Abstract
Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) feeding preferences for Alaskan green alder (Alnus crispa) are governed by the concentrations of two deterrent secondary metabolites, pinosylvin and pinosylvin methyl ether. For instance, the preference of mature internodes over juvenile internodes was correlated with about a threefold increase in the levels of these compounds in the juvenile form. During the last year of the study, however, the levels of these compounds dropped below the threshold of avoidance in both types of internodes, resulting in nondiscriminatory use by hares even though the relative levels of these metabolites remained the same between the juvenile and mature form internodes. These conclusions are strongly supported with feeding bioassays using pure pinosylvin, pinosylvin methyl ether, and other less active secondary metabolites found in alder.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Asakawa, Y. 1970. Chemical constituents ofAlnus firma (Betulaceae). I. Phenyl propane derivatives isolated fromAlnus firma.Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 43:2223–2229.
Asakawa, Y. 1971. Chemical constituents ofAlnus sieboldiana (Betulaceae). II. The isolation and structure of flavonoids and stilbenes.Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 44:2761–2766.
Barikmo, J. 1976. Harens utnyhelse au bjork som vinter fod.Inst. Natl. Cons. N.L.H. Norway, 125 pp.
Bryant, J.P. 1981a. Phytochemical deterrence of snowshoe hare browsing by adventitious shoots of four Alaskan trees.Science 313:889–890.
Bryant, J.P. 1981b. The regulation of snowshoe hare feeding behavior during winter by plant antiherbivore chemistry, pp. 720–731,in K. Meyers and C.D. MacInnes (eds.). Proceedings 1st International Lagomorph Conference, Guelph University, Canada.
Bryant, J.P., andKuropat, P.J. 1980. Selection of winter forage by subarctic browsing vertebrates: The role of plant chemistry.Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 11:261–285.
Bryant, J.P., Wieland, G.D., Reichardt, P.B., Lewis, V.E., andMcCarthy, M.C. 1983a. Pinosylvin methyl ether deters snowshoe hare feeding on green alder.Science 222:1023–1025.
Bryant, J.P., Chapin, F.S., andKlein, D.R. 1983b. Carbon/nutrient balance of boreal plants in relation to vertebrate herbivory.Oikos 40:357–368.
Bryant, J.P.,Reichardt, P.B.,Clausen, T., andChapin, F.S., III. 1984. Adaption to resource availability as a determinant of chemical defense strategies in woody plants.In G.A. Cooper- Driver, T. Swain, and E. Conn (eds.). Chemically mediated interactions between plants and other organisms.Recent Adv. Phytochem. 19:219–237.
Bryant, J.P., Wieland, G.D., Clausen, T., andKuropat, P. 1985. Interactions of snowshoe hares and feltleaf willow in Alaska.Ecology 66:1564–1573.
Chapin, F.S., andKedrowski, R.A. 1983. Seasonal changes in nitrogen and phosphorus fractions and autumn retranslocation in evergreen and deciduous taiga trees.Ecology 64:376–391.
Coley, P.D. 1983. Herbivory and defensive characteristics of tree species in a lowland tropical forest.Ecol. Monogr. 53:209–233.
Feeny, P. 1976. Plant apparency and chemical defense, pp. 168–173,in J.W. Wallace, and R.L. Mansell (eds.). Biochemical Interactions between Plants and Insects. Plenum, New York.
Gordon, A.J., andFord, R.A. 1972. The Chemist's Companion: A Handbook of Practical Data, Techniques and References, p. 379. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Hart, J.H., andShrimpton, D.M. 1979. Role of stilbenes in resistance of wood to decay.Phytopathology 69:1138–1143.
Klein, D.R. 1977. Winter food preferences of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) in Alaska.Proc. Int. Congr. Game Biol. 13:266–275.
Kozlowski, T.T. 1971. Growth and Development of Trees, Vol. 1. Academic Press, New York, 462 pp.
Kramer, P.J., andKozlowski, T.T. 1979. Physiology of Woody Plants. Academic Press, New York.
Pehrson, A. 1980. Intake and utilization of winter food in the mountain hare (Lepustimidus L.)— a laboratory investigation. PhD dissertation. Department of Zoology, University of Stockholm, Sweden.
Pehrson, A. 1981. Winter food consumption and digestibility in caged mountain hares, pp. 732–742,in K. Meyers and D.C. MacInnes (eds.). Proc. 1st International Lagomorph Conference. Guelph University, Canada.
Pehrson, A. 1983. Digestibility and retention of food components in caged mountain hares (Lepus timidus L.) during the winter.Holarctic Ecol. 63:395–403.
Pehrson, A. 1984. Maximal winter browse intake in captive mountain hares.Finn. J. Game Res. 41:47–55.
Reichardt, P.B., Bryant, J.P., Clausen, T.P., andWieland, G. 1984. Defense of winterdormant Alaskan paper birch against snowshoe hare.Oecologia (Berlin) 65:58–69.
Rhoades, D.F., andCates, R.G. 1976. Toward a general theory of plant antiherbivore chemistry, pp. 168–213,in J.W. Wallace and R.L. Mansell (eds.). Biochemical Interactions between Plants and Insects. Plenum, New York.
Sinclair, A.R.E., Krebs, C.J., andSmith, J.N.M. 1982. Diet quality and food limitation in herbivores: The case of the snowshoe hare.Can. J. Zool. 60:889–897.
Still, W.D., Kahn, M., andMitra, A. 1978. Rapid Chromatographic technique for preparative separations with moderate resolution.J. Org. Chem. 43:2923–2924.
Sulkinoja, M. 1983. Lapin Koiuu. Oulun Yliopisto Pohjois Suomen Tutkimuslaitos C47:40–46.
Tahvanainen, J., Helle, E., Julkunen-Tiitto, R., andLavola, A. 1985. Phenolic compounds of willow bark as deterrents against feeding by mountain hare.Oecologia 66:319–323.
Wolf, J.O., andZasada, J. 1979. Moose habitat and forest succession on the Tanana river floodplain and Yukon-Tanana upland.Proc. North Am. Moose Conf. 16:238–254.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Clausen, T.P., Reichardt, P.B. & Bryant, J.P. Pinosylvin and pinosylvin methyl ether as feeding deterrents in green alder. J Chem Ecol 12, 2117–2131 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01020314
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01020314