Jasmonate-deficient plants have reduced direct and indirect defences against herbivores

Plants employ a variety of defence mechanisms, some of which act directly by having a negative effect on herbivores and others that act indirectly by attracting natural enemies of herbivores. In this study we asked if a common jasmonate-signalling pathway links the regulation of direct and indirect defences in plants. We examined the performance of herbivores (direct defence) and the attraction of natural enemies of herbivores (indirect defence) to wild-type tomato plants and mutant plants that are deficient in the production of the signalling hormone jasmonic acid. Wild-type plants supported lower survivorship of caterpillars compared with jasmonic acid-deficient plants. Damaged wildtype plants were more attractive to predaceous mites compared with undamaged wildtype plants, whereas damaged jasmonate-deficient plants were not more attractive to predators. Damaged wild-type plants induced a greater production of volatile compounds (primarily the sesquiterpene beta-caryophyllene and the monoterpenes alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, 2-carene and beta-phellandrene) compared with damaged jasmonate-deficient plants. Treating jasmonate-deficient plants with exogenous jasmonic acid restored both the direct and indirect defence capabilities, demonstrating that jasmonic acid is an essential regulatory component for the expression of direct and indirect plant defence.