Shifts in insect herbivory in the canopy of black locust, Robinia pseudo-acacia, after fertilization. Hargrove, W. W. Oikos, 1984.
Shifts in insect herbivory in the canopy of black locust, Robinia pseudo-acacia, after fertilization. [pdf]Paper  abstract   bibtex   
Black locust trees fertilized with N, P, and K initially incurred higher losses to chewing insects, but subsequently gained some protection from herbivory. This protection consisted of two distinct tactics: (1) a tolerance response, in which greater photosynthetic area was produced, and (2) a resistance response, in which insect preference shifted to foliage of non-fertilized trees. Consumption damage accrued in the foliage of control trees in a linear fashion throughout the season. Relative concentrations of five major macronutrients were statistically the same or greater in foliage of fertilized trees than in controls from mid-June through August. A small secondary leaf flush was observed exclusively in fertilized trees.

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