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Ojeda S, Arancibia M, Gómez F, Sepúlveda IB, Orellana JI, Fontúrbel FE. Spatial aggregation patterns in four mistletoe species: ecological and environmental determinants. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2023; 25:1186-1195. [PMID: 37703542 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Plant spatial distribution is an important topic in ecology as it determines species coexistence and biodiversity dynamics. Usually, plants show clustered distributions in nature. Mistletoes are a good example of aggregated distributions, as they form dense aggregations due to several factors (availability of competent hosts, seed dispersal vectors, microclimate conditions). We analysed four native mistletoe species with divergent life histories and host ranges: Desmaria mutabilis and Tristerix corymbosus from the temperate rainforests of southern Chile; and Tristerix aphyllus and Tristerix verticillatus from the northern semi-desert zone. While T. corymbosus and T. verticillatus have a wide host range, T. aphyllus and D. mutabilis are specialists that can parasitize only a few plant species. We hypothesized that specialized species would be more aggregated due to ecological and environmental restrictions. We used heterogeneous Poisson models to quantify spatial aggregation. Three of the four mistletoe species were spatially clustered at both environments, with aggregation being stronger in the temperate rainforest of southern Chile and particularly in the host-specialist species. Our results suggest that environmental constraints are more important than ecological constraints (host range) in shaping mistletoe spatial structure. Mistletoe aggregated spatial distribution depends primarily on the environment that they inhabit, which conditions host spatial availability, and arrangement.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ojeda
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - M Arancibia
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - F Gómez
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - I B Sepúlveda
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - J I Orellana
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi), Valdivia, Chile
| | - F E Fontúrbel
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi), Valdivia, Chile
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Muñoz-Gallego R, Wiegand T, Traveset A, Fedriani JM. Sex-driven neighborhood effects on herbivory in the dioecious Mediterranean palm Chamaerops humilis L. Oecologia 2023; 203:151-165. [PMID: 37794240 PMCID: PMC10615982 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05457-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Although it is well recognized that the strength of plant-herbivore interactions can vary with the plant sex, the distance, and the density of conspecific neighbors, no study has yet assessed their combined influence. Here, we filled this knowledge gap by focusing on the dioecious palm Chamaerops humilis L., and its two main herbivores, the invasive moth Paysandisia archon Burmeister and the feral goat Capra hircus L. We evaluated levels and spatial patterns of herbivory, as well as those of plant size and number of inflorescences in two palm populations in Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). Our spatial point pattern analyses revealed that palms not affected by moth herbivory or goat florivory were spatially aggregated, goats fed more strongly upon inflorescences in palms with more neighbors, but they consumed more leaves in isolated palms. Interestingly, we could reveal for the first time that plant sex is a key plant trait modulating neighborhood effects. For instance, whereas aggregated female palms experienced lower intensity of goat florivory than isolated ones, male palms showed the opposite pattern. Palm size and number of inflorescences also showed sex-related differences, suggesting that sexual dimorphism is a key driver of the observed neighborhood effects on herbivory. Our study highlights the importance of considering relevant plant traits such as sex when investigating plant neighborhood effects, calling for further research to fully understand the dynamics governing plant-herbivore interactions in dioecious systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Muñoz-Gallego
- Global Change Research Group, Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (IMCDEA, CSIC-UIB), C/ Miquel Marquès, 21, 07190, Esporles, Balearic Islands, Spain.
| | - Thorsten Wiegand
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anna Traveset
- Global Change Research Group, Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (IMCDEA, CSIC-UIB), C/ Miquel Marquès, 21, 07190, Esporles, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Jose M Fedriani
- Desertification Research Centre (CIDE, CSIC), Crta. Moncada-Náquera, Km 4.5, 46113, Moncada, Valencia, Spain.
- Doñana Biological Station (EBD, CSIC), C/Americo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain.
