51
|
Volkova L, Roxburgh SH, Weston CJ, Benyon RG, Sullivan AL, Polglase PJ. Importance of disturbance history on net primary productivity in the world's most productive forests and implications for the global carbon cycle. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:4293-4303. [PMID: 29758588 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Analysis of growth and biomass turnover in natural forests of Eucalyptus regnans, the world's tallest angiosperm, reveals it is also the world's most productive forest type, with fire disturbance an important mediator of net primary productivity (NPP). A comprehensive empirical database was used to calculate the averaged temporal pattern of NPP from regeneration to 250 years age. NPP peaks at 23.1 ± 3.8 (95% interquantile range) Mg C ha-1 year-1 at age 14 years, and declines gradually to about 9.2 ± 0.8 Mg C ha-1 year-1 at 130 years, with an average NPP over 250 years of 11.4 ± 1.1 Mg C ha-1 year-1 , a value similar to the most productive temperate and tropical forests around the world. We then applied the age-class distribution of E. regnans resulting from relatively recent historical fires to estimate current NPP for the forest estate. Values of NPP were 40% higher (13 Mg C ha-1 year-1 ) than if forests were assumed to be at maturity (9.2 Mg C ha-1 year-1 ). The empirically derived NPP time series for the E. regnans estate was then compared against predictions from 21 global circulation models, showing that none of them had the capacity to simulate a post-disturbance peak in NPP, as found in E. regnans. The potential importance of disturbance impacts on NPP was further tested by applying a similar approach to the temperate forests of conterminous United States and of China. Allowing for the effects of disturbance, NPP summed across both regions was on average 11% (or 194 Tg C/year) greater than if all forests were assumed to be in a mature state. The results illustrate the importance of accounting for past disturbance history and growth stage when estimating forest primary productivity, with implications for carbon balance modelling at local to global scales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liubov Volkova
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Creswick, Vic., Australia
| | | | - Christopher J Weston
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Creswick, Vic., Australia
| | - Richard G Benyon
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia
| | | | - Philip J Polglase
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Creswick, Vic., Australia
| |
Collapse
|
52
|
Bahar NHA, Hayes L, Scafaro AP, Atkin OK, Evans JR. Mesophyll conductance does not contribute to greater photosynthetic rate per unit nitrogen in temperate compared with tropical evergreen wet-forest tree leaves. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2018; 218:492-505. [PMID: 29436710 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/23/2017] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Globally, trees originating from high-rainfall tropical regions typically exhibit lower rates of light-saturated net CO2 assimilation (A) compared with those from high-rainfall temperate environments, when measured at a common temperature. One factor that has been suggested to contribute towards lower rates of A is lower mesophyll conductance. Using a combination of leaf gas exchange and carbon isotope discrimination measurements, we estimated mesophyll conductance (gm ) of several Australian tropical and temperate wet-forest trees, grown in a common environment. Maximum Rubisco carboxylation capacity, Vcmax , was obtained from CO2 response curves. gm and the drawdown of CO2 across the mesophyll were both relatively constant. Vcmax estimated on the basis of intercellular CO2 partial pressure, Ci , was equivalent to that estimated using chloroplastic CO2 partial pressure, Cc , using 'apparent' and 'true' Rubisco Michaelis-Menten constants, respectively Having ruled out gm as a possible factor in distorting variations in A between these tropical and temperate trees, attention now needs to be focused on obtaining more detailed information about Rubisco in these species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nur H A Bahar
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Lucy Hayes
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Andrew P Scafaro
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Owen K Atkin
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - John R Evans
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
53
|
Prather CM, Belovsky GE, Cantrell SA, González G. Tropical herbivorous phasmids, but not litter snails, alter decomposition rates by modifying litter bacteria. Ecology 2018; 99:782-791. [PMID: 29603190 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Revised: 01/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Consumers can alter decomposition rates through both feces and selective feeding in many ecosystems, but these combined effects have seldom been examined in tropical ecosystems. Members of the detrital food web (litter-feeders or microbivores) should presumably have greater effects on decomposition than herbivores, members of the green food web. Using litterbag experiments within a field enclosure experiment, we determined the relative effects of common litter snails (Megalomastoma croceum) and herbivorous walking sticks (Lamponius portoricensis) on litter composition, decomposition rates, and microbes in a Puerto Rican rainforest, and whether consumer effects were altered by canopy cover presence. Although canopy presence did not alter consumers' effects, focal organisms had unexpected influences on decomposition. Decomposition was not altered by litter snails, but herbivorous walking sticks reduced leaf decomposition by about 50% through reductions in high quality litter abundance and, consequently, lower bacterial richness and abundance. This relatively unexplored but potentially important link between tropical herbivores, detritus, and litter microbes in this forest demonstrates the need to consider autotrophic influences when examining rainforest ecosystem processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chelse M Prather
- Department of Biological Sciences, Galvin Life Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, 46656, USA.,Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Site, Río Grande, PR 00745, Puerto Rico.,Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
| | - Gary E Belovsky
- Department of Biological Sciences, Galvin Life Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, 46656, USA.,Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Site, Río Grande, PR 00745, Puerto Rico
| | - Sharon A Cantrell
- Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Site, Río Grande, PR 00745, Puerto Rico.,Department of Biology, Universidad del Turabo Gurabo, Gurabo, PR 00778, Puerto Rico
| | - Grizelle González
- Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Site, Río Grande, PR 00745, Puerto Rico.,USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry, Jardín Botánico Sur, 1201 Calle Ceiba, Río Piedras, PR 00926, Puerto Rico
| |
Collapse
|
54
|
Schuldt A, Fornoff F, Bruelheide H, Klein AM, Staab M. Tree species richness attenuates the positive relationship between mutualistic ant-hemipteran interactions and leaf chewer herbivory. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.1489. [PMID: 28878067 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactions across trophic levels influence plant diversity effects on ecosystem functions, but the complexity of these interactions remains poorly explored. For example, the interplay between different interactions (e.g. mutualism, predation) might be an important moderator of biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships. We tested for relationships between trophobioses (facultative ant-hemipteran mutualism) and leaf chewer herbivory in a subtropical forest biodiversity experiment. We analysed trophobiosis and herbivory data of more than 10 000 trees along a tree species richness gradient. Against expectations, chewing damage was higher on trees with trophobioses. However, the net positive relationship between trophobioses and overall herbivory depended on tree species richness, being most pronounced at low richness. Our results point to indirect, positive effects of ant-tended sap suckers on leaf chewers, potentially by altering plant defences. Direct antagonistic relationships of trophobiotic ants and leaf-chewing herbivores-frequently reported to drive community-wide effects of trophobioses in other ecosystems-seemed less relevant. However, antagonistic interactions likely contributed to the attenuating effect of tree species richness, because trophobiotic ant and herbivore communities changed from monocultures to species-rich mixtures. Our findings, therefore, suggest that biodiversity loss might lead to complex changes in higher trophic level effects on ecosystem functions, mediated by both trophic and non-trophic interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Schuldt
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany .,Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108 Halle, Germany
| | - Felix Fornoff
- University of Freiburg, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Tennenbacherstr. 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108 Halle, Germany
| | - Alexandra-Maria Klein
- University of Freiburg, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Tennenbacherstr. 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Staab
- University of Freiburg, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Tennenbacherstr. 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
55
|
Hedwig D, Kienast I, Bonnet M, Curran BK, Courage A, Boesch C, Kühl HS, King T. A camera trap assessment of the forest mammal community within the transitional savannah-forest mosaic of the Batéké Plateau National Park, Gabon. Afr J Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ivonne Kienast
- Department of Primatology; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
| | | | | | - Amos Courage
- The Aspinall Foundation; Port Lympne Wild Animal Park; Hythe Kent UK
| | - Christophe Boesch
- Department of Primatology; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
| | - Hjalmar S. Kühl
- Department of Primatology; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv); Halle-Jena-Leipzig; Leipzig Germany
| | - Tony King
- The Aspinall Foundation; Port Lympne Wild Animal Park; Hythe Kent UK
| |
Collapse
|
56
|
|
57
|
Katz O. Extending the scope of Darwin's 'abominable mystery': integrative approaches to understanding angiosperm origins and species richness. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2018; 121:1-8. [PMID: 29040393 PMCID: PMC5786222 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcx109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Background and aims Angiosperms are the most species-rich group of land plants, but their origins and fast and intense diversification still require an explanation. Scope Extending research scopes can broaden theoretical frameworks and lines of evidence that can lead to solving this 'abominable mystery'. Solutions lie in understanding evolutionary trends across taxa and throughout the Phanerozoic, and integration between hypotheses and ideas that are derived from multiple disciplines. Key Findings Descriptions of evolutionary chronologies should integrate between molecular phylogenies, descriptive palaeontology and palaeoecology. New molecular chronologies open new avenues of research of possible Palaeozoic angiosperm ancestors and how they evolved during as many as 200Myr until the emergence of true angiosperms. The idea that 'biodiversity creates biodiversity' requires evidence from past and present ecologies, with changes in herbivory and resource availability throughout the Phanerozoic appearing to be particularly promising. Conclusions Promoting our understanding of angiosperm origins and diversification in particular, and the evolution of biodiversity in general, requires more profound understanding of the ecological past through integrating taxonomic, temporal and ecological scopes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ofir Katz
