Putting plant resistance traits on the map: A test of the idea that plants are better defended at lower latitudes

MOLES A.T.; WALLIS I.R.; FOLEY W.J.; WARTON D.I.; STEGEN J.C.; BISIGATO A.J.; CELLA-PIZARRO L.; CLARK C.J.; COHEN P.S.; CORNWELL W.K.; EDWARDS W.; EJRNÆS R.; GONZALES-OJEDA T.; GRAAE B.J.; HAY G.; LUMBWE F.C.; MAGAÑA-RODRIGUEZ B.; MOORE B.D.; PERI P.L.; POULSEN J.R.; VELDTMAN R.; VON ZEIPEL H.; ANDREW N.R.; BOULTER S.L.; BORER E.T.; FERNANDEZ CAMPON F.; COLL M.; FARJI-BRENER A.G.; DE GABRIEL J.; JURADO E.; KYHN L.A.; LOW B.; MULDER C.P.; REARDON-SMITH K.; RODRIGUEZ-VELAZQUEZ J.; SEABLOOM E.W.; VESK P.A.; VAN CAUTER A.; WALDRAM M.S.; ZHENG Z.; BLENDINGER P.G.; ENQUIST B.J.; FACELLI J.M.; KNIGHT T.; MAJER J.D.; MARTINEZ-RAMOS M.; MCQUILLAN P.; PRIOR L.

NEW PHYTOLOGIST

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2011 vol. 191 p. 777 - 788

0028-646X

It has long been believed that plant species from the tropics are better defended against herbivores than are species from higher latitudes. A meta-analysis recently showed that the published literature does not support this theory. However, the idea has never been tested using data gathered with consistent methods from a wide range of latitudes. We quantified the relationship between latitude and a broad range of traits related to chemical and physical defence across 301 species from 75 sites worldwide. Six putative defence traits, including tannins, concentration of lipids (an indicator of oils, waxes and resins), and leaf toughness were greater in high latitude species. Six traits, including cyanide production and presence of spines, were unrelated to latitude. Only ash content (an indicator of inorganic substances such as calcium oxalates and phytoliths) and delayed greening were higher in the tropics. Our results do not support the hypothesis that tropical plants are better defended than are plants from higher latitudes. If anything, plants are better defended toward the poles. The higher level of defence seen in high-latitude species might be explained by the greater cost of losing a given amount of leaf tissue in low-productivity environments.