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Selected Works

Warren G. Abrahamson, II

Evolution

Solidago altissima

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

The Effect Of Resource Stress On Goldenrod's Tolerance Of Folivory Depends More On The Identity Of The Stress Than On The Severity Of The Stress, Peter J. March, Michael J. Wise, Warren G. Abrahamson Ii Dec 2012

The Effect Of Resource Stress On Goldenrod's Tolerance Of Folivory Depends More On The Identity Of The Stress Than On The Severity Of The Stress, Peter J. March, Michael J. Wise, Warren G. Abrahamson Ii

Warren G. Abrahamson, II

It is widely accepted that the levels of resources in a plant’s environment can influence the plant’s ability to compensate for (i.e., tolerate) damage by herbivores. However, predicting the direction of the influence has proven difficult. Here, we report on a greenhouse study in which individuals of Solidago altissima were exposed to factorial combinations of light and fertilization levels to investigate how different types of stresses affect plants’ ability to tolerate leaf damage by larvae of the beetle Trirhabda virgata. Shade stress reduced the plants’ tolerance of herbivory, while nutrient stress had no effect on tolerance. These results did not …


Ducking As The Means Of Resistance In "Candy-Cane" Stems Of Goldenrod: Straightened Stems Lose Their Edge, M. J. Wise, W. G. Abrahamson, J. A. Cole Dec 2009

Ducking As The Means Of Resistance In "Candy-Cane" Stems Of Goldenrod: Straightened Stems Lose Their Edge, M. J. Wise, W. G. Abrahamson, J. A. Cole

Warren G. Abrahamson, II

Herbivores are among the most pervasive selective forces acting on plants, and the number of plant chemicals that presumably evolved for defense against herbivory is immense. In contrast, biologists are only beginning to appreciate the important roles that architectural traits can play in antiherbivore defense. One putative architectural-resistance trait is the nodding stem apex of some goldenrods (Solidago ; Asteraceae). Individuals of S. altissima genets that undergo temporary nodding in the late spring (i.e., “candy-cane ramets) have been shown to be more resistant than individuals of erect-stemmed genets to certain apex-attacking” herbivores. We tested the hypothesis that the greater resistance …