- Department of Geography and Environmental Development, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er-Sheva, Israel
- The Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Mt Massada, Tamar Regional Council, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
58
|
Rossetti MR, Tscharntke T, Aguilar R, Batáry P. Responses of insect herbivores and herbivory to habitat fragmentation: a hierarchical meta-analysis. Ecol Lett 2017; 20:264-272. [PMID: 28111900 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Revised: 08/30/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Loss and fragmentation of natural habitats can lead to alterations of plant-animal interactions and ecosystems functioning. Insect herbivory, an important antagonistic interaction is expected to be influenced by habitat fragmentation through direct negative effects on herbivore community richness and indirect positive effects due to losses of natural enemies. Plant community changes with habitat fragmentation added to the indirect effects but with little predictable impact. Here, we evaluated habitat fragmentation effects on both herbivory and herbivore diversity, using novel hierarchical meta-analyses. Across 89 studies, we found a negative effect of habitat fragmentation on abundance and species richness of herbivores, but only a non-significant trend on herbivory. Reduced area and increased isolation of remaining fragments yielded the strongest effect on abundance and species richness, while specialist herbivores were the most vulnerable to habitat fragmentation. These fragmentation effects were more pronounced in studies with large spatial extent. The strong reduction in herbivore diversity, but not herbivory, indicates how important common generalist species can be in maintaining herbivory as a major ecosystem process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María Rosa Rossetti
- Centro de Investigaciones Entomológicas de Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5016GCA Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Agroecology, Georg-August University, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ramiro Aguilar
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000JJC Córdoba, Argentina.,Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica (LANASE), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 58190 Morelia, México
| | - Péter Batáry
- Agroecology, Georg-August University, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
59
|
Denning KR, Foster BL. Flower visitor communities are similar on remnant and reconstructed tallgrass prairies despite forb community differences. Restor Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kathy R. Denning
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Kansas 1200 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence KS 66045 U.S.A
- Kansas Biological Survey University of Kansas 2101 Constant Avenue, Lawrence KS 66047 U.S.A
| | - Bryan L. Foster
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Kansas 1200 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence KS 66045 U.S.A
- Kansas Biological Survey University of Kansas 2101 Constant Avenue, Lawrence KS 66047 U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|
60
|
Lenhart PA. Using plant nutrient landscapes to assess Anthropocene effects on insect herbivores. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2017; 23:51-58. [PMID: 29129282 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2017.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2017] [Revised: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Global climate change will dramatically affect insect herbivores through changes in plant quality. Linking how multiple climate factors affect plant macronutrient content may be the most accurate way to understand the response of insect herbivores. Studies should embrace the complexity of interacting climate factors in natural systems and characterize shifts in multidimensional plant nutrient landscapes. This nutrient landscape simplifies interpretation of climate effects, although selection of appropriate currencies, scale, and interactions with allelochemicals present challenges. By assessing climate change through the filter of nutrient landscapes we could gain an understanding of how complex interacting climate change drivers affect the 'buffet' available to different insect herbivores.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul A Lenhart
- S-225 Agricultural Science Center N, Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
61
|
Maréchaux I, Chave J. An individual-based forest model to jointly simulate carbon and tree diversity in Amazonia: description and applications. ECOL MONOGR 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Maréchaux
- CNRS; Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier; ENFA; UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique); 118 route de Narbonne F-31062 Toulouse France
- AgroParisTech-ENGREF; 19 avenue du Maine F-75015 Paris France
| | - Jérôme Chave
- CNRS; Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier; ENFA; UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique); 118 route de Narbonne F-31062 Toulouse France
| |
Collapse
|
62
|
Matyssek R, Kozovits AR, Wieser G, King J, Rennenberg H. Woody-plant ecosystems under climate change and air pollution-response consistencies across zonobiomes? TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 37:706-732. [PMID: 28338970 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpx009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2016] [Accepted: 01/22/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Forests store the largest terrestrial pools of carbon (C), helping to stabilize the global climate system, yet are threatened by climate change (CC) and associated air pollution (AP, highlighting ozone (O3) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)). We adopt the perspective that CC-AP drivers and physiological impacts are universal, resulting in consistent stress responses of forest ecosystems across zonobiomes. Evidence supporting this viewpoint is presented from the literature on ecosystem gross/net primary productivity and water cycling. Responses to CC-AP are compared across evergreen/deciduous foliage types, discussing implications of nutrition and resource turnover at tree and ecosystem scales. The availability of data is extremely uneven across zonobiomes, yet unifying patterns of ecosystem response are discernable. Ecosystem warming results in trade-offs between respiration and biomass production, affecting high elevation forests more than in the lowland tropics and low-elevation temperate zone. Resilience to drought is modulated by tree size and species richness. Elevated O3 tends to counteract stimulation by elevated carbon dioxide (CO2). Biotic stress and genomic structure ultimately determine ecosystem responsiveness. Aggrading early- rather than mature late-successional communities respond to CO2 enhancement, whereas O3 affects North American and Eurasian tree species consistently under free-air fumigation. Insect herbivory is exacerbated by CC-AP in biome-specific ways. Rhizosphere responses reflect similar stand-level nutritional dynamics across zonobiomes, but are modulated by differences in tree-soil nutrient cycling between deciduous and evergreen systems, and natural versus anthropogenic nitrogen (N) oversupply. The hypothesis of consistency of forest responses to interacting CC-AP is supported by currently available data, establishing the precedent for a global network of long-term coordinated research sites across zonobiomes to simultaneously advance both bottom-up (e.g., mechanistic) and top-down (systems-level) understanding. This global, synthetic approach is needed because high biological plasticity and physiographic variation across individual ecosystems currently limit development of predictive models of forest responses to CC-AP. Integrated research on C and nutrient cycling, O3-vegetation interactions and water relations must target mechanisms' ecosystem responsiveness. Worldwide case studies must be subject to biostatistical exploration to elucidate overarching response patterns and synthesize the resulting empirical data through advanced modelling, in order to provide regionally coherent, yet globally integrated information in support of internationally coordinated decision-making and policy development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Matyssek
- Technische Universität München, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Chair of Ecophysiology of Plants, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, D-85354 Freising, Germany
| | - A R Kozovits
- Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Department of Biodiversity, Evolution and Environment, Campus Morro do Cruzeiro, Bauxita, 35.400-000 Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - G Wieser
- Department of Alpine Timberline Ecophysiology, Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - J King
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - H Rennenberg
- Chair of Tree Physiology, Institute of Forest Sciences, University of Freiburg, Georges-Koehler-Allee 53/54, D79110 Freiburg, Germany
- King Saud University, PO Box 2454, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
63
|
Rode M, Lemoine NP, Smith MD. Prospective evidence for independent nitrogen and phosphorus limitation of grasshopper (Chorthippus curtipennis) growth in a tallgrass prairie. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177754. [PMID: 28520785 PMCID: PMC5433754 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect herbivores play a pivotal role in regulating plant production and community composition, and their role in terrestrial ecosystems is partly determined by their feeding behavior and performance among plants of differing nutritional quality. Historically, nitrogen (N) has been considered the primary limiting nutrient of herbivorous insects, but N is only one of many potential nutrients important to insect performance. Of these nutrients, phosphorus (P) is perhaps the most important because somatic growth depends upon P-rich ribosomal RNA. Yet relatively few studies have assessed the strength of P-limitation for terrestrial insects and even fewer have simultaneously manipulated both N and P to assess the relative strengths of N- and P-limitation. Here, we tested for potential N and P limitation, as well as N:P co-limitation, on Chorthippis curtipennis (Orthoptera, Acrididae), an abundant member of arthropod communities of central US prairies. Our results demonstrate weak evidence for both N and P limitation of C. curtipennis growth rates in laboratory feeding assays. Importantly, P-limitation was just as strong as N-limitation, but we found no evidence for NP co-limitation in our study. Furthermore, nutrient limitation was not apparent in field studies, suggesting that insect growth rates may be predominately controlled by other factors, including temperature and predation. Our results suggest that P should be jointly considered, along with N, as a primary determinant of herbivore feeding behavior under both current and future climate conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Madison Rode
