Within-Plant Variation in Defenses Watch Your Valuables

2 Within-Plant Variation in Defenses Watch Your Valuables  

The optimal defense theory predicts that the benefit/cost ratio of defenses will be maximized by natural selection. When a plant consists of different kinds of tissues, within-plant variation in defenses is predicted to depend on the value of the plant part for fitness and on its risk of becoming grazed. The more valuable the tissue is 

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