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Su GF, Chen J, Zhang L. The associational effects of host plant and mistletoe functional traits on leaf herbivory in mistletoe. Oecologia 2024; 204:213-225. [PMID: 38194086 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05508-5] [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: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Associational effects are a phenomenon in which herbivore damage on co-occurring plant species is influenced by neighboring plants. Mistletoes are a group of shrubs that obtain nutrients from host plants through haustoria. Despite the potential for mistletoe herbivory to be affected by associational effects with their hosts, the effects of host and mistletoe functional traits on mistletoe herbivory have been largely overlooked. This study aimed to evaluate the associational effects of host plants and the direct effects of mistletoe functional traits on mistletoe herbivory. To achieve this, we measured leaf herbivory and leaf traits of three mistletoe species (Dendrophthoe pentandra, Scurrula chingii var. yunnanensis, and Helixanthera parasitica) and their associated 11 host species during both dry and wet seasons. Our results showed that leaf herbivory of D. pentandra and S. chingii var. yunnanensis differed significantly on their respective host species, but H. parasitica did not. The relationships between mistletoe and the paired host herbivory differed between seasons, with a stronger positive relationship observed during the dry season. Furthermore, significant relationships were observed between paired leaf carbon, leaf nitrogen, and condensed tannin in mistletoes and their host plants, indicating that host plants can affect mistletoes' leaf functional traits. A group of mistletoe leaf traits provided significant predictions for leaf herbivory: leaves with higher leaf thickness and leaf total nitrogen showed higher herbivory. Overall, our study reveals that mistletoe leaf herbivory is directly affected by its leaf traits and indirectly affected by host associational effects, primarily through changes in mistletoes' leaf traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Fa Su
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China
- School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 65000, Yunnan, China
| | - Jin Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China
| | - Ling Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China.
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2
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Felix JA, Stevenson PC, Koricheva J. Plant neighbourhood diversity effects on leaf traits: A meta-analysis. Funct Ecol 2023; 37:3150-3163. [PMID: 38505132 PMCID: PMC10946959 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Leaf traits often vary with plant neighbourhood composition, which in turn may mediate plant susceptibility to herbivory. However, it is unknown whether there are any common patterns of change in leaf trait expression in response to neighbourhood diversity, and whether these responses confer increased resistance or susceptibility to herbivores.We used meta-analysis to combine data from 43 studies that examined the influence of neighbourhood diversity on eight physical and chemical leaf traits that could affect herbivory. All leaf traits apart from leaf thickness were highly plastic and exhibited significant differences between plant monocultures and species mixtures, but the direction of effect was variable. Leaf toughness was the only trait that displayed a significant decrease with plant diversity, whereas specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf nitrogen were both marginally increased in species mixtures.The magnitude and direction of leaf trait responses to neighbourhood diversity were independent of plant density and phylogenetic diversity, but changes in SLA correlated positively with plant species richness. SLA was also significantly increased in experimental studies, but not in observational studies, while neighbourhoods containing nitrogen-fixers were associated with increased leaf nitrogen and reduced phenolics. When studies on the over-represented species Betula pendula were removed from the analysis, the effect of neighbourhood diversity on leaf toughness became nonsignificant, but phenolics were significantly reduced in diverse neighbourhoods composed of mature trees, and marginally reduced in species mixtures across all studies.Increases in plant neighbourhood diversity are often associated with reductions of herbivory, although in some cases, the reverse occurs, and plants growing in species mixtures are found to suffer greater herbivory than those in monocultures. This study offers a potential explanation for the latter phenomenon, as our results show that leaf trait expression is highly plastic in response to neighbourhood diversity, and in certain cases could lead to increased leaf quality, which in turn could promote greater rates of herbivory. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juri A. Felix
- Department of Biological SciencesRoyal Holloway University of LondonEghamUK
- Royal Botanic GardensKewUK
| | | | - Julia Koricheva
- Department of Biological SciencesRoyal Holloway University of LondonEghamUK
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3
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Holmes KD, Getman-Pickering ZL, Mudrak EL, Power AG. Plant susceptibility to a shared herbivore is reduced by belowground competition with neighbors. Oecologia 2023; 203:113-124. [PMID: 37831152 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05454-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Spatial variation in plant community composition is an important driver of variation in susceptibility to herbivores. In close proximity, certain neighbors can attract or repel herbivores to a focal plant ("associational effects"). Neighboring plants may also compete for resources, modifying their phenotype in ways that affect susceptibility to herbivores. To test whether and how competition contributes to associational effects, we manipulated the sharing of belowground resources among plant neighbors (spotted Joe Pye weed and common boneset) that serve as alternate hosts for an herbivorous beetle. In the field, the beetle Ophraella notata laid more eggs and inflicted more damage on plants of both species that were released from belowground competition with neighbors. Competition also weakened the effects of neighbor identity during field trials, reducing associational susceptibility. When beetles were forced to choose between the two host species in cage trials, competition again reduced beetle use of Joe Pye weed as a secondary host. To test the role of plant traits related to herbivore defense and nutrition, we quantified leaf protein, specific leaf area, and trichomes, and conducted behavioral assays on leaf disks. Beetles did not distinguish between Joe Pye weed treatments at the leaf disk level, and competition did not impact specific leaf area and protein. Trichome density was higher in both species in the preferred treatment. Overall, our results suggest that belowground interactions between plants may mediate the strength of associational effects, as secondary hosts become more attractive when released from competition with primary host plants.
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4
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Schwegmann S, Mörsdorf M, Bhardwaj M, Storch I. Effects of understory characteristics on browsing patterns of roe deer in central European mountain forests. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10431. [PMID: 37589040 PMCID: PMC10425343 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Selective browsing by deer on young trees may impede the management goal of increasing forest resilience against climate change and other disturbances. Deer population density is often considered the main driver of browsing impacts on young trees, however, a range of other variables such as food availability also affect this relationship. In this study, we use browsing survey data from 135 research plots to explore patterns of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) browsing pressure on woody plants in mountainous forests in central Europe. We fitted species-specific generalised linear mixed models for eight woody taxa, assessing the potential effects of understory characteristics, roe deer abundance and lying deadwood on browsing intensity. Our study reveals conspecific and associational effects for woody taxa that are intermediately browsed by roe deer. Selective browsing pressure was mediated by preferences of plants, in that, browsing of strongly preferred woody taxa as for example mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) and of least preferred woody taxa, for example Norway spruce (Picea abies) was not affected by the surrounding understory vegetation, while browsing pressure on intermediately browsed species like for example silver fir (Abies alba) was affected by understory characteristics. Contrary to our expectations, roe deer abundance was only positively associated with browsing pressure on silver fir and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), while all other plants were unaffected by deer abundance. Finally, we did not find an influence of lying deadwood volume on the browsing pressure on any woody-plant species. Overall, our results indicate that patterns in browsing preference and intensity are species-specific processes and are partly affected by the surrounding understory vegetation. Current management strategies that aim to reduce browsing pressure through culling may be inefficient as they do not address other drivers of browsing pressure. However, managers also need to consider the characteristics of the local understory vegetation in addition to deer abundance and design species-specific plans to reduce browsing on woody plant taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Manisha Bhardwaj
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and ManagementUniversity of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Ilse Storch
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and ManagementUniversity of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
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5
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Hahn PG, Cammarano JH. Environmental context and herbivore traits mediate the strength of associational effects in a meta‐analysis of crop diversity. J Appl Ecol 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Philip G. Hahn
- Department of Entomology & Nematology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | - Joseph H. Cammarano
- Department of Entomology & Nematology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
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6
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Kaczmarek JM, Kaczmarski M, Mazurkiewicz J, Kloskowski J. Forget the toad and eat the frog: no associational protection against fish from a chemically defended toad to a later-breeding anuran species. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2021.1967455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jan M. Kaczmarek
- Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, Poznań 60-625, Poland
| | - Mikołaj Kaczmarski
- Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, Poznań 60-625, Poland
| | - Jan Mazurkiewicz
- Department of Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, Poznań 60-625, Poland
| | - Janusz Kloskowski
- Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, Poznań 60-625, Poland
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7
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Induced resistance mitigates the effect of plant neighbors on susceptibility to herbivores. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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8
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Simon RN, Fortin D. Crop raiders in an ecological trap: optimal foraging individual-based modeling quantifies the effect of alternate crops. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 30:e02111. [PMID: 32112455 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Crop raiding is an increasing source of human-wildlife conflict that antagonizes humans and can lead to heightened killing of wildlife. Attraction to crops can trigger ecological traps, where animals prefer areas of their range that confer relatively low fitness. Food can be used to draw animals away from problematic areas, but an alternative considered less often is to replace high-quality food with poorer alternatives. In any case, managers often have no means of anticipating by how much such interventions should impact animal use of space. Optimal foraging theory predicts that foragers optimizing their diet should choose food items according to their relative profitability (i.e., digestible energy/ handling time), a theoretical prediction that can orient management actions. Accordingly, we developed an individual-based model (IBM) simulating movement through empirical rules under an optimal foraging framework. Our objective was to quantify the effect size of cultivating alternate crops to reduce crop raiding and the associated human-induced mortality driving an ecological trap for an energy maximizer, plains bison (Bison bison bison). Results showed that almost tripling the area of cultivation of crops of lower profitability (from 24.3% of the bison range outside the protected area in one management scenario to 70.3% in another) only led to a 25% additional decrease in the intensity of crop raiding (from a decrease of 40% in the first scenario to a decrease of 65% in the second). This suggests that localized interventions in the landscape are likely to have a stronger impact in mitigating crop raiding than broad actions ignoring spatial patterns in food distribution. However, we obtained no significant reduction in the number of simulated bison being harvested in the first scenario, and only a small reduction in the second, when the intervention was spatially broad. Our individual-based approach to animal movement informed by optimal foraging demonstrates that linking landscape configuration to mortality rates can help managers anticipate the effectiveness of manipulating food to keep animals away from problematic zones. Yet disarming ecological traps driven by human hunting appears to be a much more challenging undertaking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Nouailhetas Simon