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Nathan P. Lemoine
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Melinda D. Smith
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
64
|
Asner GP, Martin RE, Anderson CB, Kryston K, Vaughn N, Knapp DE, Bentley LP, Shenkin A, Salinas N, Sinca F, Tupayachi R, Quispe Huaypar K, Montoya Pillco M, Ccori Álvarez FD, Díaz S, Enquist BJ, Malhi Y. Scale dependence of canopy trait distributions along a tropical forest elevation gradient. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 214:973-988. [PMID: 27349599 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Average responses of forest foliar traits to elevation are well understood, but far less is known about trait distributional responses to elevation at multiple ecological scales. This limits our understanding of the ecological scales at which trait variation occurs in response to environmental drivers and change. We analyzed and compared multiple canopy foliar trait distributions using field sampling and airborne imaging spectroscopy along an Andes-to-Amazon elevation gradient. Field-estimated traits were generated from three community-weighting methods, and remotely sensed estimates of traits were made at three scales defined by sampling grain size and ecological extent. Field and remote sensing approaches revealed increases in average leaf mass per unit area (LMA), water, nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) and polyphenols with increasing elevation. Foliar nutrients and photosynthetic pigments displayed little to no elevation trend. Sample weighting approaches had little impact on field-estimated trait responses to elevation. Plot representativeness of trait distributions at landscape scales decreased with increasing elevation. Remote sensing indicated elevation-dependent increases in trait variance and distributional skew. Multiscale invariance of LMA, leaf water and NSC mark these traits as candidates for tracking forest responses to changing climate. Trait-based ecological studies can be greatly enhanced with multiscale studies made possible by imaging spectroscopy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory P Asner
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Roberta E Martin
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Christopher B Anderson
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Katherine Kryston
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Nicholas Vaughn
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - David E Knapp
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Lisa Patrick Bentley
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Alexander Shenkin
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Norma Salinas
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
- Sección Química, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Avenida Universitaria 1801, San Miguel, Lima, 32, Perú
| | - Felipe Sinca
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Raul Tupayachi
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | | | - Milenka Montoya Pillco
- Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Av. de la Cultura, Nro. 733, Cusco, Perú
| | | | - Sandra Díaz
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET and FCEFyN, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Casilla de Correo 495, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Brian J Enquist
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0001, USA
- The Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM, 87501, USA
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| |
Collapse
|
65
|
Malhi Y, Girardin CAJ, Goldsmith GR, Doughty CE, Salinas N, Metcalfe DB, Huaraca Huasco W, Silva-Espejo JE, Del Aguilla-Pasquell J, Farfán Amézquita F, Aragão LEOC, Guerrieri R, Ishida FY, Bahar NHA, Farfan-Rios W, Phillips OL, Meir P, Silman M. The variation of productivity and its allocation along a tropical elevation gradient: a whole carbon budget perspective. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 214:1019-1032. [PMID: 27768811 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 07/12/2016] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Why do forest productivity and biomass decline with elevation? To address this question, research to date generally has focused on correlative approaches describing changes in woody growth and biomass with elevation. We present a novel, mechanistic approach to this question by quantifying the autotrophic carbon budget in 16 forest plots along a 3300 m elevation transect in Peru. Low growth rates at high elevations appear primarily driven by low gross primary productivity (GPP), with little shift in either carbon use efficiency (CUE) or allocation of net primary productivity (NPP) between wood, fine roots and canopy. The lack of trend in CUE implies that the proportion of photosynthate allocated to autotrophic respiration is not sensitive to temperature. Rather than a gradual linear decline in productivity, there is some limited but nonconclusive evidence of a sharp transition in NPP between submontane and montane forests, which may be caused by cloud immersion effects within the cloud forest zone. Leaf-level photosynthetic parameters do not decline with elevation, implying that nutrient limitation does not restrict photosynthesis at high elevations. Our data demonstrate the potential of whole carbon budget perspectives to provide a deeper understanding of controls on ecosystem functioning and carbon cycling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Cécile A J Girardin
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Gregory R Goldsmith
- Ecosystem Fluxes Group, Laboratory for Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen PSI, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Christopher E Doughty
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Norma Salinas
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
- Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Cusco, Peru
| | - Daniel B Metcalfe
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, SE 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | | | | | | | | | - Luiz E O C Aragão
- Remote Sensing Division, National Institute for Space Research, Av. dos Astronautas, 1.758, São José dos Campos, SP, 12227-010, Brazil
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Rossella Guerrieri
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications, CREAF c/o Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Edificio C, 08290, Cerdanyola, Barcelona, Spain
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP, UK
| | - Françoise Yoko Ishida
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Tropical Environmental and Sustainabilility Science, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld, 4870, Australia
| | - Nur H A Bahar
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Research School of Biology, Building 134, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - William Farfan-Rios
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
| | | | - Patrick Meir
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP, UK
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Research School of Biology, Building 134, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Miles Silman
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
| |
Collapse
|
66
|
Halvorson HM, Hall DJ, Evans‐White MA. Long‐term stoichiometry and fates highlight animal egestion as nutrient repackaging, not recycling, in aquatic ecosystems. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Halvor M. Halvorson
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Arkansas Fayetteville AR72701 USA
| | - Delaney J. Hall
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Arkansas Fayetteville AR72701 USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
67
|
Lemoine NP, Burkepile DE, Parker JD. Insect herbivores increase mortality and reduce tree seedling growth of some species in temperate forest canopy gaps. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3102. [PMID: 28344904 PMCID: PMC5363256 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2016] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect herbivores help maintain forest diversity through selective predation on seedlings of vulnerable tree species. Although the role of natural enemies has been well-studied in tropical systems, relatively few studies have experimentally manipulated insect abundance in temperate forests and tracked impacts over multiple years. We conducted a three-year experiment (2012-2014) deterring insect herbivores from seedlings in new treefall gaps in deciduous hardwood forests in Maryland. During this study, we tracked recruitment of all tree seedlings, as well as survivorship and growth of 889 individual seedlings from five tree species: Acer rubrum, Fagus grandifolia, Fraxinus spp., Liriodendron tulipifera, and Liquidambar styraciflua. Insect herbivores had little effect on recruitment of any tree species, although there was a weak indication that recruitment of A. rubrum was higher in the presence of herbivores. Insect herbivores reduced survivorship of L. tulipifera, but had no significant effects on A. rubrum, Fraxinus spp., F. grandifolia, or L. styraciflua. Additionally, insects reduced growth rates of early pioneer species A. rubrum, L. tulipifera, and L. styraciflua, but had little effect on more shade-tolerant species F. grandifolia and Fraxinus spp. Overall, by negatively impacting growth and survivorship of early pioneer species, forest insects may play an important but relatively cryptic role in forest gap dynamics, with potentially interesting impacts on the overall maintenance of diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan P. Lemoine
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Deron E. Burkepile
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - John D. Parker
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, United States
| |
Collapse
|
68
|
Payne CLR, Van Itterbeeck J. Ecosystem Services from Edible Insects in Agricultural Systems: A Review. INSECTS 2017; 8:insects8010024. [PMID: 28218635 PMCID: PMC5371952 DOI: 10.3390/insects8010024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2016] [Revised: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Many of the most nutritionally and economically important edible insects are those that are harvested from existing agricultural systems. Current strategies of agricultural intensification focus predominantly on increasing crop yields, with no or little consideration of the repercussions this may have for the additional harvest and ecology of accompanying food insects. Yet such insects provide many valuable ecosystem services, and their sustainable management could be crucial to ensuring future food security. This review considers the multiple ecosystem services provided by edible insects in existing agricultural systems worldwide. Directly and indirectly, edible insects contribute to all four categories of ecosystem services as outlined by the Millennium Ecosystem Services definition: provisioning, regulating, maintaining, and cultural services. They are also responsible for ecosystem disservices, most notably significant crop damage. We argue that it is crucial for decision-makers to evaluate the costs and benefits of the presence of food insects in agricultural systems. We recommend that a key priority for further research is the quantification of the economic and environmental contribution of services and disservices from edible insects in agricultural systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte L R Payne
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3QY, UK.
