Intentional and unintentional selection during plant domestication: herbivore damage, plant defensive traits and nutritional quality of fruit and seed crops

Fernandez, Anahi R.; Gleiser, Gabriela

Abstract

--- - Greater susceptibility to herbivory can arise as an effect of crop domestication. One proposed explanation is that defenses decreased intentionally or unintentionally during the domestication process, but evidence for this remains elusive. An alternative but nonexclusive explanation is presumed selection for higher nutritional quality. - We used a metaanalytical approach to examine susceptibility to herbivores in fruit and seed crops and their wild relatives. Our analyses provide novel insights into the mechanisms of increased susceptibility by evaluating whether it can be attributed to either a reduction in herbivore defensive traits, including direct/indirect and constitutive/inducible defenses, or an increase in the nutritional content of crops. - The results confirm higher herbivory and lower levels of all types of defenses in crops compared to wild relatives, although indirect defenses were more affected than direct ones. Contrary to expectations, nutritional quality was lower in crops than in wild relatives, which may enhance biomass loss to herbivores if they increase consumption to meet nutritional requirements. - Our findings represent an important advance in our understanding of how changes in defensive and nutritional traits following domestication could influence, in combination or individually, crop susceptibility to herbivore attacks.

Más información

Título según WOS: ID WOS:000662177800001 Not found in local WOS DB
Título de la Revista: NEW PHYTOLOGIST
Volumen: 231
Número: 4
Editorial: Wiley
Fecha de publicación: 2021
Página de inicio: 1586
Página final: 1598
DOI:

10.1111/nph.17452

Notas: ISI