Hughes C L
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
Environ Health Perspect. 1988 Jun;78:171-4. doi: 10.1289/ehp.8878171.
Plants have physical and chemical mechanisms for defense from attack by animals. Phytochemical defenses that protect plants from attack by insects include antifeedants, insecticides, and insect growth regulators. Phytochemical options exist by which plants can modulate the fertility of the other major group of plant predators, vertebrate herbivores, and thereby reduce cumulative attacks by those herbivores. The success of such a defense depends upon phytochemical mimicry of vertebrate reproductive hormones. Phytoestrogens do mimic reproductive hormones and are proposed to be defensive substances produced by plants to modulate the fertility of herbivores.
植物具有物理和化学防御机制来抵御动物的攻击。保护植物免受昆虫侵害的植物化学防御物质包括拒食剂、杀虫剂和昆虫生长调节剂。植物可以通过一些植物化学物质来调节另一类主要的植物捕食者——脊椎动物食草动物的繁殖力，从而减少这些食草动物的累积攻击。这种防御的成功取决于对脊椎动物生殖激素的植物化学模拟。植物雌激素确实能模拟生殖激素，被认为是植物产生的防御物质，用于调节食草动物的繁殖力。
