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Effects of Drought Stress and Nutrient Availability on Dry Matter Allocation, Phenolic Glycosides, and Rapid Induced Resistance of Poplar to Two Lymantriid Defoliators

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Abstract

The growth–differentiation balance hypothesis (GDBH) postulates that variation in resource availability can increase or decrease allocation to secondary metabolism, depending on how growth is affected relative to carbon assimilation. Growth and leaf area of black poplar (Populus nigra) increased substantially in response to increased nutrient availability, while net assimilation rate and photosynthesis were less strongly affected. In response, total phenolic glycoside concentrations declined, which is consistent with GDBH. Drought stress decreased net assimilation rate and photosynthesis as well as growth, while increasing total phenolic glycoside concentrations. This pattern does not follow GDBH, which predicts lower secondary metabolism when resource limitation decreases both growth and carbon assimilation. However, there was a strong negative correlation between growth and total phenolic glycoside concentration consistent with a trade-off between primary and secondary metabolism, a key premise of GDBH. Drought decreased the growth of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) larvae but had no effect on whitemarked tussock moth (Orgyia leucostigma). Increased nutrient availability had a positive linear effect on growth of whitemarked tussock moth, but no effect on gypsy moth. Treatment effects on gypsy moth corresponded closely with effects on total phenolic glycosides, whereas effects on whitemarked tussock moth more closely tracked changes in nutritional quality. Localized gypsy moth herbivory elicited rapid induced resistance to gypsy moth, with the effect being independent of water and nutrient availability, but did not affect whitemarked tussock moth, indicating that the effects of biotic and abiotic stress on insect resistance of trees can be species-specific.

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Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments that improved the article. Jeremy Christman and Adam Clark helped maintain the fertigation system. Bryant Chambers, Ann Hale, Richard Hale, Diane Hartzler, James Howell, Cathy Love, Cassie Mahl, Ben Marthey, Kyle Theibert, and John Watson aided with field and laboratory work. Bruce Birr (USDA Forest Service, Rhinelander, WI, USA) conducted the nitrogen analysis. Howard Lin contributed toward the technique used to analyse phenolic glycosides. Salaries and research support were provided by State and Federal funds appropriated to the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University.

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  1. Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH, 44691, USA

    Bethan K. Hale & Daniel A. Herms

  2. Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH, 44691, USA

    Robert C. Hansen

  3. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA

    Thomas P. Clausen & Danielle Arnold

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Hale, B.K., Herms, D.A., Hansen, R.C. et al. Effects of Drought Stress and Nutrient Availability on Dry Matter Allocation, Phenolic Glycosides, and Rapid Induced Resistance of Poplar to Two Lymantriid Defoliators. J Chem Ecol 31, 2601–2620 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-005-7616-8

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