Dry Season Leaf Production: An Escape from Herbivory

Leaves are especially vulnerable to herbivores during the ephemeral period of leaf expansion, and thus, aspects of leaf phenology may influence herbivore damage. Plants that produce leaves when insect abundance is low may temporally escape herbivores, and plants that produce leaves in synchronous flushes may satiate herbivores. In response to a dry season rain, individuals of Hybanthus prunifolius (Violaceae) produce flowers and leaves in synchrony. The relationship between dry season leaf production and herbivory was determined by comparing leaf damage among leaf cohorts produced during natural flushes (dry season) and experimentally delayed flushes (wet season). Herbivore damage of natural leaf cohorts (6%) was significantly lower than leaf cohorts that were produced in the wet season ( 18%). Dry season leaf production by H. prunifolius avoids the peak period of herbivore abundance at the beginning of the wet season.