Changes in leaf mono- and sesquiterpene metabolism with nitrate availability and leaf age inHeterotheca subaxillaris

The concentration of leaf mono- and sesquiterpenes is greater in nitrate-limited than in nitrate-richHeterotheca subaxillaris plants and is highest in young leaves and declines with leaf age. To determine whether rates of volatile terpene synthesis and/or loss vary with nitrate availability and leaf age, incorporation of¹⁴C from photosynthetically fixed¹⁴CO₂ and the subsequent loss of label was measured in plants grown under nitrate-limited and nitrate-rich conditions.¹⁴C incorporation into mono- and sesquiterpenes was greater in nitrate-limited than in nitrate-rich plants and was highest in young leaves and declined with leaf age. Incorporation continued for several days after exposure, while loss of label was slow until leaves were 4–6 weeks old. These results suggest that the higher leaf volatile terpene content observed under nitrate limitation apparently results from increased synthesis per leaf and accumulation of mono- and sesquiterpenes in immature leaves of nitratepoor plants. Furthermore, volatile terpene synthesis is highest in young leaves, declines with leaf age, and is very low in older leaves. Carbon used for synthesis of this pool may be derived from both current photosynthesis as well as carbon transported to young leaves from older leaves. These data are consistent with hypotheses that predict that greater levels of carbon-based chemical defenses occur in plants under nutrient limitation. The apparent low metabolic cost of maintenance (i.e., slow turnover) of the accumulated terpenoid pool would limit the energetic cost of volatile terpenes as a chemical defense.