| | - Joost Van Itterbeeck
- College of Arts, Department of History, Rikkyo University, Tokyo 171-8501, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
69
|
Armstrong AJ, Blackmore A. Tsetse flies should remain in protected areas in KwaZulu-Natal. KOEDOE: AFRICAN PROTECTED AREA CONSERVATION AND SCIENCE 2017. [DOI: 10.4102/koedoe.v59i1.1432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
The proposal to eradicate tsetse flies from South Africa, including its protected areas, via the sequential aerosol technique combined with the sterile insect technique to reduce trypanosomiasis in cattle did not present an appropriate analysis of the impacts that implementation of the proposal would have on biodiversity. Not only would the implementation of the proposal be contrary to South African laws protecting and conserving biodiversity, but it would also have negative consequences for the conservation of biodiversity. Some of the negative consequences are reviewed, including extirpations and negative impacts on ecological and ecosystem processes and services. Alternative strategies to control trypanosomiasis in cattle effectively in a more environment-friendly manner are presently available and others will almost certainly become available in the not-too-distant future.Conservation implications: Environmental protection, promotion of conservation and sustainable use of the environment are all deeply seated in South Africa’s law. Rural livestock husbandry considerations and biodiversity conservation are not mutually exclusive and the importance of one cannot supersede the other. The eradication proposal is seen to be environmentally damaging and therefore it is concluded that the purpose of this proposed eradication exercise is unconstitutional, contrary to various multilateral agreements South Africa has entered into and contrary to good environmental governance.
Collapse
|
70
|
Zhang S, Zhang Y, Ma K. The association of leaf lifespan and background insect herbivory at the interspecific level. Ecology 2017; 98:425-432. [PMID: 27861782 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2016] [Revised: 10/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Herbivory is well known to be a major selective pressure that affects plant communities, but the leaf traits that mediate variations in herbivory at the interspecific level remain controversial. We collected published data on background insect herbivory and leaf traits from a wide variety of species to test the hypothesis that species with intermediate leaf lifespans, lower fiber, and higher nutrient contents in leaves should have higher levels of herbivory. We found that at the interspecific level herbivory had a hump-shaped relationship with leaf lifespan and a positive relationship with leaf size. Surprisingly, our data show that nutritional traits have little relationship to herbivory. Our study provides new insights relevant to the recent debate on leaf trait-herbivory relationships. These findings are especially helpful in explaining the general patterns of herbivory detected on the global scale.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Yuxin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Keming Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| |
Collapse
|
71
|
Wein A, Bauhus J, Bilodeau-Gauthier S, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Nock C, Staab M. Tree Species Richness Promotes Invertebrate Herbivory on Congeneric Native and Exotic Tree Saplings in a Young Diversity Experiment. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0168751. [PMID: 27992554 PMCID: PMC5161486 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Tree diversity in forests is an important driver of ecological processes including herbivory. Empirical evidence suggests both negative and positive effects of tree diversity on herbivory, which can be, respectively, attributed to associational resistance or associational susceptibility. Tree diversity experiments allow testing for associational effects, but evidence regarding which pattern predominates is mixed. Furthermore, it is unknown if herbivory on tree species of native vs. exotic origin is influenced by changing tree diversity in a similar way, or if exotic tree species escape natural enemies, resulting in lower damage that is unrelated to tree diversity. To address these questions, we established a young tree diversity experiment in temperate southwestern Germany that uses high planting density (49 trees per plot; plot size 13 m2). The species pool consists of six congeneric species pairs of European and North American origin (12 species in total) planted in monocultures and mixtures (1, 2, 4, 6 species). We assessed leaf damage by leaf-chewing insects on more than 5,000 saplings of six broadleaved tree species. Plot-level tree species richness increased leaf damage, which more than doubled from monocultures to six-species mixtures, strongly supporting associational susceptibility. However, leaf damage among congeneric native and exotic species pairs was similar. There were marked differences in patterns of leaf damage across tree genera, and only the genera likely having a predominately generalist herbivore community showed associational susceptibility, irrespective of the geographical origin of a tree species. In conclusion, an increase in tree species richness in young temperate forests may result in associational susceptibility to feeding by generalist herbivores.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Annika Wein
- Department of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Bauhus
- Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simon Bilodeau-Gauthier
- Centre for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Montréal, Centre-ville Station, QC H3C 3P8 Montréal, Canada
| | | | - Charles Nock
- Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Geobotany, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Staab
- Department of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
72
|
Zvereva EL, Hunter MD, Zverev V, Kozlov MV. Factors affecting population dynamics of leaf beetles in a subarctic region: The interplay between climate warming and pollution decline. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 566-567:1277-1288. [PMID: 27266523 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Revised: 05/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms by which abiotic drivers, such as climate and pollution, influence population dynamics of animals is important for our ability to predict the population trajectories of individual species under different global change scenarios. We monitored four leaf beetle species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) feeding on willows (Salix spp.) in 13 sites along a pollution gradient in subarctic forests of north-western Russia from 1993 to 2014. During a subset of years, we also measured the impacts of natural enemies and host plant quality on the performance of one of these species, Chrysomela lapponica. Spring and fall temperatures increased by 2.5-3°C during the 21-year observation period, while emissions of sulfur dioxide and heavy metals from the nickel-copper smelter at Monchegorsk decreased fivefold. However, contrary to predictions of increasing herbivory with climate warming, and in spite of discovered increase in host plant quality with increase in temperatures, none of the beetle species became more abundant during the past 20years. No directional trends were observed in densities of either Phratora vitellinae or Plagiodera versicolora, whereas densities of both C. lapponica and Gonioctena pallida showed a simultaneous rapid 20-fold decline in the early 2000s, remaining at very low levels thereafter. Time series analysis and model selection indicated that these abrupt population declines were associated with decreases in aerial emissions from the smelter. Observed declines in the population densities of C. lapponica can be explained by increases in mortality from natural enemies due to the combined action of climate warming and declining pollution. This pattern suggests that at least in some tri-trophic systems, top-down factors override bottom-up effects and govern the impacts of environmental changes on insect herbivores.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elena L Zvereva
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland.
