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Cárdenas RE, Rodríguez-Ortega C, Utreras D, Forrister DL, Endara MJ, Queenborough SA, Alvia P, Menéndez-Guerrero PA, Báez S, Donoso DA. Long-term strict ant-plant mutualism identity characterises growth rate and leaf shearing resistance of an Amazonian myrmecophyte. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17813. [PMID: 39090121 PMCID: PMC11294366 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67140-4] [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: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Over 125 million years of ant-plant interactions have culminated in one of the most intriguing evolutionary outcomes in life history. The myrmecophyte Duroia hirsuta (Rubiaceae) is known for its mutualistic association with the ant Myrmelachista schumanni and several other species, mainly Azteca, in the north-western Amazon. While both ants provide indirect defences to plants, only M. schumanni nests in plant domatia and has the unique behaviour of clearing the surroundings of its host tree from heterospecific plants, potentially increasing resource availability to its host. Using a 12-year survey, we asked how the continuous presence of either only M. schumanni or only Azteca spp. benefits the growth and defence traits of host trees. We found that the continuous presence of M. schumanni improved relative growth rates and leaf shearing resistance of Duroia better than trees with Azteca. However, leaf herbivory, dry matter content, trichome density, and secondary metabolite production were the same in all trees. Survival depended directly on ant association (> 94% of trees died when ants were absent). This study extends our understanding of the long-term effects of strict ant-plant mutualism on host plant traits in the field and reinforces the use of D. hirsuta-M. schumanni as a model system suitable for eco-co-evolutionary research on plant-animal interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael E Cárdenas
- Museo de Zoología QCAZ, Laboratorio de Entomología y Herbario QCA, Laboratorio de Ecología de Plantas, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Av. 12 de Octubre 1076 y Roca, Apdo. 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador.
| | - Camila Rodríguez-Ortega
- Museo de Zoología QCAZ, Laboratorio de Entomología y Herbario QCA, Laboratorio de Ecología de Plantas, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Av. 12 de Octubre 1076 y Roca, Apdo. 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Daniel Utreras
- Museo de Zoología QCAZ, Laboratorio de Entomología y Herbario QCA, Laboratorio de Ecología de Plantas, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Av. 12 de Octubre 1076 y Roca, Apdo. 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Dale L Forrister
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apdo. 0843-03092, Balboa, Republic of Panama
| | - María-José Endara
- Grupo de Investigación en Ecología Evolutiva en los Trópicos-EETROP, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Simon A Queenborough
- Museo de Zoología QCAZ, Laboratorio de Entomología y Herbario QCA, Laboratorio de Ecología de Plantas, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Av. 12 de Octubre 1076 y Roca, Apdo. 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Pablo Alvia
- Estación Científica Yasuní, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Parque Nacional Yasuní, Orellana, Ecuador
| | - Pablo A Menéndez-Guerrero
- Laboratorio de Macroecología y Cambio Global, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Av. 12 de Octubre 1076 y Roca, Apdo. 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Selene Báez
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador
| | - David A Donoso
- Grupo de Investigación en Ecología Evolutiva en los Trópicos-EETROP, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador
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Mena S, Kozak KM, Cárdenas RE, Checa MF. Forest stratification shapes allometry and flight morphology of tropical butterflies. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201071. [PMID: 33081613 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of altitudinal and latitudinal gradients have identified links between the evolution of insect flight morphology, landscape structure and microclimate. Although lowland tropical rainforests offer steeper shifts in conditions between the canopy and the understorey, this vertical gradient has received far less attention. Butterflies, because of their great phenotypic plasticity, are excellent models to study selection pressures that mould flight morphology. We examined data collected over 5 years on 64 Nymphalidae butterflies in the Ecuadorian Chocó rainforest. We used phylogenetic methods to control for similarity resulting from common ancestry, and explore the relationships between species stratification and flight morphology. We hypothesized that species should show morphological adaptations related to differing micro-environments, associated with canopy and understorey. We found that butterfly species living in each stratum presented significantly different allometric slopes. Furthermore, a preference for the canopy was significantly associated with low wing area to thoracic volume ratios and high wing aspect ratios, but not with the relative distance to the wing centroid, consistent with extended use of fast flapping flight for canopy butterflies and slow gliding for the understorey. Our results suggest that microclimate differences in vertical gradients are a key factor in generating morphological diversity in flying insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián Mena
- Museo de Zoología QCAZ Invertebrados-Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Rafael E Cárdenas
- Museo de Zoología QCAZ Invertebrados-Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - María F Checa
- Museo de Zoología QCAZ Invertebrados-Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
