Low nutritive quality as defense against herbivores

Abstract

Contrary to a widespread assumption in the literature on plant-herbivore interactions, individual plants do not necessarily benefit by possessing traits which lower herbivore fitness. In particular, genes conferring lowered nutritive quality could even increase herbivore damage under certain circumstances. Three special sets of conditions are outlined in which low nutritive quality would lower herbivore-induced damage to an individual plant. These sets are far from exhaustive. It is concluded that the adaptiveness of lowered nutritive quality in herbivore defense is widely possible but in no case demonstrated.