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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Putting plant resistance traits on the map: A test of the idea that plants are better defended at lower latitudes
New Phytologist, Volume 191, No. 3, Year 2011
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Description
It has long been believed that plant species from the tropics have higher levels of traits associated with resistance to herbivores than do 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 chemical and physical traits across 301 species from 75 sites world-wide. Six putative resistance traits, including tannins, the 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 the presence of spines, were unrelated to latitude. Only ash content (an indicator of inorganic substances such as calcium oxalates and phytoliths) and the properties of species with delayed greening were higher in the tropics. Our results do not support the hypothesis that tropical plants have higher levels of resistance traits than do plants from higher latitudes. If anything, plants have higher resistance toward the poles. The greater resistance traits of high-latitude species might be explained by the greater cost of losing a given amount of leaf tissue in low-productivity environments. © 2011 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2011 New Phytologist Trust.
Authors & Co-Authors
Moles, Angela T.
Australia, Sydney
Unsw Sydney
New Zealand, Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Australia, Canberra
Anu Research School of Biology
Australia, Sydney
Macquarie University
Wallis, Ian R.
Australia, Canberra
Anu Research School of Biology
Foley, William John
Australia, Canberra
Anu Research School of Biology
Warton, David I.
Australia, Sydney
Unsw Sydney
Stegen, James C.
United States, Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Bisigato, Alejandro J.
Argentina, Buenos Aires
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Cella-Pizarro, Lucrecia
Argentina, Buenos Aires
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Clark, Connie J.
United States, Falmouth
Woods Hole Research Center
Cohen, Philippe S.
United States, Palo Alto
Stanford University
Cornwell, William K.
Canada, Vancouver
The University of British Columbia
Edwards, Will
Australia, Townsville
James Cook University
Ejrnæs, Rasmus
Denmark, Aarhus
Aarhus Universitet
Gonzales-Ojeda, Therany
Peru, Cusco
Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad Del Cusco
Graae, Bente Jessen
Sweden, Umea
Umeå Universitet
Norway, Trondheim
Norges Teknisk-naturvitenskapelige Universitet
Hay, Gregory
Australia, Adelaide
The University of Adelaide
Lumbwe, Fainess C.
Zambia, Lusaka
University of Zambia
Magaña-Rodríguez, Benjamín
New Zealand, Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Moore, Ben D.
Australia, Townsville
James Cook University
United Kingdom, Aberdeen
The James Hutton Institute
Peri, Pablo Luis
Argentina, Rio Gallegos
National University of Patagonia Austral
Poulsen, John R.
United States, Falmouth
Woods Hole Research Center
Veldtman, Ruan
South Africa, Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch University
South Africa, Pretoria
South African National Biodiversity Institute
von Zeipel, Hugo
Sweden, Sundsvall
Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall
Andrew, Nigel R.
Australia, Armidale
University of new England Australia
Boulter, Sarah L.
Australia, Brisbane
Griffith University
Borer, Elizabeth T.
United States, Minneapolis
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Campón, Florencia Fernández
Argentina, Mendoza
Centro Científico Tecnológico, Mendoza
Coll, Moshe
Israel, Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Farji-Brener, Alejandro G.
Argentina, San Carlos de Bariloche
Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche
de Gabriel, Jane
Australia, Townsville
James Cook University
Jurado, Enrique
Mexico, San Nicolas de Los Garza
Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León
Kyhn, Line A.
Denmark, Roskilde
Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi
Low, Bill
Australia
Low Ecological Services
Mulder, Christa P.H.
United States, Fairbanks
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Reardon-Smith, Kathryn M.
Australia, Toowoomba
University of Southern Queensland
Rodríguez-Velázquez, Jorge
Mexico, Morelia
Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad
Seabloom, Eric W.
United States, Minneapolis
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Vesk, Peter A.
Australia, Melbourne
University of Melbourne
van Cauter, An
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Waldram, Matthew S.
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
United Kingdom, Leicester
University of Leicester
Zheng, Zheng
China, Mengla
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences
Blendinger, Pedro G.
Argentina, San Miguel de Tucuman
Universidad Nacional de Tucuman Unt
Enquist, Brian J.
United States, Tucson
The University of Arizona
Facelli, Jose M.
Australia, Adelaide
The University of Adelaide
Knight, Tiffany M.
United States, St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Majer, Jonathan David
Australia, Perth
Curtin University
Martínez-Ramos, Miguel
Mexico, Morelia
Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad
McQuillan, Peter
Australia, Hobart
University of Tasmania
Prior, Lynda D.
Australia, Hobart
University of Tasmania
Statistics
Citations: 161
Authors: 48
Affiliations: 42
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03732.x
ISSN:
0028646X
e-ISSN:
14698137
Study Approach
Systematic review