Ecological Effects of Salicin at Three Trophic Levels: New Problems from Old Adaptations

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Abstract
Salicin, a toxic phenol glycoside, is used by larvae of the beetle Chrysomela aenicollis as a substrate for producing defensive secretions. In the east-central Sierra Nevada mountains of California, salicin concentrations ranged from 0.05 percent to over 5 percent of dry weight in leaves of different plants of Salix orestera , the Sierra willow. Beetles produced more secretion and suffered less predation on willows containing more salicin. In addition, leaf damage due to herbivory among 16 willow clones ranged from 0 to 20 percent of leaf area and was linearly related to salicin content. These results illustrate how a plant secondary chemical can become a problem for the plant when herbivores are adapted to use the chemical for their own benefit. The results also show the effect of a plant chemical on three trophic levels—the producer, a herbivore, and the predators of the herbivore.

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