Script of how plants defend themselves英美概况——纵览·博闻.pdf

1. This is a tomato plant, 2. and this is an aphid slowly killing the tomato plant 3. by sucking thejuice out of its leaves. 4. The tomato is putting up a fight using both physical and chemical defenses 5. to repel the attacking insects. 6. But thats not all. 7. The tomato is also releasing compounds that signal nearby tomato plants 8. to release their own insect repellent. 9. Plants are constantly under attack. 10. They face threats ranging from microscopic fungi and bacteria, 11. small herbivores, like aphids, caterpillars, and grasshoppers, 12. upto large herbivores, like tortoises, koalas, and elephants. 13. All are looking to devour plants to access the plentiful nutrients 14. and water intheir leaves, stems, fruits, and seeds. 15. But plants are ready with a whole series of internal and external defenses 16. that make them a much less appealing meal, 17. or even a deadly one. 18. Plants defenses start at their surface. 19. The bark covering tree trunks is full of lignin, 20. a rigid web of compounds thats toughto chew 21. and highly impermeable to pathogens. 22. Leaves are protected by a waxy cuticle 23. that deters insects and microbes. 24. Some plants go a stepfurther with painful structures 25. to warn would-be predators. 26. Thorns, spines, and prickles discourage bigger herbivores. 27. To deal with smaller pests, some plants leaves have sharp hair-like structures 28. called trichomes. 29. The kidney bean plant sports tiny hooks to stabthe feet of bed bugs 30. and other insects. 31. In some species, trichomes also dispense chemical irritants. 32. Stinging nettles release a mixture of histamine and othertoxins 33. that cause pain and inflammation whentouched. 34. For other plant species, the pain comes after an herbivores first bite. 35. Spinach, 36. kiwi fruit, 37. pineapple, 38. fuchsia 39. and rhubarb all produce microscopic needle-shaped crystals called raphides. 40. They can cause tiny wounds inthe insid