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An antifeedant in balsam poplar inhibits browsing by snowshoe hares

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Summary

The ‘plant defense guild’ hypothesis for the evolution of plant secondary chemicals predicts that plant species defend themselves against generalist herbivores such as the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) in the Canadian boreal forest by evolving unique antifeedant chemicals. Plant species may coevolve in an ecosystem by presenting an array of chemicals to herbivores. We report further evidence for this idea from the presence of 2,4,6-trihydroxydihydrochalcone in the CH2Cl2 extracts of Populus balsamifera juvenile twigs. These extracts, added to rabbit chow, were offered to hares in choice tests. The bioassay established that the chemical acted as an antifeedant for hares.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Oceanography University of British Columbia, V6T 1Y6, Vancouver, Canada

    Madhu K. Jogia & Raymond J. Andersen

  2. The Ecology Group, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, V6T 2A9, Vancouver, Canada

    A. R. E. Sinclair

Authors
  1. Madhu K. Jogia
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  2. A. R. E. Sinclair
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  3. Raymond J. Andersen
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Jogia, M.K., Sinclair, A.R.E. & Andersen, R.J. An antifeedant in balsam poplar inhibits browsing by snowshoe hares. Oecologia 79, 189–192 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00388477

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00388477

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