Insects on Fertilized Plants
Clive G. Jones
Institute of Ecosystem StudiesIf you fertilize plants with nitrogen, insect herbivores often increase in abundance. The traditional explanation is that the insects are nitrogen-limited and fertilization increases the amount of nitrogen in their food. However, work with cottonwood and insect herbivores has shown that the effects of fertilization are primarily due to changes in leaf development. Changes in leaf development, associated with increased plant growth rates, lead to many more suitable leaves for herbivores. These changes are not simply related to either the nitrogen or defensive chemical content of the leaves.
Collaborators
Dr. James Coleman, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV
Dr. Alexander Wait, South West Missouri State University, MOPublications
- Wait, D. A., Jones, C. G., and Coleman, J. S. 1998. Effects of nitrogen fertilization on leaf chemistry and beetle feeding are mediated by leaf development. Oikos 82: 502-514.
- Wait, D. A., Jones, C. G. and Schaedle, M. 1996. Controlling growth and chemical composition of saplings by iteratively matching nutrient supply to demand: a bootstrap fertilization technique. Tree Physiol. 16: 359-365.
More on Plant Herbivore Interactions
Hartley, S. E. and Jones, C. G. 1997. Plant chemistry and herbivory, or why the world is green. pp.284-324. In: Crawley, M. J. (ed.). Plant Ecology, 2nd edition. Blackwell Science Ltd., Oxford, UK.