Variation of the Time Course of Inducibility of Indirect Defenses According to Plant Tissue and Severity of Damage

Photo 1. Extrafloral nectar production by extrafloral nectaries located in vegetative parts (base of leaf petiole) in Qualea multiflora. Extrafloral nectar is mainly produced early in the morning (A–C) and at night (D) attracting mutualists ants (Photo 3) that protect the host plant against herbivore attack. Photo credit: Eduardo Calixto. Photo 2. Inflorescence of Qualea multiflora (A), which also bears extrafloral nectaries at the base of each flower bud (B). When extrafloral nectaries on leaves are active, which occurs on newly flushed leaves, extrafloral nectaries on inflorescences are not. When leaves are fully expanded, foliar extrafloral nectaries cease their activity, and inflorescence extrafloral nectaries start to produce nectar. Photo credit: Denise Lange. Photo 3. Ectatomma tuberculatum ant collecting nectar from Qualea multiflora. Note the drop of extrafloral nectar between its mandibles. Photo credit: Denise Lange. These photographs illustrate the article “Time course of inducibility of indirect responses in an ant-defended plant” by Eduardo S. Calixto, Kleber Del-Claro, Denise Lange, and Judith Bronstein published in Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ECY.4029