Leaf Developmental Stages Strongly Modulate Indole Emissions in Response to Simulated Insect Herbivory
Marie Engelberth, Jurgen Engelberth, Yunhe Li · 2025
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Description
Engelberth and co-authors present a 2025 plant study on how maize leaves answer insect attack with scent. When caterpillars feed, maize releases volatile chemicals that call in the attacker's enemies and warn neighboring plants. One of these scents, indole, also feeds into growth and defense chemistry inside the plant.
Treating leaves with a caterpillar saliva compound, the team found indole release depended strongly on leaf age. Fully grown leaves emitted far more indole than the next younger, still growing leaves, the reverse of most other defense scents. The authors read this as a budget choice: young leaves invest indole in growth, while mature leaves spend it on defense. Pest models should treat leaves as changing, not uniform, defenders.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Marie Engelberth, Jurgen Engelberth, Yunhe Li |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2025 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 26 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |