Data from: Visual and odours cues: plant responses to pollination and herbivory affect the behaviour of flower visitors

Plants evolved strategies to attract pollinators that are essential for
reproduction. However, plant defence against herbivores may trade off with
pollinator attraction. Here, we investigated the role of inducible plant
secondary metabolites in such a trade-off. Our objective was to reveal the
mechanisms underlying the effects of induced plant responses to
pollination and herbivory. We assessed how responses of plants to
pollination and insect herbivory affect the behaviour of flower visitors.
Subsequently, we investigated how the production of volatile and
non-volatile compounds changes after pollination and herbivory. Both
herbivores and pollinators induced important phenotypic changes in
flowers. Brassica nigra plants respond to pollination and herbivory with
changes in the profile of volatiles and non-volatiles of their flowers.
Our results show that butterflies use different cues when searching for an
oviposition site or a nectar source. Pollination status influenced the
behaviour of butterflies, but not that of syrphid flies. We discuss the
results in the context of the trade-off between defence and reproduction
in plants and suggest that systemic responses to herbivores can interfere
with local responses to pollination. Therefore, these responses must be
addressed in an integrated way because, in nature, plants are
simultaneously exposed to herbivores and pollinators.