| | - Mark D Hunter
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048, USA
| | - Vitali Zverev
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland
| | - Mikhail V Kozlov
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
73
|
Pugh TAM, Müller C, Arneth A, Haverd V, Smith B. Key knowledge and data gaps in modelling the influence of CO 2 concentration on the terrestrial carbon sink. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 203:3-15. [PMID: 27233774 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2016.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2016] [Revised: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 05/02/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Primary productivity of terrestrial vegetation is expected to increase under the influence of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations ([CO2]). Depending on the fate of such additionally fixed carbon, this could lead to an increase in terrestrial carbon storage, and thus a net terrestrial sink of atmospheric carbon. Such a mechanism is generally believed to be the primary global driver behind the observed large net uptake of anthropogenic CO2 emissions by the biosphere. Mechanisms driving CO2 uptake in the Terrestrial Biosphere Models (TBMs) used to attribute and project terrestrial carbon sinks, including that from increased [CO2], remain in large parts unchanged since those models were conceived two decades ago. However, there exists a large body of new data and understanding providing an opportunity to update these models, and directing towards important topics for further research. In this review we highlight recent developments in understanding of the effects of elevated [CO2] on photosynthesis, and in particular on the fate of additionally fixed carbon within the plant with its implications for carbon turnover rates, on the regulation of photosynthesis in response to environmental limitations on in-plant carbon sinks, and on emergent ecosystem responses. We recommend possible avenues for model improvement and identify requirements for better data on core processes relevant to the understanding and modelling of the effect of increasing [CO2] on the global terrestrial carbon sink.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T A M Pugh
- School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences and Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom; Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research-Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Kreuzeckbahnstraße 19, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
| | - C Müller
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany
| | - A Arneth
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research-Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Kreuzeckbahnstraße 19, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
| | - V Haverd
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, P.O. Box 3023, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
| | - B Smith
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
74
|
Asner GP, Knapp DE, Anderson CB, Martin RE, Vaughn N. Large-scale climatic and geophysical controls on the leaf economics spectrum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E4043-51. [PMID: 27354534 PMCID: PMC4948348 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1604863113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Leaf economics spectrum (LES) theory suggests a universal trade-off between resource acquisition and storage strategies in plants, expressed in relationships between foliar nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), leaf mass per area (LMA), and photosynthesis. However, how environmental conditions mediate LES trait interrelationships, particularly at large biospheric scales, remains unknown because of a lack of spatially explicit data, which ultimately limits our understanding of ecosystem processes, such as primary productivity and biogeochemical cycles. We used airborne imaging spectroscopy and geospatial modeling to generate, to our knowledge, the first biospheric maps of LES traits, here centered on 76 million ha of Andean and Amazonian forest, to assess climatic and geophysical determinants of LES traits and their interrelationships. Elevation and substrate were codominant drivers of leaf trait distributions. Multiple additional climatic and geophysical factors were secondary determinants of plant traits. Anticorrelations between N and LMA followed general LES theory, but topo-edaphic conditions strongly mediated and, at times, eliminated this classic relationship. We found no evidence for simple P-LMA or N-P trade-offs in forest canopies; rather, we mapped a continuum of N-P-LMA interactions that are sensitive to elevation and temperature. Our results reveal nested climatic and geophysical filtering of LES traits and their interrelationships, with important implications for predictions of forest productivity and acclimation to rapid climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory P Asner
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - David E Knapp
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305
| | | | - Roberta E Martin
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Nicholas Vaughn
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305
| |
Collapse
|
75
|
Sperfeld E, Halvorson HM, Malishev M, Clissold FJ, Wagner ND. Woodstoich III: Integrating tools of nutritional geometry and ecological stoichiometry to advance nutrient budgeting and the prediction of consumer‐driven nutrient recycling. OIKOS 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.03529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erik Sperfeld
- Leibniz‐Inst. of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) Dept Experimental Limnology Alte Fischerhütte 2 OT Neuglobsow DE‐16775 Stechlin Germany
- School of Biological Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre The University of Sydney Sydney Australia
| | | | - Matthew Malishev
- Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (CEBRA), School of BioSciences Univ. of Melbourne Melbourne VIC Australia
| | - Fiona J. Clissold
- Clissold, School of Biological Sciences and The Charles Perkins Centre The Univ. of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Nicole D. Wagner
- Environmental and Life Science Graduate Program Trent University, Peterborough ON Canada
- Environmental NMR Centre and Dept of Physical and Environmental Sciences Univ. of Toronto Scarborough ON Canada
| |
Collapse
|
76
|
Kozlov MV, Zvereva EL. Changes in the background losses of woody plant foliage to insects during the past 60 years: are the predictions fulfilled? Biol Lett 2016; 11:rsbl.2015.0480. [PMID: 26179805 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The existing scenarios generally predict that herbivory will increase with climate warming. An analysis of the published data on the background foliar losses of woody plants to insects in natural ecosystems across the globe from 1952 to 2013 provided no support for this hypothesis. We detected no temporal trend in herbivory within the temperate climate zone and a significant decrease in herbivory in the tropics. From 1964 to 1990, herbivory in the tropics was 39% higher than in the temperate region, but these differences disappeared by the beginning of the 2000s. Thus, environmental changes have already disturbed one of the global ecological patterns--the decrease in herbivory with latitude--by affecting ecosystem processes differently in tropical and temperate climate zones.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail V Kozlov
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland
| | - Elena L Zvereva
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
77
|
Asner GP, Martin RE. Convergent elevation trends in canopy chemical traits of tropical forests. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2016; 22:2216-27. [PMID: 26582427 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Accepted: 10/20/2015] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
The functional biogeography of tropical forests is expressed in foliar chemicals that are key physiologically based predictors of plant adaptation to changing environmental conditions including climate. However, understanding the degree to which environmental filters sort the canopy chemical characteristics of forest canopies remains a challenge. Here, we report on the elevation and soil-type dependence of forest canopy chemistry among 75 compositionally and environmentally distinct forests in nine regions, with a total of 7819 individual trees representing 3246 species collected, identified and assayed for foliar traits. We assessed whether there are consistent relationships between canopy chemical traits and both elevation and soil type, and evaluated the general role of phylogeny in mediating patterns of canopy traits within and across communities. Chemical trait variation and partitioning suggested a general model based on four interconnected findings. First, geographic variation at the soil-Order level, expressing broad changes in fertility, underpins major shifts in foliar phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca). Second, elevation-dependent shifts in average community leaf dry mass per area (LMA), chlorophyll, and carbon allocation (including nonstructural carbohydrates) are most strongly correlated with changes in foliar Ca. Third, chemical diversity within communities is driven by differences between species rather than by plasticity within species. Finally, elevation- and soil-dependent changes in N, LMA and leaf carbon allocation are mediated by canopy compositional turnover, whereas foliar P and Ca are driven more by changes in site conditions than by phylogeny. Our findings have broad implications for understanding the global ecology of humid tropical forests, and their functional responses to changing climate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory P Asner
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Roberta E Martin
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| |
Collapse
|
78
|
Landry J, Parrott L. Could the lateral transfer of nutrients by outbreaking insects lead to consequential landscape‐scale effects? Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jean‐Sébastien Landry
- Department of Geography and Global Environmental and Climate Change CentreMcGill UniversityMontréal Québec H3A 0B9 Canada
| | - Lael Parrott
- Earth & Environmental Sciences and BiologyIrving K. Barber School of Arts and SciencesUniversity of British Columbia Kelowna British Columbia V1V 1V7 Canada
| |
Collapse
|
79
|
Metcalfe DB, Crutsinger GM, Kumordzi BB, Wardle DA. Nutrient fluxes from insect herbivory increase during ecosystem retrogression in boreal forest. Ecology 2016; 97:124-32. [PMID: 27008782 DOI: 10.1890/15-0302.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Ecological theory, developed largely from ungulates and grassland systems, predicts that herbivory accelerates nutrient cycling more in productive than unproductive systems. This prediction may be important for understanding patterns of ecosystem change over time and space, but its applicability to other ecosystems and types of herbivore remain uncertain. We estimated fluxes of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from herbivory of a common tree species (Betula pubescens) by a common species of herbivorous insect along a -5000-yr boreal chronosequence. Contrary to established theory, fluxes of N and P via herbivory increased along the chronosequence despite a decline in plant productivity. The herbivore-mediated N and P fluxes to the soil are comparable to the main alternative pathway for these nutrients via tree leaf litterfall. We conclude that insect herbivores can make large contributions to nutrient cycling even in unproductive systems, and influence the rate and pattern of ecosystem development, particularly in systems with low external nutrient inputs.
