Divergence in Defence Against Herbivores Between Males and Females of Dioecious Plant Species

Overview

Journal Int J Evol Biol

Publisher Hindawi

Specialty Biology

Date 2013 Jan 16

PMID 23320247

Citations 7

Authors

German Avila-Sakar

Cora Anne Romanow

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Defensive traits may evolve differently between sexes in dioecious plant species. Our current understanding of this process hinges on a partial view of the evolution of resistance traits that may result in male-biased herbivory in dioecious populations. Here, we present a critical summary of the current state of the knowledge of herbivory in dioecious species and propose alternative evolutionary scenarios that have been neglected. These scenarios consider the potential evolutionary and functional determinants of sexual dimorphism in patterns of resource allocation to reproduction, growth, and defence. We review the evidence upon which two previous reviews of sex-biased herbivory have concluded that male-biased herbivory is a rule for dioecious species, and we caution readers about a series of shortcomings of many of these studies. Lastly, we propose a minimal standard protocol that should be followed in any studies that intend to elucidate the (co)evolution of interactions between dioecious plants and their herbivores.

Citing Articles

Sex-driven neighborhood effects on herbivory in the dioecious Mediterranean palm Chamaerops humilis L.

Munoz-Gallego R, Wiegand T, Traveset A, Fedriani J Oecologia. 2023; 203(1-2):151-165.

PMID: 37794240 PMC: 10615982. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05457-z.

Plant sex affects plant-microbiome assemblies of dioecious Populus cathayana trees under different soil nitrogen conditions.

Guo Q, Liu L, Liu J, Korpelainen H, Li C Microbiome. 2022; 10(1):191.

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Sex-specific differences in : essential oil yield, growth-defence conflict and population sex ratio.

Marko G, Nemeth I, Gyuricza V, Altbacker V AoB Plants. 2021; 13(3):plab021.

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Sexual and genotypic variation in terpene quantitative and qualitative profiles in the dioecious shrub Baccharis salicifolia.

Moreira X, Abdala-Roberts L, Nell C, Vazquez-Gonzalez C, Pratt J, Keefover-Ring K Sci Rep. 2019; 9(1):14655.

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Gender Dimorphism Does Not Affect Secondary Compound Composition in After Shoot Cutting in Northern Boreal Forests.

Stark S, Martz F Front Plant Sci. 2019; 9:1910.

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