(The effecs of atmospheric CO/sub 2/ on insect herbivores and their host plants): Progress report
Assay procedures for analysis of four groups of allelochemicals in Artemisia tridentata, big sagebrush, were established. Growth of Artemisia under high and low light at three CO/sub 2/ levels demonstrated that this species also undegoes a ''dilution'' of the leaf nitrogen content and is useful as test species for herbivory response to CO/sub 2/ induced effects. The initiial experiment also showed that high irradiance is a necessary growth condition. Plants from a single population of A. Tridentata were grown at the Duke Phytotron in three CO/sub 2/ regimed and fed to two species of grasshoppers. Sagabrush plants grew more and had lower leaf nitrogen contents as CO/sub 2/ concentration increased. However, the plants had on average lowere leaf carbon as well as lower leaf niitrogen contents with elevated CO/sub 2/. The source of the lower leaf nutritional value does not appear to be solely an increase in carbon content. Grasshopper consumption was greater on leaves from elevated future and from reduced historical CO/sub 2/ regimes, compared to the current concentration. The increased consumption of leaves from elevated CO/sub 2/ is in agreement with previous results. Grasshopper consumption was significantly related to leaf allelochemical content, but not to leaf nitrogen content. The consumption difference among CO/sub 2/ regimes appeared to result from allelochemical differences, which in turn may result from genetic variation or from CO/sub 2/ treatments. 17 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- South Carolina Univ., Columbia (USA). Dept. of Biology
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG09-84ER60255
- OSTI ID:
- 5246933
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/60255-4; ON: DE88007449
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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(The effects of atmospheric CO/sub 2/ on insect herbivores and their host plants): Progress report
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Related Subjects
GRASSHOPPERS
FEEDING
TERPENES
BIOSYNTHESIS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CARBON DIOXIDE
PROGRESS REPORT
ANIMALS
ARTHROPODS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DOCUMENT TYPES
INSECTS
INVERTEBRATES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORTHOPTERA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SYNTHESIS
500200* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)