Applying Behavioral-Ecological Theory to Plant Defense: Light-Dependent Movement in Mimosa pudica Suggests a Trade-Off between Predation Risk and Energetic Reward
Applying Behavioral-Ecological Theory to Plant Defense: Light-Dependent Movement in Mimosa pudica Suggests a Trade-Off between Predation Risk and Energetic Reward
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DOI：
10.1086/658343
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发表时间：
2011-03-01
影响因子：
2.9
通讯作者：
Cahill, James F., Jr.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Jensen, Evelyn L.;Dill, Lawrence M.;Cahill, James F., Jr.
根据环境条件和个体自身条件，许多动物物种可以容忍不同程度的捕食风险，当精神紧张时，往往会接受更大的风险。我们研究了敏感植物含羞草，看看当可用光能较少时，它是否也接受了更大的捕食风险。这种植物表现出一种防御行为，当受到触摸刺激时，它的叶子会迅速折叠，从而降低了食草动物的能见度。避免食草动物需要权衡，因为闭叶会导致光觅食的减少。我们操纵了单个普迪卡植物的光环境，并记录了植物在刺激后重新开放叶片所需的时间，作为对捕食风险耐受性的衡量标准。正如理论预测的那样，回避行为在强光条件下持续的时间比在更多光限制条件下持续的时间更长。这些发现表明，该物种平衡了与当前环境条件有关的反食草动物行为的风险和回报，行为生态学理论是理解植物对捕食者反应的有用框架。
Many animal species tolerate different amounts of predation risk based on environmental conditions and the individual's own condition, often accepting greater risk when energetically stressed. We studied the sensitive plant Mimosa pudica to see whether it too accepts greater risk of predation when less light energy is available. This plant displays a defensive behavior of rapidly folding its leaves when stimulated by touch, thereby decreasing visibility to herbivores. Averting herbivory involves a trade-off because leaf closure results in a reduction in light foraging. We manipulated the light environment of individual M. pudica plants and recorded the time it took a plant to reopen its leaves following stimulation as a measure of tolerance of predation risk. As predicted by theory, avoidance behavior was sustained longer under high light conditions than under more light-limited conditions. These findings suggest this species balances the risk and reward of antiherbivore behavior in relation to current environmental conditions and that behavioral-ecological theory is a useful framework for understanding plant responses to predators.