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Induced resistance in a brown alga: phlorotannins, genotypic variation and fitness costs for the crustacean herbivore

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Abstract

In the marine littoral, strong grazing pressure selects for macroalgal defenses such as the constitutive and inductive production of defense metabolites. Induced defenses are expected under spatiotemporally varying grazing pressure and should be triggered by a reliable cue from herbivory, thereby reducing grazing pressure via decreased herbivore preference and/or performance. Although induced resistance has frequently been demonstrated in brown macroalgae, it is yet to be investigated whether induced macroalgal resistance shows genetic variation, a prerequisite for evolutionary responses to selection. In addition, consequences of induced resistance on herbivore performance have rarely been tested while the role of brown algal phlorotannins as inducible defense metabolites remains ambiguous. Using preference bioassays, we tested various cues, e.g., natural grazing, waterborne cues or simulated grazing to induce resistance in the brown alga Fucus vesiculosus. Further, we investigated whether there are induced responses in phlorotannin content, genetic variation in induced resistance or incurred performance costs to the mesoherbivore isopod, Idotea baltica. We found that both direct grazing and waterborne grazing cues decreased the palatability of F. vesiculosus, while increasing the total phlorotannin content. Since the sole presence of the herbivore also increased the total soluble phlorotannins, yet failed to stimulate deterrence, we concluded that phlorotannins alone do not explain increased resistance. Induced resistance varied between algal genotypes and thus showed potential for evolutionary responses to variation in grazing pressure. Induced resistance also incurred performance costs for female I. baltica via reduced egg production. Our results show that the induced resistance of F. vesiculosus decreases grazing pressure by deterring herbivores as well as impairing their performance. Resistance may be induced in advance by waterborne cues and spread effectively throughout the F. vesiculosus belt. Through lowering herbivore performance, induced resistance may also reduce future grazing pressure by decreasing the population growth rate of I. baltica.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Elina Salo, Tiina Sojakka and Janika Ulenius for help in executing the experiments, Riitta Koivikko for analyzing the phlorotannins and the Archipelago Research Institute for use of their facilities. Comments by Hans Helenius, Lauri Oksanen, Kai Ruohomäki, Outi Vesakoski and two anonymous reviewers helped to improve the manuscript. The study was financed by the Academy of Finland (decision no. 213966 to V. J.). All the experiments conducted comply with the current laws of Finland.

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  1. Section of Ecology, University of Turku, Turku, 20014, Finland

    Fiia Haavisto, Tommi Välikangas & Veijo Jormalainen

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  1. Fiia Haavisto
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Correspondence to Fiia Haavisto.

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Communicated by Tony Underwood.

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Haavisto, F., Välikangas, T. & Jormalainen, V. Induced resistance in a brown alga: phlorotannins, genotypic variation and fitness costs for the crustacean herbivore. Oecologia 162, 685–695 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-009-1494-7

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