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Ethnopharmacological Survey, Mineral and Chemical Content, In Vitro Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Activities of Aqueous and Organic Extracts of Chamaerops humilis L. var. argentea Andre Leaves. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 2022:1091247. [PMID: 36033551 PMCID: PMC9410792 DOI: 10.1155/2022/1091247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Introduction. The present study is carried out for the first time on Chamaerops humilis L. var. argentea Andre from the region of Taza using an ethnopharmacological survey, an experimental study of the mineralogical and chemical compositions, and evaluations of the antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Methods. After conducting the ethnopharmacological survey, a mineralogical and phytochemical study involving the preparation of aqueous and organic extracts was done. Essential oils were also extracted by hydrodistillation. Subsequently, qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses were performed. In vitro evaluation of antioxidant activities was performed by five tests (H2O2, DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and RP) and antibacterial activities by the disc method and determination of MIC and MBC. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to visualize the different correlations. Results. The different parts of the plant are used for the treatment of digestive disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. In addition, the leaves are rich in mineral compounds, catechic tannins, flavonoids, and sterols. However, they have some traces of essential oils. The quantitative analysis revealed that the ethanolic macerated had a higher content of total polyphenols (
EAG/g E) and catechic tannins (
EC/g E). This extract had a strong antioxidant capacity (H2O2 (
), DPPH (
), ABTS (
E AA/g E), FRAP (
E T/g E), and RP (
E AA/g E). The same extract had a bactericidal effect against Staphylococcus aureus. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that antioxidant activity was highly correlated with the chemical composition of C. humilis leaves; a high correlation was recorded between the total polyphenol content and ABTS (
), FRAP (
), DPPH (
), and PR (
) tests. In addition, cathectic tannins were highly correlated with the tests of DPPH (
) and ABTS (
). Flavonoids were similarly correlated with DPPH (
) and ABTS (
) tests. Conclusion. These results could justify the traditional use of the leaves of Chamaerops humilis in the region of Taza for the treatment of some diseases.
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Sorensen MC, Donoso I, Neuschulz EL, Schleuning M, Mueller T. Community‐wide seed dispersal distances peak at low levels of specialisation in size‐structured networks. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie C. Sorensen
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt Germany
- Dept of Integrative Biology, Univ. of Guelph Guelph ON Canada
| | - Isabel Donoso
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt Germany
| | | | | | - Thomas Mueller
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt Germany
- Dept of Biological Sciences, Goethe Univ. Frankfurt Frankfurt Germany
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Wang X, Jiang C, Jia C, Tai Y, Hou Y, Zhang W. A new digital method of data collection for spatial point pattern analysis in grassland communities. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:7851-7860. [PMID: 32760569 PMCID: PMC7391328 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
A major objective of plant ecology research is to determine the underlying processes responsible for the observed spatial distribution patterns of plant species. Plants can be approximated as points in space for this purpose, and thus, spatial point pattern analysis has become increasingly popular in ecological research. The basic piece of data for point pattern analysis is a point location of an ecological object in some study region. Therefore, point pattern analysis can only be performed if data can be collected. However, due to the lack of a convenient sampling method, a few previous studies have used point pattern analysis to examine the spatial patterns of grassland species. This is unfortunate because being able to explore point patterns in grassland systems has widespread implications for population dynamics, community-level patterns, and ecological processes. In this study, we developed a new method to measure individual coordinates of species in grassland communities. This method records plant growing positions via digital picture samples that have been sub-blocked within a geographical information system (GIS). Here, we tested out the new method by measuring the individual coordinates of Stipa grandis in grazed and ungrazed S. grandis communities in a temperate steppe ecosystem in China. Furthermore, we analyzed the pattern of S. grandis by using the pair correlation function