Get tough, get toxic or get a bodyguard: how root herbivores shape grass defences

变得坚强、有毒或找个保镖：根食草动物如何塑造草防御

• 批准号: DP140100363
• 负责人: Prof Scott Johnson
• 金额: $ 25.89万
• 依托单位: Western Sydney University
• 依托单位国家: 澳大利亚
• 项目类别: Discovery Projects
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 澳大利亚
• 起止时间: 2014-04-28 至 2017-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://dataportal.arc.gov.au/RGS/Web/Grants/DP140100363
• 关键词: Get; tough; get; toxic; bodyguard

The weight of root-feeding beetles can exceed that of sheep on Australian pastures and can result in significant losses in productivity. Grasses fight back against aboveground herbivores using toughness (physical defence), toxicity (chemical defence) and bodyguards (recruitment of the herbivore’s enemies). Little is known about belowground defences however, but grasses depend on roots for re-growth so good root defences seem essential. This study will apply optimal defence theory to consider these three defences against belowground herbivory across a range of grasses. The project will ask whether domestication has disarmed grass species and if defensive traits differ between photosynthetic pathways, before field-testing these patterns with root herbivore populations.

在澳大利亚的牧场上，食根甲虫的体重可能超过绵羊的体重，并可能导致生产力的重大损失。草反击地上食草动物使用韧性（物理防御），毒性（化学防御）和保镖（招募食草动物的敌人）。然而，人们对地下防御知之甚少，但草依赖于根系的再生长，因此良好的根系防御似乎至关重要。本研究将应用最优防御理论来考虑这三个防御地下食草动物在一系列的草。该项目将询问驯化是否已经解除了草种的武装，以及防御特性是否在光合作用途径之间存在差异，然后用根食草动物种群对这些模式进行实地测试。