Collapse
|
80
|
Adams MO, Fiedler K. Low Herbivory among Targeted Reforestation Sites in the Andean Highlands of Southern Ecuador. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0151277. [PMID: 26963395 PMCID: PMC4786223 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect herbivory constitutes an important constraint in the viability and management of targeted reforestation sites. Focusing on young experimental stands at about 2000 m elevation in southern Ecuador, we examined foliar damage over one season as a function of tree species and habitat. Native tree species (Successional hardwood: Cedrela montana and Tabebuia chrysantha; fast-growing pioneer: Heliocarpus americanus) have been planted among prevailing local landcover types (abandoned pasture, secondary shrub vegetation, and a Pinus patula plantation) in 2003/4. Plantation trees were compared to conspecifics in the spontaneous undergrowth of adjacent undisturbed rainforest matched for height and foliar volume. Specifically, we tested the hypotheses that H. americanus as a pioneer species suffers more herbivory compared to the two successional tree species, and that damage is inversely related to habitat complexity. Overall leaf damage caused by folivorous insects (excluding leafcutter ants) was low. Average leaf loss was highest among T. chrysantha (7.50% ± 0.19 SE of leaf area), followed by H. americanus (4.67% ± 0.18 SE) and C. montana (3.18% ± 0.15 SE). Contrary to expectations, leaf area loss was highest among trees in closed-canopy natural rainforest, followed by pine plantation, pasture, and secondary shrub sites. Harvesting activity of leafcutter ants (Acromyrmex sp.) was strongly biased towards T. chrysantha growing in open habitat (mean pasture: 2.5%; shrub: 10.5%) where it could result in considerable damage (> 90.0%). Insect folivory is unlikely to pose a barrier for reforestation in the tropical Andean mountain forest zone at present, but leafcutter ants may become problematic if local temperatures increase in the wake of global warming.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marc-Oliver Adams
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, Division of Tropical Ecology and Animal Biodiversity, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail:
| | - Konrad Fiedler
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, Division of Tropical Ecology and Animal Biodiversity, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
81
|
Turkington R, Harrower WL. An experimental approach to addressing ecological questions related to the conservation of plant biodiversity in China. PLANT DIVERSITY 2016; 38:2-9. [PMID: 30159444 PMCID: PMC6112190 DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2015.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Revised: 12/05/2015] [Accepted: 12/06/2015] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
We briefly introduce and describe seven questions related to community structure and biodiversity conservation that can be addressed using field experiments, and provide the context for using the vast geographic diversity, biodiversity, and network of Nature Reserves in China to perform these experiments. China is the world's third largest country, has a diverse topography, covers five climatic zones from cold-temperate to tropical, has 18 vegetation biomes ranging from Arctic/alpine tundra and desert to Tropical rain forest, and supports the richest biodiversity in the temperate northern hemisphere (>10% of the world total). But this tremendous natural resource is under relentless assault that threatens to destroy biodiversity and negatively impact the services ecosystems provide. In an attempt to prevent the loss of biodiversity, China has established 2729 nature reserves which cover 14.84% of the nation's area. Unfortunately underfunding, mismanagement, illegal activities, invasive species and global climate change threaten the effectiveness of these protected areas. Attention has focused on protecting species and their habitats before degradation and loss of either species or habitats occur. Here we argue that we must move beyond the simple protection of ecosystems, beyond their description, and by using experiments, try to understand how ecosystems work. This new understanding will allow us to design conservation programs, perform restoration of damaged or degraded areas, and address resource management concerns (e.g., agriculture, logging, mining, hunting) more effectively than with the current approach of ad hoc reactions to ecological and environmental problems. We argue that improving our understanding of nature can best be done using well designed, replicated, and typically manipulative field experiments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roy Turkington
- Botany Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - William L. Harrower
- Botany Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
82
|
Zhang S, Zhang Y, Ma K. Mutualism with aphids affects the trophic position, abundance of ants and herbivory along an elevational gradient. Ecosphere 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/es15-00229.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
|
83
|
Rowland L, da Costa ACL, Galbraith DR, Oliveira RS, Binks OJ, Oliveira AAR, Pullen AM, Doughty CE, Metcalfe DB, Vasconcelos SS, Ferreira LV, Malhi Y, Grace J, Mencuccini M, Meir P. Death from drought in tropical forests is triggered by hydraulics not carbon starvation. Nature 2015; 528:119-22. [DOI: 10.1038/nature15539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 370] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Accepted: 09/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
|
84
|
Quantification of Ant Manure Deposition in a Tropical Agroecosystem: Implications for Host Plant Nitrogen Acquisition. Ecosystems 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-015-9906-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
85
|
The equal effectiveness of different defensive strategies. Sci Rep 2015; 5:13049. [PMID: 26267426 PMCID: PMC4533318 DOI: 10.1038/srep13049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 07/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants have evolved a variety of defensive strategies to resist herbivory, but at the interspecific level, the relative effectiveness of these strategies has been poorly evaluated. In this study, we compared the level of herbivory between species that depend on ants as indirect defenders and species that rely primarily on their own direct defenses. Using a dataset of 871 species and 1,405 data points, we found that in general, ant-associated species had levels of herbivory equal to those of species that are unattractive to ants; the pattern was unaffected by plant life form, climate and phylogenetic relationships between species. Interestingly, species that offer both food and nesting spaces for ants suffered significantly lower herbivory compared to species that offer either food or nesting spaces only or no reward for ants. A negative relationship between herbivory and latitude was detected, but the pattern can be changed by ants. These findings suggest that, at the interspecific level, the effectiveness of different defensive strategies may be equal. Considering the effects of herbivory on plant performance and fitness, the equal effectiveness of different defensive strategies may play an important role in the coexistence of various species at the community scale.
Collapse
|
86
|
Muiruri EW, Rainio K, Koricheva J. Do birds see the forest for the trees? Scale-dependent effects of tree diversity on avian predation of artificial larvae. Oecologia 2015. [PMID: 26201260 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3391-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The enemies hypothesis states that reduced insect herbivory in mixed-species stands can be attributed to more effective top-down control by predators with increasing plant diversity. Although evidence for this mechanism exists for invertebrate predators, studies on avian predation are comparatively rare and have not explicitly tested the effects of diversity at different spatial scales, even though heterogeneity at macro- and micro-scales can influence bird foraging selection. We studied bird predation in an established forest diversity experiment in SW Finland, using artificial larvae installed on birch, alder and pine trees. Effects of tree species diversity and densities on bird predation were tested at two different scales: between plots and within the neighbourhood around focal trees. At the neighbourhood scale, birds preferentially foraged on focal trees surrounded by a higher diversity of neighbours. However, predation rates did not increase with tree species richness at the plot level and were instead negatively affected by tree height variation within the plot. The highest probability of predation was observed on pine, and rates of predation increased with the density of pine regardless of scale. Strong tree species preferences observed may be due to a combination of innate bird species preferences and opportunistic foraging on profitable-looking artificial prey. This study therefore finds partial support for the enemies hypothesis and highlights the importance of spatial scale and focal tree species in modifying trophic interactions between avian predators and insect herbivores in forest ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Evalyne W Muiruri
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK.
