Van der Meijden presents a very simple model that illustrates the advantage of a genotype, with restrained stem growth, followed by triggering of accelerated stem growth after herbivory, over a genotype that invests all available resources in growth and is subject to herbivory afterwards. So, if the probability of being eaten is higher than 50%, any level of restrained growth is profitable. This conclusion means that the advantage of restrained stem growth is independent of how many resources are sacrificed to measure herbivory. Selection for the strategy described in this note requires a set of conditions: herbivory should be restricted to a limited period in time; plants should be subject to a high probability of attack; and finally, the timing of herbivory should be unpredictable from other environmental cues. The author concludes that the question remains whether we have any beneficial effects of herbivory.
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