Coley Phyllis D
Department of Biology, University of Utah, 84112, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Oecologia. 1986 Sep;70(2):238-241. doi: 10.1007/BF00379246.
The costs and benefits of defense by tannins were investigated for a neotropical tree, Cecropia peltata L. (Moraceae). Seedlings of equal age were grown under uniform conditions in a greenhouse for 18 months. Within a plant, leaf tannin concentrations measured in different years were highly correlated. Tannin concentrations differed substantially among individuals; plants with high tannin content had lower damage levels in herbivory experiments. The effects of tannin on herbivory appeared to be dosage dependent. There was, however, a cost associated with tannin production in terms of reduced leaf production.
对一种新热带树——蚁栖树（Cecropia peltata L.，桑科），研究了单宁防御的成本和收益。同龄幼苗在温室的统一条件下生长18个月。在一株植物内，不同年份测得的叶片单宁浓度高度相关。个体间的单宁浓度差异很大；在食草实验中，单宁含量高的植物损伤水平较低。单宁对食草作用的影响似乎取决于剂量。然而，就叶片产量降低而言，单宁的产生存在成本。
