Departments of Biology and Chemistry, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104-5586.
Terpenes are a class of chemicals known to inhibit herbivory.
Leaves from male, female and juvenile plants were collected, and from these leaves the essential oil was extracted through steam distillation. From this oil, sesquiterpene, caryophyllene, and b-elemene have been positively identified and other compounds are in the process of being determined from consistently appearing peaks. Rates of herbivory significantly varied with light environment and between reproductive and vegetative plants. By examining gas chromatographs and mass spectra of samples in different light environments and with gender, we will determine possible differences in resource allocation for defense and how this relates to observed differences in rates of herbivory.