Intraspecific competition reduces mycorrhizae conferred susceptibility
to herbivores
Abstract
Mycorrhizal fungi alter their host plant’s resistance to herbivores and
their competitive ability. However, most studies on how mycorrhizae
alter resistance have been conducted in single plant studies, and so the
interacting effects of mycorrhizae and competition on constitutive and
induced plant resistance is largely unexplored. We tested whether
mycorrhizal colonization with Rhizophagus intraradice would alter
herbivore performance and the expression of chemical resistance traits
in tomato plants with and without intraspecific competition. We treated
the plants with jasmonic acid to measure their induced chemical
resistance traits which we evaluated by measuring leaf consumption by
Trichoplusia ni caterpillars and two traits that affect herbivore
performance: protease inhibitors, an antinutritive protein, and
carbon/nitrogen ratio, a metric of plant nutritional quality.
Mycorrhizae decreased resistance (increased leaf consumption) to
herbivores when the plants were not in competition but had no effect in
competition. While mycorrhizae reduced protease inhibitors, independent
of competition or treatment with jasmonic acid, this did not increase
caterpillar feeding. However, mycorrhizae, competition and induction
with jasmonic acid interacted to decrease plant nutrition, measured as
C/N ratio, which was correlated with caterpillar feeding. Here, we show
that mycorrhizae induced decreases in plant nutritional quality; a novel
mechanism by which mycorrhizae affect resistance to herbivores.
Mycorrhizae and competition interact to decrease plant nutritional
quality and alter resistance to herbivores.