We are pleased to highlight a new collaborative study published in Functional Ecology. In the article, “Species-specific scents, targeted enemies: Volatile cues mediate predator attraction in willows,” the authors show that herbivore-induced volatile signals can shape predator attraction in a species-specific way. While inducible VOCs in Salix fragilis were linked to the recruitment of invertebrate predators, predator attraction in Salix cinerea was associated more strongly with constitutive chemical and visual traits. The study offers a mechanistic explanation for why indirect plant defences can differ so markedly even between closely related species.
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.70289