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Differences among species in seed dispersal and conspecific neighbor effects can interact to influence coexistence. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s12080-020-00468-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Fortunel C, Stahl C, Heuret P, Nicolini E, Baraloto C. Disentangling the effects of environment and ontogeny on tree functional dimensions for congeneric species in tropical forests. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 226:385-395. [PMID: 31872884 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Soil water and nutrient availability are key drivers of tree species distribution and forest ecosystem functioning, with strong species differences in water and nutrient use. Despite growing evidence for intraspecific trait differences, it remains unclear under which circumstances the effects of environmental gradients trump those of ontogeny and taxonomy on important functional dimensions related to resource use, particularly in tropical forests. Here, we explore how physiological, chemical, and morphological traits related to resource use vary between life stages in four species within the genus Micropholis that is widespread in lowland Amazonia. Specifically, we evaluate how environment, developmental stage, and taxonomy contribute to single-trait variation and multidimensional functional strategies. We find that environment, developmental stage, and taxonomy differentially contribute to functional dimensions. Habitats and seasons shape physiological and chemical traits related to water and nutrient use, whereas developmental stage and taxonomic identity impact morphological traits -especially those related to the leaf economics spectrum. Our findings suggest that combining environment, ontogeny, and taxonomy allows for a better understanding of important functional dimensions in tropical trees and highlights the need for integrating tree physiological and chemical traits with classically used morphological traits to improve predictions of tropical forests' responses to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Fortunel
- AMAP (Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations), Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Clément Stahl
- UMR EcoFoG (Ecology of Guiana Forests), INRA, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles, 97379, Kourou, France
| | - Patrick Heuret
- AMAP (Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations), Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Eric Nicolini
- AMAP (Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations), Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Christopher Baraloto
- UMR EcoFoG (Ecology of Guiana Forests), INRA, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles, 97379, Kourou, France
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33133, USA
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Despland E, Santacruz PG. Top-down and bottom-up controls on an herbivore on a native and introduced plant in a tropical agricultural landscape. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8782. [PMID: 32206453 PMCID: PMC7075360 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent introduction in a tropical agricultural environment of a weedy open-habitat plant (Solanum myriacanthum) and subsequent host range expansion of a common forest-edge butterfly (Mechanitis menapis) onto that plant provides an opportunity to examine reconfiguration of tritrophic networks in human-impacted landscapes. The objectives of this study were (1) determine if the caterpillars on the exotic host are more or less limited by plant defenses (bottom-up forces) and if they experience enemy release (decrease of top-down pressure) and (2) define how anthropic open pasture habitat influences the herbivore’s tritrophic niche. Field and laboratory monitoring of larval survival and performance on a native (Solanum acerifolium) host plant and the exotic (S. myriacanthum) host plant were conducted in the Mindo Valley, Ecuador. Plant physical defenses were also measured. Results showed that larval mortality was mostly top-down on S. acerifolium, linked to parasitism, but mostly bottom-up on S. myriacanthum, possibly linked to observed increased plant defenses. Thus, in the absence of co-evolved relationships, herbivores on the exotic host experienced little top-down regulation, but stronger bottom-up pressures from plant defenses. These findings provide a rare empirical example of enemy-free space as a mechanism underlying host-range expansion. S. myriacanthum was less colonized in open pastures than in semi-shaded habitats (forest edges, thickets): fewer eggs were found, suggesting limited dispersal of adult butterflies into the harsh open environments, and the survival rate of first instar larvae was lower than on semi-shaded plants, likely linked to the stronger defenses of sun-grown leaves. These findings show how environmental conditions modulate the rewiring of trophic networks in heavily impacted landscapes, and limit a biocontrol by a native herbivore on an invasive plant in open habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Despland
- Biology Department, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Shelef O, Summerfield L, Lev-Yadun S, Villamarin-Cortez S, Sadeh R, Herrmann I, Rachmilevitch S. Thermal Benefits From White Variegation of Silybum marianum Leaves. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:688. [PMID: 31178888 PMCID: PMC6543541 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Leaves of the spiny winter annual Silybum marianum express white patches (variegation) that can cover significant surface areas, the outcome of air spaces formed between the epidermis and the green chlorenchyma. We asked: (1) what characterizes the white patches in S. marianum and what differs them from green patches? (2) Do white patches differ from green patches in photosynthetic efficiency under lower temperatures? We predicted that the air spaces in white patches have physiological benefits, elevating photosynthetic rates under low temperatures. To test our hypotheses we used both a variegated wild type and entirely green mutants. We grew the plants under moderate temperatures (20°C/10°C d/n) and compared them to plants grown under lower temperatures (15°C/5°C d/n). The developed plants were exposed to different temperatures for 1 h and their photosynthetic activity was measured. In addition, we compared in green vs. white patches, the reflectance spectra, patch structure, chlorophyll and dehydrin content, stomatal structure, plant growth, and leaf temperature. White patches were not significantly different from green patches in their biochemistry and photosynthesis. However, under lower temperatures, variegated wild-type leaves were significantly warmer than all-green mutants - possible explanations for that are discussed These findings support our hypothesis, that white variegation of S. marianum leaves has a physiological role, elevating leaf temperature during cold winter days.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oren Shelef
- Department of Natural Resources, Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Rishon LeZion, Israel
| | - Liron Summerfield
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Simcha Lev-Yadun
- Department of Biology and Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa–Oranim, Tivon, Israel
| | | | - Roy Sadeh
- The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ittai Herrmann
- The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shimon Rachmilevitch
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
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