Life Sciences Commons^™

Herbivore Grazing Increases Polyphenolic Defenses In The Intertidal Brown Alga Fucus Distichus, Kathryn L. Van Alstyne Dr.

Shannon Point Marine Center Faculty Publications

Although predator-induced defenses have been reported for several species of terrestrial vascular plants, they have not been previously described in aquatic or nonvascular plants. In this study, field manipulations were used to demonstrate the presence of inducible chemical defense production in the intertidal brown alga Fucus distich us. When experimentally damaged, Fucus increased its concentrations of polyphenolic compounds by ≈20% over uninjured control plants within 2 wk. These increases occurred in the area where the plant was injured and within adjacent undamaged branches. The increase in concentrations of polyphenolic compounds in clipped plants in these experiments corresponded well with differences …