Behavioral archives link the chemistry and clonal structure of trembling aspen to the food choice of North American porcupine
Behavioral archives link the chemistry and clonal structure of trembling aspen to the food choice of North American porcupine
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行为档案将颤抖白杨的化学和克隆结构与北美豪猪的食物选择联系起来
作者：
Brandee Diner;D. Berteaux;J. Fyles;R. Lindroth
了解脊椎动物草食动物的植物基因型、植物化学和食物选择之间的联系，对于评估草食动物在植物次生化学进化中的作用至关重要。一些专门的脊椎动物草食动物已被证明根据植物基因选择不同的植物，但占脊椎动物草食动物绝大多数的多面手的例子很少，特别是在自然条件下。我们研究了北美豪猪(Erethizon Dorsatum)和克隆性颤杨之间的关系，前者是一种通用的哺乳动物草食动物，后者是豪猪的首选食物来源。我们通过目视观察豪猪攀缘树皮上留下的伤痕，并通过控制饲养实验，确定了对某些杨树的偏好。我们使用遗传和生化分析将豪猪在杨树树干上留下的行为档案(攀缘伤疤)与树木的克隆结构和化学成分联系起来。我们发现，两种受高度遗传控制的酚苷(三尖杉酸和水杨酸)是影响豪猪摄食选择的最大化学变量，因此它们在不同无性系中的浓度不同。因此，利用野生食草动物在自然植物林中留下的行为档案，我们可以证明，多面手脊椎动物食草动物可以根据克隆结构和基于遗传的化学成分来选择植物。我们的结果有助于扩展先前在受控条件下研究多面手食草动物和实地研究专业食草动物的结果。
Understanding the links among plant genotype, plant chemistry, and food selection by vertebrate herbivores is critical to assess the role of herbivores in the evolution of plant secondary chemistry. Some specialized vertebrate herbivores have been shown to select plants differentially according to plant genotype, but examples from generalists, which constitute the vast majority of vertebrate herbivores, are few, especially in natural conditions. We examined the relationship between the North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), a generalist mammalian herbivore, and clonal trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), a preferred food source of porcupines. We determined preference for certain aspen trees through visual examination of porcupine climbing scars left on tree bark, and through a controlled feeding experiment. We used genetic and biochemical analyses to link the behavioral archives (climbing scars) left by porcupines on aspen trunks to the clonal structure and chemical composition of trees. We show that two phenolic glycosides (tremulacin and salicortin), which are under a high degree of genetic control and thus vary in concentration across clones, are the chemical variables that most influence (deter) feeding choices by porcupines. Using behavioral archives left by a wild herbivore on a natural stand of plants thus allowed us to demonstrate that a generalist vertebrate herbivore can choose plants according to their clonal structure and genetically based chemical composition. Our results contribute to extending previous findings obtained with generalist herbivores studied in controlled conditions, and with specialist herbivores studied in the field.