Chapter 12 includes a discussion of the various defense mechanisms utilized by plants. Onion plants have developed several creative means of discouraging their consumption by herbivores. The cells of the edible portion of the onion contain several different substances: alliinase (an enzyme) and sulfur compounds derived from the soil. When the cells of the onion are ruptured (as when they are bitten into by an animal), the substances combine. From your knowledge of onions, how would the new substance created by this combination deter its future consumption?

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The Answer of Chapter 12 includes a discussion of the various defense mechanisms utilized by plants. Onion plants have developed several creative means of discouraging their consumption by herbivores. The cells of the edible portion of the onion contain several different substances: alliinase (an enzyme) and sulfur compounds derived from the soil. When the cells of the onion are ruptured (as when they are bitten into by an animal), the substances combine. From your knowledge of onions, how would the new substance created by this combination deter its future consumption?

Chapter 12 Includes a Discussion of the Various Defense Mechanisms