Summary
Published in Journal of Chemical Ecology 46(1): 84-98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-019-01130-z
Non-nutritive phytochemicals (secondary metabolites and fibre) can influence plant resistance to herbivores and have ecological impacts on animal and plant population dynamics. A major hindrance to the ecological study of these phytochemicals is the uncertainty in the compounds one should measure, especially when limited by cost and expertise. With the underlying goal of identifying proxies of plant resistance to herbivores, we performed a systematic review of the effects of non-nutritive phytochemicals on consumption by leporids (rabbits and hares) and cervids (deer family). We identified 133 out of 1790 articles that fit our selection criteria (leporids = 33, cervids = 97, both herbivore types = 3). These articles cover 18 species of herbivores, on four continents. The most prevalent group of phytochemicals in the selected articles was phenolics, followed by terpenes for leporids and by fibre for cervids. In general, the results were variable but phenolic concentration seems linked with high resistance to both types of herbivores. Terpene concentration is also linked to high plant resistance; this relationship seems driven by total terpene content for cervids and specific terpenes for leporids. Tannins and fibre did not have a consistent positive effect on plant resistance. Because of the high variability in results reported and the synergistic effects of phytochemicals, we propose that the choice of chemical analyses must be tightly tailored to research objectives. While researchers pursuing ecological or evolutionary objectives should consider multiple specific analyses, researchers in applied studies could focus on a fewer number of specific analyses. An improved consideration of plant defence, based on meaningful chemical analyses, could improve studies of plant resistance and allow us to predict novel or changing plant-herbivore interactions.
Sector(s):
Forests
Categorie(s):
Scientific Article
Theme(s):
Forestry Research, Forests, Silviculture
Departmental author(s):
Author(s)
CHAMPAGNE, Emilie, Alejandro A. ROYO, Jean-Pierre TREMBLAY and Patricia RAYMOND
Year of publication :
2017
Format :
PDF available upon request
How to get the publication :
ISSN
1573-1561
Keywords :
composés de défense, cervidés, léporidés, sélection du régime alimentaire, revue de littérature systématique, sylviculture et rendement des forêts naturelles - peuplements mélangés, article scientifique de recherche forestière, Silviculture and yield of natural forests - mixed stands, defence compounds, cervids, leporids, diet selection, systematic review, forestry research scientific article
