The evolutionary context for herbivore-induced plant volatiles: beyond the ‘cry for help’

• Published in: Trends in plant science Vol. 15; no. 3; pp. 167 - 175
• Main Authors: Dicke, Marcel, Baldwin, Ian T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2010; [Kidlington, Oxford, UK]: Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Biological Evolution; chemical constituents of plants; Food Chain; herbivores; host-plant; indirect defenses; interspecific interactions; jasmonic acid treatment; literature reviews; manduca-sexta lepidoptera; molecular-interactions; natural enemies; nicotiana-attenuata; phytophagous insects; phytoseiulus-persimilis; plant biochemistry; plant damage; Plant Physiological Phenomena; plant response; plant-insect relations; Plants - chemistry; Plants - metabolism; volatile organic compounds; Volatile Organic Compounds - chemistry; Volatile Organic Compounds - metabolism
• ISSN: 1360-1385; 1878-4372
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2009.12.002

Attacks by herbivores elicit changes in the bouquet of volatiles released by plants. These herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) have been interpreted as being indirect defenses. However, given that no studies have yet investigated whether HIPVs benefit the fitness of a plant, their defensive function remains to be established. Moreover, herbivores, pathogens, pollinators and competitors also respond to HIPVs and, in addition, neighbouring plants in native populations also emit volatiles that provide a background odour. These considerations enrich the evolutionary context of HIPVs and complicate predictions about their adaptive value. Molecular advances in our understanding of HIPV signaling and biosynthesis is enabling the creation of HIPV-’mute’ and possibly HIPV-’deaf’ plants. As we discuss here, such plants could be used for unbiased examination of the fitness value of HIPV emissions under natural conditions.