FURANOCOUMARIN INDUCTION IN WILD PARSNIP - GENETICS AND POPULATIONAL VARIATION

Inducible defenses by their nature are phenotypically variable traits. To assess the degree of genetic control over induction and therefore the availability of these traits for selection, the authors measured the levels of genetic variation and genetic correlation for induced and constitutive furanocoumarins in two populations of Pastinaca sativa near Urbana, Illinois. Results are consistent with the interpretation that these populations have divergent defense strategies that are in accord with their probabilities of being attacked. -from Authors