Brittany RichardsonHow Inducible Defenses OccurBiology 2023Introduction to Inducible DefensesThroughout evolution, plants have evolved ways to communicate and respond with the world around them. Some of these interactions are methods of protecting themselves from potential predators. One category of defenses is known as constitutive defenses, which exist in the plant before herbivory takes place. Examples of these include thorns, hardness and trichomes. This type of defense comes at a cost to the plant, what we call a trade-off. In its development, the plant must devote valuable resources intended for the growth and formation of these defenses, which may or may not be necessary (Barton and Hanley 2013). The other group of defenses is called inducible defenses. These occur as or after herbivory, through a complex series of mechanisms that are not yet fully understood (Kempel et al. 2011). Inducible mechanisms result in the plant becoming toxic or less nutritious to the herbivore, or sometimes in the release of compounds that attract predators to attack the threat to the plant. Inducible defenses are also associated with trade-offs, although induced defenses are more regulated and it is not yet clear which is more beneficial to the plant (Baldwin and Wu 2009). Research into the mechanisms of induced defenses is ongoing and the defenses differ between plants. plant and herbivorous species. Researchers are gradually discovering small parts of this complex structure, a process made easier by a better understanding of genetics. By isolating a molecule produced during an induced defense and finding mutations lacking this phenotype, it is possible to f...... middle of paper ......luding herbivores and pathogens. MAPKs lead to pathways in the nucleus and chloroplasts (Baldwin and Wu 2009). They regulate hormonal signaling and transcription of defense-related genes (Baldwin and Wu 2009). Phosphorylation amplifies the signal systemically throughout the rest of the plant. This is made possible by plasmodesmata, which are necessary for communicating these stress signals to neighboring and distant cells, as shown in a study in which plants with a loss-of-function mutation in plasmodesmata proteins exhibited a defense response. diminished. (Bertea et al. 2012).ROS and NOIncrease in Ca2+ ions also leads to an increase in active oxygen species, ROS. These include molecules like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydronium ion and O2-. ROS are preceded and considered to be produced by NADPH oxidases (Baldwin and Wu 2009).