BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

10 Pags.- 4 Figs. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License., Key message Among the variety of leaf defensive strategies to counteract herbivory attacks, the oak species analyzed in this study maximize investment in no more than one, with high-LMA oaks developing very tough leaves and low-LMA oaks favoring between high concentrations of condensed tannins or high growth rates. Context Plants develop a variety of defense strategies to counteract herbivory attacks, from physical and chemical defenses to tolerance strategies. Tradeoffs between strategies have been widely assessed from a resource allocation perspective, but there is a need to consider eventual interactions among them. Aim We evaluate the among-species tradeoff between three main constitutive plant defense traits, while considering the leaf mass per area ratio (LMA) as a proxy of leaf construction investment on area basis. Methods Leaf toughness measured as work of fracture, condensed tannins, and relative growth rate (RGR) were analyzed in a set of 19 Quercus L. species with contrasting LMA. Results Most species had low values either in two or in the three traits analyzed. Moreover, the highest values of work of fracture appeared in the species with high LMA; the highest values of condensed tannins were found in the species with the lowest LMA; and high values of RGR were measured in species with intermediate or lower values of LMA. Conclusion Oaks showed a trade-off among leaf defensive strategies influenced by LMA. Oaks with high LMA developed very tough leaves while oaks with low LMA presented lower values of toughness but favored between one of the two other strategies., This work was supported by grant CNS2022‑136156 funded by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and European Union Next Generation EU/ PRTR, by grant PID2019‑106701RR‑I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, and by Gobierno de Aragón S74_23R research group. Work of R.M‑S. is supported by a predoctoral Gobierno de Aragón scholarship. Work of DA‑F was supported by an INIA contract BES‑2017–081208., Peer reviewed

Key message Among the variety of leaf defensive strategies to counteract herbivory attacks, the oak species analyzed in this study maximize investment in no more than one, with high-LMA oaks developing very tough leaves and low-LMA oaks favoring between high concentrations of condensed tannins or high growth rates. Context Plants develop a variety of defense strategies to counteract herbivory attacks, from physical and chemical defenses to tolerance strategies. Tradeoffs between strategies have been widely assessed from a resource allocation perspective, but there is a need to consider eventual interactions among them. Aim We evaluate the among-species tradeoff between three main constitutive plant defense traits, while considering the leaf mass per area ratio (LMA) as a proxy of leaf construction investment on area basis. Methods Leaf toughness measured as work of fracture, condensed tannins, and relative growth rate (RGR) were analyzed in a set of 19 Quercus L. species with contrasting LMA. Results Most species had low values either in two or in the three traits analyzed. Moreover, the highest values of work of fracture appeared in the species with high LMA; the highest values of condensed tannins were found in the species with the lowest LMA; and high values of RGR were measured in species with intermediate or lower values of LMA. Conclusion Oaks showed a trade-off among leaf defensive strategies influenced by LMA. Oaks with high LMA developed very tough leaves while oaks with low LMA presented lower values of toughness but favored between one of the two other strategies.

Among the variety of leaf defensive strategies to counteract herbivory attacks, the oak species analyzed in this study maximize investment in no more than one, with high-LMA oaks developing very tough leaves and low-LMA oaks favoring between high concentrations of condensed tannins or high growth rates., Este trabajo ha contado con el apoyo de la beca CNS2022-136156 financiada por MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 y de la Unión Europea Next Generation EU/PRTR, por la subvención PID2019-106701RR-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, y por el Grupo de investigación S74_23R del Gobierno de Aragón., Taninos condensados, Rasgos defensivos, Tasa de crecimiento relativo, Quercus, Trabajo de fractura, Published