g(r) with both a homogeneous Poisson process and a heterogeneous Poisson process. Our results showed that individuals of S. grandis were overdispersed according to the homogeneous Poisson process at 0-0.16 m in the ungrazed community, while they were clustered at 0.19 m according to the homogeneous and heterogeneous Poisson processes in the grazed community. These results suggest that competitive interactions dominated the ungrazed community, while facilitative interactions dominated the grazed community. In sum, we successfully executed a new sampling method, using digital photography and a geographical information system, to collect experimental data on the spatial point patterns for the populations in this grassland community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinting Wang
- School of Energy and Power EngineeringInner Mongolia University of TechnologyHohhotChina
| | - Chao Jiang
- Key of Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and RestorationInstitute of Grassland ResearchMinistry of AgricultureChinese Academy of Agriculture SciencesHohhotChina
| | - Chengzhen Jia
- Ecological and Agricultural Meteorological Center of Inner MongoliaHohhotChina
| | - Yang Tai
- Inner Mongolia Coral Environmental Technology Co., LtdHohhotChina
| | - Yali Hou
- School of Energy and Power EngineeringInner Mongolia University of TechnologyHohhotChina
| | - Weihua Zhang
- School of Energy and Power EngineeringInner Mongolia University of TechnologyHohhotChina
- Inner Mongolia Coral Environmental Technology Co., LtdHohhotChina
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Jácome‐Flores ME, Jordano P, Delibes M, Fedriani JM. Interaction motifs variability in a Mediterranean palm under environmental disturbances: the mutualism–antagonism continuum. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Miguel E. Jácome‐Flores
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC) Avenida Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja ES‐41092 Sevilla Spain
- Cátedras‐CONACyT, Centro de Cambio Global y Sustentabilidad, c/Centenario del Instituto Juárez s/n Villahermosa Tabasco Mexico
| | - Pedro Jordano
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC) Avenida Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja ES‐41092 Sevilla Spain
| | - Miguel Delibes
- Dept of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC) Seville Spain
| | - Jose M. Fedriani
- Dept of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC) Seville Spain
- Centre for Applied Ecology ‘Prof. Baeta Neves’/InBio, Univ. of Lisbon Lisbon Portugal
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García Y, Clara Castellanos M, Pausas JG. Differential pollinator response underlies plant reproductive resilience after fires. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2018; 122:961-971. [PMID: 29982299 PMCID: PMC6266102 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcy122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Assessing the resilience of plant-animal interactions is critical to understanding how plant communities respond to habitat disturbances. Most ecosystems experience some level of natural disturbance (e.g. wildfires) to which many organisms are adapted. Wildfires have structured biotic communities for millennia; however, the effects of fire on interactions such as pollination have only recently received attention. A few studies have shown that generalist plants can buffer the impact of fires by pollinator replacement, suggesting that the resilience to disturbance could depend on the level of specialization of the interactions. Here, we hypothesize that (1) fires could impose negative effects on plants with specialized pollination systems, and (2) in large wildfires, these negative effects will be stronger with increasing distance inside the burnt area because pollinators will need more time to recolonize. METHODS These questions were tested in the specialized pollination system of a widespread Mediterranean palm, Chamaerops humilis. The post-fire pollination resilience was assessed in replicated wildfires representing three post-fire ages by measuring the abundance of beetle pollinators and by estimating fruit set (i.e. the proportion of flowers setting fruits) in burnt and unburnt areas. To test for distance effects, plants were sampled along transects inside the burnt area. KEY RESULTS Despite a marked post-fire decline in the specialist pollinator, exacerbated by the distance from the fire's edge, the palm's fruit set was barely affected. The temporary replacement by a sap beetle at burnt sites - an effective pollinator that had not been previously recognized - provided post-fire reproductive resilience. CONCLUSIONS Differential pollinator responses to disturbance can ensure plant success even in plants with only two functionally similar pollinators. This highlights the importance of pollinator replacement and dynamics for the resilience of interactions and ultimately of plant reproduction in disturbance-prone ecosystems.
