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American Scientists (University of Wisconsin in the City) Madison) recently discovered a unique mechanism for protecting plants from some pests.
Biologists of this scientific institution conducted an interesting experiment with caterpillars of Spodoptera exigua (Lesser scoop), which are the most common pests of many agricultural crops. To do this, sprayed tomatoes special volatile hormonal substance – methyl jasmonate, with by which plants warn each other about an attack pests. Moreover, in each of several plastic containers, where were placed tomatoes and eight pieces of caterpillars, concentration methyl jasmonate was different, but in one – it did not exist at all.
A photo from open sources
For a week, scientists counted surviving caterpillars and assessed the degree of damage from plants. As expected biologists, the degree of damage to tomatoes was inversely proportional concentrations of methyl jasmonate. But not this surprised the researchers, but mechanism for protecting plants from Lesser scoops. Tomatoes that were timely and fully “warned” of the caterpillar invasion, fantastically (isolating some substance) turned larvae in cannibals, thanks to which the pests almost eaten each other without causing damage to the plants.
A photo from open sources
Apparently, the concentration of methyl jasmonate indicated to the plants the degree of danger (the intensity of the invasion of pests), thanks to which tomatoes brought the “cannibalism mechanism” into according to the information received (more or less allocated necessary for this substance), why in those containers where they were “warned” by the easiest program, the larvae managed do more serious damage, and vice versa …
An article about a unique experiment by American biologists published the other day in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
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