Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Endophytes and Their Secondary Metabolites on Herbivory From Insects
Date of Award
5-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Plant and Environmental Science
Committee Chair/Advisor
Haibo Liu
Committee Member
Juang Chong
Committee Member
Dilrukshi Thavarajah
Abstract
Endophyte-infected plants have reduced the level of herbivory. The defense to herbivory can vary due to the metabolites in the plant and the method of feeding from the pest. Secondary metabolites produced by the endophytes are mainly alkaloids. The associations between endophytes and some alkaloid groups are studied in greater detail. The lack of research of certain alkaloid groups ultimately means that some alkaloids had more data that could be analyzed. As a result, the alkaloid groups were not evenly represented in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis analyzed the relative effectiveness of the metabolites or endophytes in each of the articles reviewed. Relative effectiveness was calculated by dividing the treatment value by the control and subtracting that from one. Relative effectiveness ranged from 0 (no effect) to 1 (high relative effectiveness). By using the meta-analysis, a correlation between secondary metabolites and their effect on herbivory would be presented. The meta-analysis consisted of three important and most commonly documented life history parameters of insects, namely; general survival, food consumption, and end weight. The relative effectiveness showed that the survival was most significantly decreased by the metabolite. This was then followed by the decrease of the weight of the pest. Food consumption was not affected by the metabolites generally, but in some cases, it increased with the type of metabolites present.
Recommended Citation
Taylor, Derrick, "Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Endophytes and Their Secondary Metabolites on Herbivory From Insects" (2023). All Theses. 4032.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/4032
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Entomology Commons, Horticulture Commons, Plant Biology Commons