Abstract
Some plants are able to accumulate in their shoots metals at levels that are toxic to most other organisms. This ability may serve as a defence against herbivores. Therefore, both metal-based and organic defences may affect herbivores. However, how metal accumulation affects the interaction between herbivores and organic plant defences remains overlooked. To fill this gap, we studied the interactions between tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), a model plant that accumulates cadmium, and two spider-mite species, Tetranychus urticae and T. evansi that, respectively, induce and suppress organic plant defences, measurable via the activity of trypsin inhibitors. We exposed plants to different concentrations of cadmium and measured its effects on mites and plants. In the plant, despite clear evidence for cadmium accumulation, we did not detect any cadmium effects on traits that reflect the general response of the plant, such as biomass, water content and carbon/nitrogen ratio. Still, we found effects of cadmium upon the quantity of soluble sugars and on leaf reflectance, where it may indicate structural modifications in the cells. These changes in plant traits affected the performance of spider mites feeding on those plants. Indeed, the oviposition of both spider mite species was higher on plants exposed to low concentrations of cadmium than on control plants, but decreased at concentrations above 0.5 mM. Therefore, herbivores with contrasting responses to organic defences showed a similar hormetic response to metal accumulation by the plants. Additionally, we show that the induction and suppression of plant defences by these spider-mite species was not affected by the amount of cadmium supplied to the plants. Furthermore, the effect of cadmium on the performance of spider mites was not altered by infestation with T. urticae or T. evansi. Together, our results suggest no interaction between cadmium-based and organic plant defences, on our system. This character may be useful for plants living in heterogeneous environments, as they may use one or the other defence mechanism, depending on their relative performance in each environment.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Tomato accumulated cadmium.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume1 - Outcome
- cadmium accumulatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In the plant, despite clear evidence for cadmium accumulation”
e1“tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
Claim · model-written summary
No cadmium effects were detected on tomato biomass, water content or carbon/nitrogen ratio.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- cadmiume0
- Outcome
- biomass, water content and carbon/nitrogen ratioe0
- Direction
- did not detect any cadmium effectse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we did not detect any cadmium effects on traits that reflect the general response of the plant, such as biomass, water content and carbon/nitrogen ratio.”
e1“tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
Claim · model-written summary
Cadmium affected tomato soluble sugars and leaf reflectance, potentially indicating cellular structural changes.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- cadmiume0
- Outcome
- quantity of soluble sugars and on leaf reflectancee0
- Qualifier
- may indicate structural modifications in the cellse0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Still, we found effects of cadmium upon the quantity of soluble sugars and on leaf reflectance, where it may indicate structural modifications in the cells.”
e1“tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
Claim · model-written summary
Tetranychus urticae oviposition was higher on low-cadmium plants than controls.
- Taxon
- Tetranychus urticae
.jpg?width=60)
Tetranychus urticaee1 - Treatment
- low concentrations of cadmiume0
- Outcome
- ovipositione0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- control plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“the oviposition of both spider mite species was higher on plants exposed to low concentrations of cadmium than on control plants, but decreased at concentrations above 0.5 mM.”
e1“two spider-mite species, Tetranychus urticae and T. evansi”
Claim · model-written summary
T. evansi oviposition was higher on low-cadmium plants than controls.
- Taxon
- T. evansi
Tetranychus evansie1 - Treatment
- low concentrations of cadmiume0
- Outcome
- ovipositione0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- control plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the oviposition of both spider mite species was higher on plants exposed to low concentrations of cadmium than on control plants, but decreased at concentrations above 0.5 mM.”
e1“two spider-mite species, Tetranychus urticae and T. evansi”
Claim · model-written summary
Tetranychus urticae oviposition decreased above 0.5 mM cadmium.
- Taxon
- Tetranychus urticaeTetranychus urticaee1
- Treatment
- concentrations above 0.5 mMe0
- Outcome
- ovipositione0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the oviposition of both spider mite species was higher on plants exposed to low concentrations of cadmium than on control plants, but decreased at concentrations above 0.5 mM.”
e1“two spider-mite species, Tetranychus urticae and T. evansi”
Claim · model-written summary
T. evansi oviposition decreased above 0.5 mM cadmium.
- Taxon
- T. evansiTetranychus evansie1
- Treatment
- concentrations above 0.5 mMe0
- Outcome
- ovipositione0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the oviposition of both spider mite species was higher on plants exposed to low concentrations of cadmium than on control plants, but decreased at concentrations above 0.5 mM.”
e1“two spider-mite species, Tetranychus urticae and T. evansi”
Claim · model-written summary
Cadmium supply did not affect spider-mite induction and suppression of tomato defenses.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- cadmium supplied to the plantse0
- Interactor
- Tetranychus urticaeTetranychus urticaee2herbivore
- Second interactor
- T. evansiTetranychus evansie2herbivore
- Outcome
- induction and suppression of plant defencese0
- Direction
- not affectede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the induction and suppression of plant defences by these spider-mite species was not affected by the amount of cadmium supplied to the plants.”
e1“tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
e2“Tetranychus urticae and T. evansi that, respectively, induce and suppress organic plant defences”
Claim · model-written summary
Infestation with T. urticae did not alter cadmium effects on spider-mite performance.
- Taxon
- spider mitesTetranychidaee0
- Treatment
- infestation with T. urticaee0
- Outcome
- performance of spider mitese0
- Direction
- not alterede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“the effect of cadmium on the performance of spider mites was not altered by infestation with T. urticae or T. evansi.”
Claim · model-written summary
Infestation with T. evansi did not alter cadmium effects on spider-mite performance.
- Taxon
- spider mitesTetranychidaee0
- Treatment
- T. evansie0
- Outcome
- performance of spider mitese0
- Direction
- not alterede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“the effect of cadmium on the performance of spider mites was not altered by infestation with T. urticae or T. evansi.”
Claim · model-written summary
The results suggest no interaction between cadmium-based and organic defenses in tomato in this system.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Outcome
- no interaction between cadmium-based and organic plant defencese0
- Qualifier
- on our systeme0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Together, our results suggest no interaction between cadmium-based and organic plant defences, on our system.”
e1“tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
The same questions in other papers
cadmium atom · growth · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Results differ
45 papers in the same direction as this paper · 5 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- negative
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See all 51 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.