XVI International Botanical Congess

We examined anthocyanin effects on herbivory in two Viola pedata flower-color morphs, a light morph having five lilac-colored petals and a bicolored morph in which two of the petals are dark violet. Preference for morph leaf tissue was compared in the lab using two Lepidopteran herbivores, redbanded (RB) and obliquebanded (OB) leafrollers. Natural herbivory of the morphs was compared in the field. RB survived longer on light morph leaf tissue, but exhibited no preference. OB preferred light tissue but survival didn't differ. In the field, the proportion of plants that had tissue consumed did not differ between morphs, but the percentage of leaf area removed did differ between sites. These data support the idea that chemical defense in the bicolored morph is greater than in the light morph.