Herbivore responses to plants grown in enriched carbon dioxide atmospheres

Technical Report · Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6808774· OSTI ID:6808774

Lincoln, D E

Our initial study of sagebrush and grasshopper responses to elevated and historical carbon dioxide atmospheres is complete and has been accepted for publication. The study on Biomass Allocation Patterns of Defoliated Sagebrush Grown Under Two Levels of Carbon Dioxide has completed and the manuscript has been submitted for publication. We have completed the study of plant growth under two nutrient and carbon dioxide regimes and grasshopper feeding responses. The study of a specialist feeding caterpillar, the cabbage butterfly, and a mustard hostplant has recently been completed. We were able to identify the principal allelochemicals of the mustard plants, butenyl and pentenyl isothiocyanates, by combined gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Measurement of these chemicals has been a critical component of this study since these compounds contain nitrogen and sulphur and act as a feeding stimulant to the caterpillar. This insect responds to elevated carbon dioxide by consuming more leaves and we can now say that this is not due to a change in the feeding stimulants. Reduced leaf protein content is a critical factor for even specialist feeding insect herbivores under elevated carbon dioxide conditions. The study on Grasshopper Population Responses to Enriched Carbon Dioxide Concentration is currently in progress at the Duke University Phytotron. We have changed hostplant species in order to complement the investigations of carbon dioxide effects on tallgrass prairie. Specifically, we are using big bluestem, Andropogon geradii, as the host plant to feed to the grasshoppers. This experiment will be completed in July 1990.

• Research Organization: South Carolina Univ., Columbia, SC (USA). Dept. of Biological Sciences
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/ER
• DOE Contract Number: FG09-84ER60255
• OSTI ID: 6808774
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/60255-6; ON: DE90012221
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
CARBON DIOXIDE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
GRASSHOPPERS
FEEDING
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOSYNTHESIS
PLANT GROWTH
PLANTS
PROGRESS REPORT
TERPENES
ANIMALS
ARTHROPODS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DOCUMENT TYPES
GROWTH
INSECTS
INVERTEBRATES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORTHOPTERA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SYNTHESIS
553000* - Agriculture & Food Technology