (1986) The influence of foliar pubescence on entomophagous species. In: Boethel DJ, Eikenbary RD (eds) Interactions of plant resistance and parasitoids and predators of insects. Malsted, New York, pp 61–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Obrycki JJ, Tauber MJ (1984) Natural enemy activity on glandular pubescent potato plants in the greenhouse: an unreliable predictor of effects in the field. Environ Entomol 13: 679–683

    Google Scholar 

  • Oghiakhe S, Jackai LEN, Makanjuola WA, Hodgson CJ (1992) Morphology, distribution, and the role of trichomes in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) resistance to the legume pod borer, Maruca testulalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Bull Entomol Res 82: 499–505

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramalho FS, Parrott WL, Jenkins JN, McCarty JCJ (1984) Effects of cotton leaf trichomes on the mobility of newly hatched tobacco budworms (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). J Econ Entomol 77: 619–621

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhoades DF (1979) Evolution of plant chemical defense against herbivores. In: Rosenthal GA, Janzen DH (eds) Herbivores: their interaction with secondary plant metabolites. Academic Press, New York, pp 1–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez E, Healy PL, Mehta I (eds) (1984) Biology and chemistry of plant trichomes. Plenum, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Shure DJ, Wilson LA (1993) Patch-size effects on plant phenolics in successional openings of the Southern Appalachians. Ecology 74: 55–67

    Google Scholar 

  • Simms EL, Rausher MD (1987) Costs and benefits of plant resistance to herbivory. Am Nat 130: 570–581

    Google Scholar 

  • Snyder FC, Carter CD (1985) Leaf trichomes on Lycopersicon esculentum, L. hirsutum and their hybrids. Euphytica 34: 53–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilman D (1988) Plant strategies and the dynamics and structure of plant communities. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  • Tingey WM, Gibson RW (1978) Feeding and mobility of the potato leafhopper impaired by glandular trichomes of Solanum berthaultii and S. polyadenium. J Econ Entomol 71: 856–858

    Google Scholar 

  • Tingey WM, Laubengayer JE (1981) Defense against the green peach aphid and potato leafhopper by glandular trichomes of Solanum berthaultii. J Econ Entomol 74: 721–725

    Google Scholar 

  • Waterman PG, Ross JAM, McKey DB (1984) Factors affecting levels of some phenolic compounds, digestibility, and nitrogen content of the mature leaves of Barteria fistulosa (Passifloraceae). J Chem Ecol 10: 387–401

    Google Scholar 

  • Wellso SG, Hoxie RP (1982) The influence of environment on the expression of trichomes in wheat. Crop Sci 22: 879–885

    Google Scholar 

  • Weston PA, Johnson DA, Burton HT, Snyder JC (1989) Trichome secretion composition, trichome densities, and spider mite resistance of ten accessions of Lycopersicon hirsutum J Am Soc Hort Sci 114: 492–498

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilkens RT, Spoerke JM, Stamp NE (1995) Differential responses of growth and two soluble phenolics of tomato to resource availability. Ecology 77: 247–258

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodman RL, Fernandes GW (1991) Differential mechanical defense: herbivory, evapotranspiration, and leaf-hairs. Oikos 60: 11–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto RT, Fraenkel GS (1960) The specificity of the tobacco hornworm, Protoparce sexta, to solanaceous plants. Ann Entomd Soc 53: 503–507

    Google Scholar 

  • Zangerl AR, Bazzaz FA (1992) Theory and pattern in plant defense allocation. In: Fritz RS, Simms EL (ed) Plant resistance to herbivores and pathogens. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 363–391

    Google Scholar 

  • Zar JH (1984) Biostatistical analysis, 2nd edn. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southern Research Station, 2500 Shreveport Highway, RWU-4501, 71360, Pineville, LA, USA

    Richard T. Wilkens

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, State University of New York, 13902-6000, Binghamton, NY, USA

    Gabriel O. Shea, Stephen Halbreich & Nancy E. Stamp

Authors
  1. Richard T. Wilkens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gabriel O. Shea
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Stephen Halbreich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nancy E. Stamp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Richard T. Wilkens.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wilkens, R.T., Shea, G.O., Halbreich, S. et al. Resource availability and the trichome defenses of tomato plants. Oecologia 106, 181–191 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00328597

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00328597

Key words

Search

Navigation