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Factors Affecting Foliar Oregonin and Condensed Tannin in Red Alder (Alnus rubra Bong.): Phytochemicals Implicated In Defense Against Western Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma californicum Packard)

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Abstract

Past work shows a significant negative correlation between foliar oregonin concentration and western tent caterpillar (Malacosoma californicum Packard) feeding on red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.). Above an oregonin threshold of 20% leaf dry weight, little feeding by caterpillars is observed. Concentrations of defensive chemicals are influenced by plant genotype, environmental conditions, insect feeding, and the interactions of these factors. Our objective was to measure the effects of nitrogen (N) availability and wounding on foliar oregonin and condensed tannin concentrations in red alder genotypes. One-year-old seedlings from 100 half-sib red alder families were treated with two levels of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) for two growing seasons in a common garden. In the second year, leaves from 50 families from the fertilization experiment were used in a bioassay feeding experiment to determine the effects of N fertilization and genotype on WTC damage, and to identify a subset of 20 families with a range of damage to analyze for phytochemical composition. In separate experiments, wound-induction treatments were conducted outdoors and, in a greenhouse using the N treated trees in their third and fourth year, respectively. Foliar condensed tannin, oregonin and N concentrations were measured and ranked among the plant genotypes, and between the two N treatments and two wounding treatments. Results showed that oregonin and condensed tannin concentrations varied among the alder genotypes. Leaf N concentration was negatively correlated with concentration of oregonin. Neither of the measured phenolic compounds responded to wounding. The results suggest that red alder foliar oregonin and condensed tannin are likely constitutive defenses that are largely determined by genotype, and that the negative correlation of defense compounds with plant internal N status holds in this N-fixing tree.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) CREATE Program in Forests and Climate Change and from NSERC Discovery Grants to BJH and CPC. We thank the staff at the Cowichan Lake Research Station and the UVic Centre for Forest Biology for their technical assistance and support. In particular, thanks go to Samantha Robbins and Brad Binges for their help with lab analyses and greenhouse support. We also thank Steven Kiiskila and staff of the WFP Forestry Centre, Saanichton, for providing greenhouse and technical assistance. The invaluable comments from Dr. Cosmin Filipescu of the Pacific Forestry Centre are gratefully acknowledged.

Funding

This work was supported by NSERC Discovery Grants to BJH and CPC (Grant numbers NSERC DG RGPIN-2018-03763 and RGPIN-2020-06646).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Forest Biology and Department of Biology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Rd, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada

    Kennedy Boateng, Barbara J. Hawkins, Christin Fellenberg & C. Peter Constabel

  2. BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, P.O Box 9518 STN PROV GOVT, Victoria, BC, V8W 9C2, Canada

    Alvin Yanchuk

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  1. Kennedy Boateng
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Correspondence to Barbara J. Hawkins.

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Boateng, K., Hawkins, B.J., Yanchuk, A. et al. Factors Affecting Foliar Oregonin and Condensed Tannin in Red Alder (Alnus rubra Bong.): Phytochemicals Implicated In Defense Against Western Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma californicum Packard). J Chem Ecol 47, 680–688 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-021-01283-w

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