SREL Reprint #2073

Responses of invertebrate herbivores to stinging trichomes of Urtica dioica and Laportea canadensis

Tracey D. Tuberville1,2, Peter G. Dudley1, and A. Joseph Pollard1

1Dept of Biology, Furman Univ., Greenville, SC 29613, USA
2Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA

Abstract: We investigated whether stinging trichomes of two plant species, Urtica dioica and Laportea canadensis, are effective defenses against four species of invertebrate herbivores (Vanessa atalanta, Popillia japonica, Chortophaga viridifasciata, and Anguispira alternata). Feeding was compared on leaf pieces of contrasting stinging trichomes density, in petri-dish feeding trials. In addition, a test of snail movement over hairy and shaved L. canadensis stems was carried out. In no case was there significant evidence that stinging trichomes deter or interfere with feeding by these herbivores. Factors of body size and feeding behavior allow them to feed with little interference from nettle stings. Stinging trichomes are known to be effective against mammalian herbivores, and are well-suited to deterrence of large grazers. We therefore hypothesize that stinging has evolved as a defense against mammalian herbivory.

SREL Reprint #2073

Tuberville, T.D., P.G. Dudley, and A.J. Pollard. 1996.
Responses of invertebrate herbivores to stinging trichomes of Urtica dioica and Laportea canadensis. Oikos 75:83-88.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).