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Defense on the Rocks: Low Monoterpenoid Levels in Plants on Pillars Without Mammalian Herbivores

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Abstract

This study addresses the adaptive dynamics of plant toxins that ward off herbivores, an aspect of chemical warfare in ecosystems. Thyme basil (Acinos suaveolens) growing in an area regularly grazed by mammals contains double the concentration of monoterpenoids (15.61 vs. 8.18 mg/g dry matter, P = 0.001) when contrasted with plants growing on inaccessible rock pillars and not exposed to mammalian herbivores. Thyme basil produces two monoterpenoids—menthone and R-(+)-pulegone—that show contrasting toxicity. The more toxic R-(+)-pulegone shows an increase in relative abundance (66.3% vs. 47.5%, P < 0.001) in plants exposed to browsing The results demonstrate how plant chemistry responds to both abiotic and biotic environmental conditions.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the rock climbers, notably Dietrich and Ursula Hasse, and Detlef Augustin for their guidance, both in locally facilitating the project and “hands on” leading on the rocks. The Macaulay Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 4QH, UK is acknowledged for access to analytical facilities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, 1, Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

    Dietland Müller-Schwarze

  2. School of Chemistry, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK

    Vera Thoss

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  1. Dietland Müller-Schwarze
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  2. Vera Thoss
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Correspondence to Dietland Müller-Schwarze.

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Müller-Schwarze, D., Thoss, V. Defense on the Rocks: Low Monoterpenoid Levels in Plants on Pillars Without Mammalian Herbivores. J Chem Ecol 34, 1377–1381 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-008-9543-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-008-9543-y

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