Abstract
Plant-plant signalling is discussed from a tritrophic perspective, with special reference to results from experiments with a model system consisting of barley, aphids and ladybirds. Experimental support for the following statements is discussed: (1) barley plants communicate via volatile substances and, in certain combinations of genotypes, this communication leads to changes in biomass allocation, (2) communication between barley plants of certain genotypes changes the pattern of host plant acceptance by the bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi, (3) odour stimuli from barley and common weeds affect the searching behaviour of the seven-spotted ladybird, Coccinella septempunctata. The results indicate that an active response of the barley plant to exposure to weed Cirsium arvense volatiles may be involved. The tritrophic effects of plant-plant communication in barley add a new dimension to the term allelopathy. Thus, we use the term allelobiosis to denote interactions in which exchange of plant chemicals has an informative value for the receiving plant, and the response of the receiving plant affects its growth strategy, and relations with herbivores and their natural enemies.
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Ninkovic, V., Glinwood, R., Pettersson, J. (2006). Communication Between Undamaged Plants by Volatiles: the Role of Allelobiosis. In: Baluška, F., Mancuso, S., Volkmann, D. (eds) Communication in Plants. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-28516-8_28
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-28516-8_28
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