| | - Kalle Rainio
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
| | - Julia Koricheva
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
| |
Collapse
|
87
|
Maguire DY, James PM, Buddle CM, Bennett EM. Landscape connectivity and insect herbivory: A framework for understanding tradeoffs among ecosystem services. Glob Ecol Conserv 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2015.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
|
88
|
Mangels J, Blüthgen N, Frank K, Grassein F, Hilpert A, Mody K. Tree Species Composition and Harvest Intensity Affect Herbivore Density and Leaf Damage on Beech, Fagus sylvatica, in Different Landscape Contexts. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0126140. [PMID: 25938417 PMCID: PMC4418704 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2014] [Accepted: 03/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Most forests are exposed to anthropogenic management activities that affect tree species composition and natural ecosystem processes. Changes in ecosystem processes such as herbivory depend on management intensity, and on regional environmental conditions and species pools. Whereas influences of specific forest management measures have already been addressed for different herbivore taxa on a local scale, studies considering effects of different aspects of forest management across different regions are rare. We assessed the influence of tree species composition and intensity of harvesting activities on arthropod herbivores and herbivore-related damage to beech trees, Fagus sylvatica, in 48 forest plots in three regions of Germany. We found that herbivore abundance and damage to beech trees differed between regions and that – despite the regional differences - density of tree-associated arthropod taxa and herbivore damage were consistently affected by tree species composition and harvest intensity. Specifically, overall herbivore damage to beech trees increased with increasing dominance of beech trees – suggesting the action of associational resistance processes – and decreased with harvest intensity. The density of leaf chewers and mines was positively related to leaf damage, and several arthropod groups responded to beech dominance and harvest intensity. The distribution of damage patterns was consistent with a vertical shift of herbivores to higher crown layers during the season and with higher beech dominance. By linking quantitative data on arthropod herbivore abundance and herbivory with tree species composition and harvesting activity in a wide variety of beech forests, our study helps to better understand the influence of forest management on interactions between a naturally dominant deciduous forest tree and arthropod herbivores.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jule Mangels
- Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Kevin Frank
- Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Fabrice Grassein
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Hilpert
- Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Karsten Mody
- Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
89
|
Schuldt A, Bruelheide H, Härdtle W, Assmann T, Li Y, Ma K, von Oheimb G, Zhang J. Early positive effects of tree species richness on herbivory in a large-scale forest biodiversity experiment influence tree growth. THE JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2015; 103:563-571. [PMID: 26690688 PMCID: PMC4672697 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.12396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Accepted: 03/09/2015] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Despite the importance of herbivory for the structure and functioning of species-rich forests, little is known about how herbivory is affected by tree species richness, and more specifically by random vs. non-random species loss. We assessed herbivore damage and its effects on tree growth in the early stage of a large-scale forest biodiversity experiment in subtropical China that features random and non-random extinction scenarios of tree mixtures numbering between one and 24 species. In contrast to random species loss, the non-random extinction scenarios were based on the tree species' local rarity and specific leaf area - traits that may strongly influence the way herbivory is affected by plant species richness. Herbivory increased with tree species richness across all scenarios and was unaffected by the different species compositions in the random and non-random extinction scenarios. Whereas tree growth rates were positively related to herbivory on plots with smaller trees, growth rates significantly declined with increasing herbivory on plots with larger trees. Our results suggest that the effects of herbivory on growth rates increase from monocultures to the most species-rich plant communities and that negative effects with increasing tree species richness become more pronounced with time as trees grow larger. Synthesis. Our results indicate that key trophic interactions can be quick to become established in forest plantations (i.e. already 2.5 years after tree planting). Stronger herbivory effects on tree growth with increasing tree species richness suggest a potentially important role of herbivory in regulating ecosystem functions and the structural development of species-rich forests from the very start of secondary forest succession. The lack of significant differences between the extinction scenarios, however, contrasts with findings from natural forests of higher successional age, where rarity had negative effects on herbivory. This indicates that the effects of non-random species loss could change with forest succession.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Schuldt
- Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University LüneburgScharnhorststr. 1, D-21335, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, University of HalleAm Kirchtor 1, D-06108, Halle, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-LeipzigDeutscher Platz 5e, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Werner Härdtle
- Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University LüneburgScharnhorststr. 1, D-21335, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Thorsten Assmann
- Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University LüneburgScharnhorststr. 1, D-21335, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Ying Li
- Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University LüneburgScharnhorststr. 1, D-21335, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Keping Ma
- Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, 100093, China
| | - Goddert von Oheimb
- Institute of General Ecology and Environmental Protection, Technische Universität DresdenPienner Str. 7, D-01737, Tharandt, Germany
| | - Jiayong Zhang
- Institute of Ecology, Zhejiang Normal UniversityYinbing Road 688, 321004, Jinhua, China
| |
Collapse
|
90
|
Ensslin A, Rutten G, Pommer U, Zimmermann R, Hemp A, Fischer M. Effects of elevation and land use on the biomass of trees, shrubs and herbs at Mount Kilimanjaro. Ecosphere 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/es14-00492.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
|
91
|
Predation on artificial caterpillars is higher in countryside than near-natural forest habitat in lowland south-western Costa Rica. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467415000012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:Predation pressure is essential in regulating population dynamics of herbivorous insects. We used artificial caterpillars (25 × 4 mm) made from brown-or green-coloured plasticine to compare predation pressure between countryside and near-natural rain-forest habitat in the Gulfo Dulce region (Costa Rica). Within each habitat, 162 caterpillars were placed randomly on different substrates along a 1200-m transect and at heights between 0.5 and 2.0 m. Artificial caterpillars were inspected at 24-h intervals for 3 consecutive days. Predation pressure was almost twice as high for countryside (mean attack frequency per capita: 1.11 ± 0.08 SE) compared with rain forest (0.66 ± 0.07 SE). In both habitats arthropods emerged as chief predator group, followed by birds. Attacks by non-volant mammals were very rare and restricted to rain-forest sites. In the countryside, bird attacks were more than four times as common as in forest, indicating a change in their relative importance across habitats.
Collapse
|
92
|
Jones AG, Scullion J, Ostle N, Oakley S, Di Dio A, Gwynn-Jones D. Plant community composition and an insect outbreak influence phenol oxidase activity and soil–litter biochemistry in a sub-Arctic birch heath. Polar Biol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-014-1613-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
93
|
Hahn PG, Orrock JL. Land-use history alters contemporary insect herbivore community composition and decouples plant-herbivore relationships. J Anim Ecol 2014; 84:745-754. [PMID: 25418320 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2014] [Accepted: 10/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Past land use can create altered soil conditions and plant communities that persist for decades, although the effects of these altered conditions on consumers are rarely investigated. Using a large-scale field study at 36 sites in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) woodlands, we examined whether historic agricultural land use leads to differences in the abundance and community composition of insect herbivores (grasshoppers, families Acrididae and Tettigoniidae). We measured the cover of six plant functional groups and several environmental variables to determine whether historic agricultural land use affects the relationships between plant cover or environmental conditions and grasshopper assemblages. Land-use history had taxa-specific effects and interacted with herbaceous plant cover to alter grasshopper abundances, leading to significant changes in community composition. Abundance of most grasshopper taxa increased with herbaceous cover in woodlands with no history of agriculture, but there was no relationship in post-agricultural woodlands. We also found that grasshopper abundance was negatively correlated with leaf litter cover. Soil hardness was greater in post-agricultural sites (i.e. more compacted) and was associated with grasshopper community composition. Both herbaceous cover and leaf litter cover are influenced by fire frequency, suggesting a potential indirect role of fire on grasshopper assemblages. Our results demonstrate that historic land use may create persistent differences in the composition of grasshopper assemblages, while contemporary disturbances (e.g. prescribed fire) may be important for determining the abundance of grasshoppers, largely through the effect of fire on plants and leaf litter. Therefore, our results suggest that changes in the contemporary management regimes (e.g. increasing prescribed fire) may not be sufficient to shift the structure of grasshopper communities in post-agricultural sites towards communities in non-agricultural habitats. Rather, repairing degraded soil conditions and restoring plant communities are likely necessary for restoring grasshopper assemblages in post-agricultural woodlands.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philip G Hahn
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - John L Orrock
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| |
Collapse
|
94
|
Werner FA, Homeier J. Is tropical montane forest heterogeneity promoted by a resource‐driven feedback cycle? Evidence from nutrient relations, herbivory and litter decomposition along a topographical gradient. Funct Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Florian A. Werner
