@article{85ef07e106f74a17a6cc821c5d24c130,
title = "Putting plant resistance traits on the map: A test of the idea that plants are better defended at lower latitudes",
abstract = "It has long been believed that plant species from the tropics have higher levels of traits associated with resistance to herbivores than do species from higher latitudes. A meta-analysis recently showed that the published literature does not support this theory. However, the idea has never been tested using data gathered with consistent methods from a wide range of latitudes. We quantified the relationship between latitude and a broad range of chemical and physical traits across 301 species from 75 sites world-wide. Six putative resistance traits, including tannins, the concentration of lipids (an indicator of oils, waxes and resins), and leaf toughness were greater in high-latitude species. Six traits, including cyanide production and the presence of spines, were unrelated to latitude. Only ash content (an indicator of inorganic substances such as calcium oxalates and phytoliths) and the properties of species with delayed greening were higher in the tropics. Our results do not support the hypothesis that tropical plants have higher levels of resistance traits than do plants from higher latitudes. If anything, plants have higher resistance toward the poles. The greater resistance traits of high-latitude species might be explained by the greater cost of losing a given amount of leaf tissue in low-productivity environments.",
keywords = "Global patterns, Latitude, Leaf size, Leaf toughness, Lipid, Plant traits, Plant-animal interactions, Tannin",
author = "Moles, {Angela T.} and Wallis, {Ian R.} and Foley, {William J.} and Warton, {David I.} and Stegen, {James C.} and Bisigato, {Alejandro J.} and Lucrecia Cella-Pizarro and Clark, {Connie J.} and Cohen, {Philippe S.} and Cornwell, {William K.} and Will Edwards and Rasmus Ejrn{\ae}s and Therany Gonzales-Ojeda and Graae, {Bente J.} and Gregory Hay and Lumbwe, {Fainess C.} and Benjam{\'i}n Maga{\~n}a-Rodr{\'i}guez and Moore, {Ben D.} and Peri, {Pablo L.} and Poulsen, {John R.} and Ruan Veldtman and {von Zeipel}, Hugo and Andrew, {Nigel R.} and Boulter, {Sarah L.} and Borer, {Elizabeth T.} and Camp{\'o}n, {Florencia Fern{\'a}ndez} and Moshe Coll and Farji-Brener, {Alejandro G.} and {de Gabriel}, Jane and Enrique Jurado and Kyhn, {Line A.} and Bill Low and Mulder, {Christa P.H.} and Kathryn Reardon-Smith and Jorge Rodr{\'i}guez-Vel{\'a}zquez and Seabloom, {Eric W.} and Vesk, {Peter A.} and {van Cauter}, An and Waldram, {Matthew S.} and Zheng Zheng and Blendinger, {Pedro G.} and Enquist, {Brian J.} and Facelli, {Jose M.} and Tiffany Knight and Majer, {Jonathan D.} and Miguel Mart{\'i}nez-Ramos and Peter McQuillan and Prior, {Lynda D.}",
year = "2011",
month = aug,
doi = "10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03732.x",
language = "English",
volume = "191",
pages = "777--788",
journal = "New Phytologist",
issn = "0028-646X",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",
number = "3",
}