Herbivore deterrents

Some flavonoids, such as dicoumerol, can also serve as herbivore deterrents for mammals. Higher oligomeric forms of proanthocyanidins are feeding deterrents, or else they impair digestion due to their ability to precipitate proteins. This has been reviewed previously. 

Oliveira, P. S. (1997). The ecological function of extrafloral nectaries herbivore deterrence by visiting ants and reproductive output in Caryocar brasiliense (Caryocaraceae). Functional Ecology 11 323-330. 

Flavonoids as Herbivore Deterrents Flavonoids as Pollinator Attractants... 

Simple phenolics and flavonoids are often key determinants of the outcome of interactions with other organisms, including serving as allelopathic agents in interspecies plant-plant competition [Bais et al., 2004], acting as insect and herbivore deterrants [Feeny, 1970 Forkner et al., 2004 McAllister et al.,... 

Enzymatic complexes involved in flavonoid precursors [Achnine et al., 2004] and flavonoid biosynthesis are associated with the cytoplasmic side of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) [Stafford, 1974, 1981, 1991 Hrazdina et al., 1978, 1987 Hrazdina and Jensen, 1992 Winkel-Shirley, 1999 Liu and Dixon, 2001 Saslowsky and Winkel-Shirley, 2001]. However, flavonoids accumulate in multiple subcellular compartments and some are even extruded out of the cellular domain. Examples are flavonoids sequestered in the vacuole of specific cell layers and organs where they function as insect attractants or herbivore deterrents [Koes et al., 1994 Mol et al., 1998], extruded flavonoids that participate in allelopathic interactions or the establishment of symbiotic relationships with soil rhizobia [Martinoia et al., 1993 Paiva, 2000], cytosolic... 

Schmitt, T. M., Hay, M. E., and Lindquist, N., Antifouling and herbivore deterrent roles of seaweed secondary metabolites constraints on chemically-mediated coevolution, Ecology, 76, 107, 1995. 

Variations in plant nutrients and herbivore-deterrent plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) across a landscape create a chemically complex environment that may influence the distribution and abundance of animal species [9]. The defensive and nutritional chemistry of not majority, but many plant populations are highly variable [10], Spatial hotspots of highly palatable or highly unpalatable plants are ecologically important, because the probability of a plant being eaten depends not... 

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