Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been found to mediate multiple ecological interactions of plants with other organisms. One of these functions includes the transmission of information to distal parts of the plant ore between plants. Specifically, plants can perceive herbivory-induced VOCs from damaged neighbors and, in anticipation oof oncoming herbivory, ready their chemical defenses. In the North American native goldenrod, Solidago altissima, the defensive function of information transfer is a function of the closeness of neighboring plants, or the connectedness of the population. Thus, in this case, the optimal response principle predicts that the emission of VOC-mediated information as well as the induction of resistance in response to VOCs are a function of neighborhood. Here we present data on how plants integrate spectral (neighborhood perception) and chemical (damage perception) information to optimize their response in anticipation of herbivory.