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Natural selection on common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) by a community of specialized insect herbivores

Author
Agrawal, Anurag A.
Abstract
Hypothesis: Genetic variation in plant defence structures a community of herbivores and ultimately mediates co-evolution. Organisms: Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and five natural insect herbivores (seed bug, leaf mining fly, monarch caterpillar and two beetles). Methods: Quantitative genetic field experiment over 2 years, genetic selection analyses, and measurement of five defensive traits (cardenolides, latex, trichomes, leaf toughness and nitrogen content). Results: All plant traits were genetically variable; directional selection favoured resistance to herbivory, latex production and the nitrogen content of leaves. Trichomes and latex were each negatively genetically correlated with abundances of herbivores, but not with herbivore damage; cardenolides and induced plant resistance were negatively genetically correlated with growth of monarchs. Conclusion: Selection for plant defence was influenced by: (1) genetic correlations in plant susceptibility to multiple herbivores; (2) resistance traits affecting some, but not all, aspects of the insect community; and (3) early season herbivory inducing changes in milkweed influencing later season herbivores.
Journal/Series
Evolutionary Ecology Research
Sponsorship
My research and laboratory (http://www.herbivory.com) are supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Koffler Scientific Reserve at Joker’s Hill, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and a Premier’s Research Excellence Award from the Government of Ontario.
Date Issued
2005Publisher
Evolutionary Ecology
Subject
cardenolides; genetic selection analysis; latex; monarch butterfly; plant-insect interactions; quantitative genetic field experiment; trichomes
Related Version
Agrawal, Anurag. (2005). Natural selection on common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) by a community of specialized insect. Evolutionary Ecology Research. 7.
Type
article