Chemical response mechanisms of Solanum rostratum under different selection pressures of herbivores
- 1College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Shenyang Agricultural University , ,
Abstract
The revised Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability (EICA) hypothesis suggests that when invasive plants escape the selective pressure exerted by specialist herbivores, they reallocate their resources: reducing investment in defense against specialists while increasing defense against generalist herbivores. Such shifts in defense strategies are mediated by chemical defenses underpinned by plant secondary metabolites. However, how quantitative and qualitative defensive metabolites evolve in response to this selective shift remains poorly understood. Focusing on plant secondary metabolites, Solanum rostratum was selected as the focal species. A common garden experiment was conducted to assess plant growth and defense traits, followed by bioassays using its specialist herbivore Leptinotarsa decemlineata and generalist herbivore Helicoverpa armigera to evaluate defensive activity. Quantitative and qualitative defensive metabolites from S. rostratum were isolated and identified, and their defensive functions were validated. Differences in these metabolites across populations and their interrelationships were compared, and their correlations with plant growth were analyzed. Under herbivory pressure from generalist herbivores, S. rostratum shifted resource allocation away from quantitative defensive metabolites toward both qualitative defensive metabolites and vegetative growth. In contrast, under combined herbivory pressure from both specialist and generalist herbivores, S. rostratum maintained high levels of quantitative defensive metabolites, and its growth showed no significant evolutionary divergence. Distinct evolutionary patterns of quantitative and qualitative defensive metabolites were exhibited by invasive plants, and a resource trade-off between growth and defense was demonstrated. These findings advance understanding of the invasion mechanisms of alien plant species.
Related
- Concentration-Dependent Effects of Artemisia annua Aqueous Extract on Seed Germination, Seedling Growth, and Physiological Responses of Solanum rostratum
- Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for RT-qPCR Across Different Organs, Flower Bud Developmental Stages, and Hormone Treatments in Ilex verticillata
- Combining different selection criteria into breeding strategies for short-term recurrent genomic selection
- Multi-omics reveals accumulation mechanisms underlying differences in sesquiterpenoid content across different growth environments of Atractylodes macrocephala rhizome
- Social copying drives spatial allocation in gregarious herbivores
BibTeX
@article{yuan2026chemical,
title = {{Chemical response mechanisms of Solanum rostratum under different selection pressures of herbivores}},
author = {Linlin Yuan and Xiaomin Yang and Zhiqun Sui and Yangyang Zhang and Zhixiang Liu and Zhifu Guo and Yulong Feng},
journal = {Frontiers in plant science},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1955283},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13661573},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Chemical response mechanisms of Solanum rostratum under different selection pressures of herbivores
AU - Linlin Yuan
AU - Xiaomin Yang
AU - Zhiqun Sui
AU - Yangyang Zhang
AU - Zhixiang Liu
AU - Zhifu Guo
AU - Yulong Feng
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Frontiers in plant science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1955283
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13661573
AB - The revised Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability (EICA) hypothesis suggests that when invasive plants escape the selective pressure exerted by specialist herbivores, they reallocate their resources: reducing investment in defense against specialists while increasing defense against generalist herbivores. Such shifts in defense strategies are mediated by chemical defenses underpinned by plant secondary metabolites. However, how quantitative and qualitative defensive metabolites evolve in response to this selective shift remains poorly understood. Focusing on plant secondary metabolites, Solanum rostratum was selected as the focal species. A common garden experiment was conducted to assess plant growth and defense traits, followed by bioassays using its specialist herbivore Leptinotarsa decemlineata and generalist herbivore Helicoverpa armigera to evaluate defensive activity. Quantitative and qualitative defensive metabolites from S. rostratum were isolated and identified, and their defensive functions were validated. Differences in these metabolites across populations and their interrelationships were compared, and their correlations with plant growth were analyzed. Under herbivory pressure from generalist herbivores, S. rostratum shifted resource allocation away from quantitative defensive metabolites toward both qualitative defensive metabolites and vegetative growth. In contrast, under combined herbivory pressure from both specialist and generalist herbivores, S. rostratum maintained high levels of quantitative defensive metabolites, and its growth showed no significant evolutionary divergence. Distinct evolutionary patterns of quantitative and qualitative defensive metabolites were exhibited by invasive plants, and a resource trade-off between growth and defense was demonstrated. These findings advance understanding of the invasion mechanisms of alien plant species.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -