BIOA02H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Trichome, Herbivore, Succulent Plant

• School: UTSC
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BIOA02H3
• Professor: Ivana Stehlik

Document Summary

Plant defense: plants feed the world, but they do not really want to do so , plant defense mechanisms, arms race between plants and herbivores. All non-plants depend directly or indirectly on plant food. Every plant is under constant threat of attack (=herbivory) Insects: feeding on plants day and night insects make up the biggest group of plant enemies / plant herbivores. Primary compounds compounds that are necessary for survival. Essential to normal cellular function and life in general. Secondary compounds= products have no known direct function in basic metabolism. Huge complexity of compounds, strict control of synthesis. Chemical weapons against herbivores: plants produce hundreds and thousands of different toxins which are more or less toxic to small organisms. Defense can be always present = systematic or. Induced (can be flip on and off) by herbivore attacks. Physical defense: mostly systemic needs tissues and organs to grow and it cannot happen fast.