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Jácome-Flores ME, Delibes M, Wiegand T, Fedriani JM. Spatio-temporal arrangement of Chamaerops humilis inflorescences and occupancy patterns by its nursery pollinator, Derelomus chamaeropsis. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2018; 121:471-482. [PMID: 29300822 PMCID: PMC5838815 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcx177] [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: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Nursery pollination is a highly specialized interaction in which pollinators breed inside plant reproductive structures. Pollinator occupancy of host plants often depends on plant location, flowering synchrony and sex. The nursery pollination system between the dioecious dwarf palm Chamaerops humilis (Arecaceae) and the host-specific palm flower weevil Derelomus chamaeropsis was investigated. For the first time, sex, flowering synchrony and spatial distribution of plants was related to the occupancy probability and the abundance of D. chamaeropsis larvae, important traits influencing both pollinator and plant fitness. METHODS During the flowering season, all inflorescences in anthesis were counted every 12 d and a flowering synchrony index was calculated taking into account all possible correlations with generalized linear mixed models. To analyse the spatial structure of plants, larva occupancy and abundance, different techniques of spatial point pattern analysis were used. KEY RESULTS In total, 5986 larvae in 1063 C. humilis inflorescences were recorded over three consecutive seasons. Male inflorescences showed a higher presence and abundance of weevil larvae than females, but interestingly approx. 30 % of the females held larvae. Also, larvae occurred mainly in highly synchronous plants with a low number of inflorescences, perhaps because those plants did not lead to a resource dilution effect. There was no evidence of spatial patterns in larva occupancy or abundance at any spatial scale, suggesting high dispersal ability of adult weevil. CONCLUSIONS The results in a nursery-pollinated dioecious palm demonstrate that plant sex, flowering display and flowering synchrony act as additive forces influencing the presence and abundance of the specialized pollinator larvae. Contradicting previous results, clear evidence that female dwarf palms also provide rewarding oviposition sites was found, and thus the plant 'pays' for the pollination services. The findings highlight that plant local aggregation is not always the main determinant of pollinator attraction, whereas flower traits and phenology could be critical in specialized plant-pollinator interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Jácome-Flores
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), c/Américo Vespucio s/n, Seville, Spain
| | - Miguel Delibes
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), c/Américo Vespucio s/n, Seville, Spain
| | - Thorsten Wiegand
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ, Permoserstrasse, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, Germany
| | - José M Fedriani
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), c/Américo Vespucio s/n, Seville, Spain
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ, Permoserstrasse, Leipzig, Germany
- Technical University of Lisbon, Institute of Agronomy, Centre for Applied Ecology ‘Prof. Baeta Neves’/INBIO, Tapada da Ajuda, Lisboa, Portugal
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Jácome-Flores ME, Delibes M, Wiegand T, Fedriani JM. Spatial patterns of an endemic Mediterranean palm recolonizing old fields. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:8556-8568. [PMID: 28031807 PMCID: PMC5167057 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Revised: 08/20/2016] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Throughout Europe, increased levels of land abandonment lead to (re)colonization of old lands by forests and shrublands. Very little is known about the spatial pattern of plants recolonizing such old fields. We mapped in two 21-22-ha plots, located in the Doñana National Park (Spain), all adult individuals of the endozoochorous dwarf palm Chamaerops humilisL. and determined their sex and sizes. We used techniques of spatial point pattern analysis (SPPA) to precisely quantify the spatial structure of these C. humilis populations. The objective was to identify potential processes generating the patterns and their likely consequences on palm reproductive success. We used (1) Thomas point process models to describe the clustering of the populations, (2) random labeling to test the sexual spatial segregation, and (3) mark correlation functions to assess spatial structure in plant sizes. Plants in both plots showed two critical scales of clustering, with small clusters of a radius of 2.8-4 m nested within large clusters with 38-44 m radius. Additional to the clustered individuals, 11% and 27% of all C. humilis individuals belonged to a random pattern that was independently superimposed to the clustered pattern. The complex spatial pattern of C. humilis could be explained by the effect of different seed-dispersers and predators' behavior and their relative abundances. Plant sexes had no spatial segregation. Plant sizes showed a spatial aggregation inside the clusters, with a decreasing correlation with distance. Clustering of C. humilis is strongly reliant on its seed dispersers and stressful environmental conditions. However, it seems that the spatial patterns and dispersal strategies of the dwarf palm make it a successful plant for new habitat colonization. Our results provide new information on the colonization ability of C. humilis and can help to develop management strategies to recover plant populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel E Jácome-Flores
- Department of Conservation Biology Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC) Seville Spain
| | - Miguel Delibes
- Department of Conservation Biology Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC) Seville Spain
| | - Thorsten Wiegand
- Department of Ecological Modelling Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ Leipzig Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - José M Fedriani
- Department of Conservation Biology Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC) Seville Spain; Department of Ecological Modelling Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ Leipzig Germany; Technical University of Lisbon Institute of Agronomy Centre for Applied Ecology Lisboa Portugal
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