- Functional Ecology Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Oldenburg Carl‐von‐Ossietzkystraße 9‐11 D‐26111 Oldenburg Germany
| | - Jürgen Homeier
- Plant Ecology Albrecht von Haller Institute of Plant Sciences University of Göttingen Untere Karspüle 2 D‐37073 Göttingen Germany
| |
Collapse
|
95
|
Meehan TD, Couture JJ, Bennett AE, Lindroth RL. Herbivore-mediated material fluxes in a northern deciduous forest under elevated carbon dioxide and ozone concentrations. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2014; 204:397-407. [PMID: 25078062 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2014] [Accepted: 06/15/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and ozone (O3 ) are known to alter tree physiology and growth, but the cascading effects on herbivore communities and herbivore-mediated nutrient cycling are poorly understood. We sampled herbivore frass, herbivore-mediated greenfall, and leaf-litter deposition in temperate forest stands under elevated CO2 (c. 560 ppm) and O3 (c. 1.5× ambient), analyzed substrate chemical composition, and compared the quality and quantity of fluxes under multiple atmospheric treatments. Leaf-chewing herbivores fluxed 6.2 g m(-2) yr(-1) of frass and greenfall from the canopy to the forest floor, with a carbon : nitrogen (C : N) ratio 32% lower than that of leaf litter. Herbivore fluxes of dry matter, C, condensed tannins, and N increased under elevated CO2 (35, 32, 63 and 39%, respectively), while fluxes of N decreased (18%) under elevated O3 . Herbivore-mediated dry matter inputs scaled across atmospheric treatments as a constant proportion of leaf-litter inputs. Increased fluxes under elevated CO2 were consistent with increased herbivore consumption and abundance, and with increased plant growth and soil respiration, previously reported for this experimental site. Results suggest that insect herbivory will reinforce other factors, such as photosynthetic rate and fine-root production, impacting C sequestration by forests in future environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D Meehan
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
96
|
Asner GP, Martin RE, Carranza-Jiménez L, Sinca F, Tupayachi R, Anderson CB, Martinez P. Functional and biological diversity of foliar spectra in tree canopies throughout the Andes to Amazon region. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2014; 204:127-139. [PMID: 24942328 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Accepted: 05/11/2014] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Spectral properties of foliage express fundamental chemical interactions of canopies with solar radiation. However, the degree to which leaf spectra track chemical traits across environmental gradients in tropical forests is unknown. We analyzed leaf reflectance and transmittance spectra in 2567 tropical canopy trees comprising 1449 species in 17 forests along a 3400-m elevation and soil fertility gradient from the Amazonian lowlands to the Andean treeline. We developed quantitative links between 21 leaf traits and 400-2500-nm spectra, and developed classifications of tree taxa based on spectral traits. Our results reveal enormous inter-specific variation in spectral and chemical traits among canopy trees of the western Amazon. Chemical traits mediating primary production were tightly linked to elevational changes in foliar spectral signatures. By contrast, defense compounds and rock-derived nutrients tracked foliar spectral variation with changing soil fertility in the lowlands. Despite the effects of abiotic filtering on mean foliar spectral properties of tree communities, the spectra were dominated by phylogeny within any given community, and spectroscopy accurately classified 85-93% of Amazonian tree species. Our findings quantify how tropical tree canopies interact with sunlight, and indicate how to measure the functional and biological diversity of forests with spectroscopy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory P Asner
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Roberta E Martin
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Loreli Carranza-Jiménez
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Felipe Sinca
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Raul Tupayachi
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Christopher B Anderson
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Paola Martinez
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| |
Collapse
|
97
|
Dietze MC, Matthes JH. A general ecophysiological framework for modelling the impact of pests and pathogens on forest ecosystems. Ecol Lett 2014; 17:1418-26. [PMID: 25168168 PMCID: PMC4257091 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2014] [Accepted: 07/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Forest insects and pathogens (FIPs) have enormous impacts on community dynamics, carbon storage and ecosystem services, however, ecosystem modelling of FIPs is limited due to their variability in severity and extent. We present a general framework for modelling FIP disturbances through their impacts on tree ecophysiology. Five pathways are identified as the basis for functional groupings: increases in leaf, stem and root turnover, and reductions in phloem and xylem transport. A simple ecophysiological model was used to explore the sensitivity of forest growth, mortality and ecosystem fluxes to varying outbreak severity. Across all pathways, low infection was associated with growth reduction but limited mortality. Moderate infection led to individual tree mortality, whereas high levels led to stand-level die-offs delayed over multiple years. Delayed mortality is consistent with observations and critical for capturing biophysical, biogeochemical and successional responses. This framework enables novel predictions under present and future global change scenarios.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Dietze
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | |
Collapse
|
98
|
Seasonality of above-ground net primary productivity along an Andean altitudinal transect in Peru. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467414000443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:Solar irradiance and precipitation are the most likely drivers of the seasonal variation of net primary productivity (NPP) in tropical forests. Since their roles remain poorly understood, we use litter traps, dendrometer bands and census data collected from one hectare permanent plots to quantify the seasonality of above-ground NPP components and weather parameters in 13 sites distributed along a 2800-m altitudinal gradient ranging from lowland Amazonia to the high Andes. We combine canopy leaf area index and litterfall data to describe the seasonality of canopy production. We hypothesize that solar irradiance is the primary driver of canopy phenology in wetter sites, whereas precipitation drives phenology in drier systems. The seasonal rhythm of canopy NPP components is in synchrony with solar irradiance at all altitudes. Leaf litterfall peaks in the late dry season, both in lowland (averaging 0.54 ± 0.08 Mg C ha y−1, n = 5) and montane forests (averaging 0.29 ± 0.04 Mg C ha y−1, n = 8). Peaks in above-ground coarse woody NPP appears to be triggered by the onset of rainfall in seasonal lowland rain forests (averaging 0.26 ± 0.04 Mg C ha y−1, n = 5, in November), but not in montane cloud forests.
Collapse
|
99
|
Yang LH, Gratton C. Insects as drivers of ecosystem processes. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2014; 2:26-32. [PMID: 32846721 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2014.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2014] [Revised: 06/18/2014] [Accepted: 06/20/2014] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Insects and other small invertebrates are ubiquitous components of all terrestrial and freshwater food webs, but their cumulative biomass is small relative to plants and microbes. As a result, it is often assumed that these animals make relatively minor contributions to ecosystem processes. Despite their small sizes and cumulative biomass, we suggest that these animals may commonly have important effects on carbon and nutrient cycling by modulating the quality and quantity of resources that enter the detrital food web, with consequences at the ecosystem level. These effects can occur through multiple pathways, including direct inputs of insect biomass, the transformation of detrital biomass, and the indirect effects of predators on herbivores and detritivores. In virtually all cases, the ecosystem effects of these pathways are ultimately mediated through interactions with plants and soil microbes. Merging our understanding of insect, plant and microbial ecology will offer a valuable way to better integrate community-level interactions with ecosystem processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Louie H Yang
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, CA, United States.
| | - Claudio Gratton
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| |
Collapse
|
100
|
Bistolas KSI, Sakamoto RI, Fernandes JAM, Goffredi SK. Symbiont polyphyly, co-evolution, and necessity in pentatomid stinkbugs from Costa Rica. Front Microbiol 2014; 5:349. [PMID: 25076943 PMCID: PMC4097960 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2014] [Accepted: 06/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Interdomain symbioses with bacteria allow insects to take advantage of underutilized niches and provide the foundation for their evolutionary success in neotropical ecosystems. The gut microbiota of 13 micro-allopatric tropical pentatomid species, from a Costa Rican lowland rainforest, was characterized and compared with insect and host plant phylogenies. Like other families within the Pentatomomorpha, these insects (within seven genera—Antiteuchus, Arvelius, Edessa, Euschistus, Loxa, Mormidea, and Sibaria) house near-monocultures of gamma-proteobacteria in midgut crypts, comprising three distinct lineages within the family Enterobacteriaceae. Identity of the dominant bacteria (78–100% of the recovered 16S rRNA genes) was partially congruent with insect phylogeny, at the level of subfamily and tribe, with bacteria closely related to Erwinia observed in six species of the subfamily Pentatominae, and bacteria in a novel clade of Enterobacteriaceae for seven species within the subfamilies Edessinae and Discocephalinae. Symbiont replacement (i.e., bacterial “contamination” from the environment) may occur during maternal transmission by smearing of bacteria onto the egg surfaces during oviposition. This transmission strategy was experimentally confirmed for Sibaria englemani, and suspected for four species from two subfamilies, based on observation of egg probing by nymphs. Symbiont-deprived S. englemani, acquired via egg surface sterilization, exhibited significantly extended second instars (9.1 days compared with 7.9 days for symbiotic nymphs; p = 0.0001, Wilcoxon's rank with Bonferroni correction), slower linearized growth rates (p = 0.005, Welch 2-sample t-test), and qualitative differences in ceca morphology, including increased translucency of crypts, elongation of extracellular cavities, and distribution of symbionts, compared to symbiotic nymphs. Combined, these results suggest a role of the symbiont in host development, the reliable transference of symbionts via egg surfaces, and a suggestion of co-evolution between symbiont and tropical pentatomid host insects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - José A M Fernandes
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará Belém-Pará, Brazil
| | | |
Collapse
|