Herbivores do not discriminate between leaves of female and hermaphrodite individuals of gynodioecious Daphne laureola (Thymelaeaceae)

The outcome of plant-animal interactions in dioecious plant species frequently depends on the gender of the plant individuals. It has even been proposed that these interactions could mediate the evolution of plant reproductive systems from hermaphroditism to dioecy. Gynodioecy is the most frequent intermediate stage in this evolutionary process, however, little is known about the relevance of gender dimorphism in plant-animal relationships others than pollination for gynodioecious species. In this study herbivores (Noctuid larvae) were used as subjective referees to detect differences between leaves of female and hermaphrodite Daphne laureola individuals. Larvae collected in the field were allowed to choose between leaves of female and hermaphrodite individuals at both flowering and fruiting period. There was no preference for either of the genders suggesting that the absence of male reproductive function in D. laureola shrubs does not cause dissimilarities in leaf characteristics that can affect herbivores.