Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Brazilian Journal of Botany https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-023-00919-3 ECOLOGY & BIOGEOGRAPHY - ORIGINAL ARTICLE Plants, get ready, the eating insects are coming! prime defense of Phaseolus vulgaris on plant resistance and tolerance mechanisms Adan Raymundo Ic‑Miz 1  · Horacio Salomón Ballina‑Gómez 1  · Esaú Ruiz‑Sánchez 1  · Kati Beatriz Medina‑Dzul 1  · Roberto Rafael Ruiz‑Santiago 1  · Jacques Fils Pierre 2  · Addy Patricia Pool‑Cruz 1  · Carlos Miguel Pereyda‑Pérez 1  · San German Bautista‑Parra 1 Received: 13 February 2023 / Revised: 15 August 2023 / Accepted: 20 August 2023 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Botanical Society of Sao Paulo 2023 Abstract In the last decade, attention has been drawn to a defense priming mechanism between plants of the same species through volatile organic compounds so that neighboring plants can prepare for the potential arrival of herbivorous insects. The induc- tion of plant response priming by Tetranychus urticae Koch (Tetranychidae) in Phaseolus vulgaris (Fabaceae) seedlings was evaluated through diferent communication pathways, focusing on resistance mechanisms (physical and chemical defenses: thickness, hardness, and foliar phenols) and plant tolerance (stem length, diameter, leaf area, and number of leaves). Five treatments were established: (1) Emitting seedling (with T. urticae); (2) direct communication (sender and recipient seedlings separated at 40 cm with free transfer of mites); (3) aerial communication (sender and recipient seedlings communicated aeri- ally at 40 cm, but physically excluded from T. urticae); (4) positive control (seedling isolated but with T. urticae); and (5) negative control (seedling isolated and without T. urticae). Plant defense priming responses were recorded, interestingly, by diferent means of communication: aerial for tolerance and direct for resistance. When responses were induced by air rather than directly, trade-ofs between plant resistance versus tolerance to herbivory were found. Notably, the principal compo- nent analysis showed a clear grouping of the variables of tolerance toward air communication and resistance toward direct communication. This strongly suggests the existence of diferent activation pathways for plant communication depending on tolerance and resistance mechanisms, a potential result of energy production costs. Keywords Plant–plant communication · Volatile organic compounds · Plant defense · Plant growth 1 Introduction In their natural environment, plants continually have to cope with multiple biotic (pathogenic or herbivorous) and abi- otic stressors (Pineda et al. 2010). Plants defend themselves against herbivores using a variety of strategies, including the production of specialized defense metabolites that are toxic and/or reduce their attractivity and digestibility (Schu- man and Baldwin 2016). In the case of induced defenses, chemical compounds act as barriers in response to attack (herbivores) or abiotic stress and are restricted to the cells surrounding the afected area (Glazebrook 2005). In the same way, plants can be prepared for the induction of their defenses by means of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) that are emitted by neighboring attacked plants (Yi et al. 2009). The term “communication between plants” (Rhoades 1983; Baldwin and Schultz 1983) has been established since mechanically damaged plants in the foliar area show higher concentrations and a higher synthesis rate of phenolic com- pounds, the same as undamaged plants that shared the same place. This occurs as a result of an airborne signal origi- nating in damaged tissues, which can stimulate biochemi- cal changes in neighboring plants, infuencing the feeding and growth of phytophagous insects (Baldwin and Schultz 1983; Hu et al. 2021). Volatile signals can facilitate systemic responses to localized herbivory even when internal signal transmission is limited by vascular connectivity, which is consistent with the short distances over which the plant * Horacio Salomón Ballina-Gómez horacio.bg@conkal.tecnm.mx 1 División de Estudios de Posgrado E Investigación, Tecnológico Nacional de México/Campus Conkal, Conkal, Yucatán, México 2 International Fertilizer Development Center, Muscle Shoals, AL 35662, USA