Plant defense following the iron-maiden principle

(University of Bonn) Calcium phosphate is a typical component of teeth. It has recently been shown that plants of the rock nettle family also use this very hard mineral in their „ teeth " to defend themselves against their animal enemies. Botanists of Bonn University have now demonstrated that calcium phosphate is a lot more widespread in plants. Even thal cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) uses trichomes hardened with an incrustation of this biomineral to defend itself against enemies such as aphids.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news