- Département de Biologie and Centre d'Étude de la Forêt, Université Laval, Pavillon Alexandre-Vachon, 1045, avenue de la Médecine, bureau 2050, Québec, Quebec, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Daniel Fortin
- Département de Biologie and Centre d'Étude de la Forêt, Université Laval, Pavillon Alexandre-Vachon, 1045, avenue de la Médecine, bureau 2050, Québec, Quebec, G1V 0A6, Canada
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9
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Tamura M, Ohgushi T, Ida TY. Intraspecific neighbourhood effect: Population‐level consequence of aggregation of highly defended plants. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Momoka Tamura
- Faculty of Science Nara Women's University Nara Japan
- Hamamatsu Konan High School Hamamatsu Japan
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10
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Ng'weno CC, Ford AT, Kibungei AK, Goheen JR. Interspecific prey neighborhoods shape risk of predation in a savanna ecosystem. Ecology 2019; 100:e02698. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline C. Ng'weno
- Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
- Conservation Department Ol Pejeta Conservancy Private Bag‐10400 Nanyuki Kenya
| | - Adam T. Ford
- Department of Biology University of British Columbia Kelowna British Columbia V6T 1Z4 Canada
| | - Alfred K. Kibungei
- Conservation Department Ol Pejeta Conservancy Private Bag‐10400 Nanyuki Kenya
| | - Jacob R. Goheen
- Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
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11
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A matter of proportion? Associational effects in larval anuran communities under fish predation. Oecologia 2018; 187:745-753. [PMID: 29713808 PMCID: PMC6018579 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4141-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
In Batesian mimicry, a species lacking defences against predators benefits from mimicking the aposematic signal of a defended species, while the model may incur the costs of reduced defensive efficacy. Similar reciprocal indirect effects may emerge even when the signal is not mimicked; termed associational effects, such interactions are well known in plants sharing herbivores but have received little attention in animal studies. We investigated associational interactions in a system where unequally defended prey (chemically defended Bufo bufo and undefended Rana temporaria tadpoles), sharing general morphology but not an aposematic signal, were exposed to predation by the carp Cyprinus carpio along a gradient of relative prey abundance. In the absence of fish, the assemblage composition had no effect on the survival of Rana, while that of Bufo decreased with increasing abundance of Rana. Fish reduced the survival of tadpoles from both species. However, increased relative abundance of Bufo in the community led to enhanced survival in both Bufo and Rana. Increasing relative proportions of heterospecifics reduced metamorph mass only in Bufo, indicating greater sensitivity to interspecific competition compared to Rana; the effect was reduced in the presence of fish. Our results show that undefended non-mimetic prey enjoy reduced predation with increasing relative abundance of chemically defended prey, which in turn suffer greater mortality with an increasing proportion of the undefended species. Associational resistance/susceptibility, driven by current assemblage composition, not by selection for resemblance, can shape the dynamics of mixed communities of defended and undefended prey in the absence of mimicry.
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12
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Huang Y, Wang L, Wang D, Zeng DH, Li Y, Liu J, Wang Y. Foraging responses of sheep to plant spatial micro-patterns can cause diverse associational effects of focal plant at individual and population levels. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:863-873. [PMID: 29430651 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12809] [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: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Multiple-scale foraging decisions by large herbivores can cause associational effects of focal plant individuals neighboured with different species. Spatial micro-patterns between the focal plant and its neighbouring species within patches can affect herbivore foraging selectivity at within- and between-patch scales, which may consequently lead to associational plant effects occurring at both plant individual and population levels. However, these associational effects have not been explored together in the plant-herbivore interaction studies. We aim to evaluate how plant spatial micro-pattern within different quality patches mediate herbivore foraging selectivity, thereby affecting the associational effects of focal plant individuals and population. Using sheep as the model herbivore and a medium preferred species as the focal plant, we conducted a manipulative experiment by allowing sheep grazing freely among three different quality patches, each of which consisted of preferred, unpreferred and focal plant species with different abundances forming spatially aggregated or dispersed micro-patterns. Results showed that, compared with the aggregated plant micro-pattern, dispersed plant micro-patterns within different quality patches increased sheep within-patch selectivity, and caused diverse associational effects of focal plant individuals. Focal plant individuals experienced neighbour contrast defence (i.e. got protection in the high quality patch) and associational defence (i.e. got protection in the low quality patch), respectively, when plants distributed dispersedly in the low and high quality patch. Focal plant individuals simultaneously experienced associational susceptibility (i.e. got damage in the high quality patch) and neighbour contrast susceptibility (i.e. got damage in the low quality patch) when plants distributed dispersedly in the medium quality patch. Furthermore, dispersed plant micro-patterns reduced sheep foraging selectivity between patches, and led to a lower consumption of focal plant population compared with the aggregated plant micro-pattern. Herbivores adopt different within- and between-patch foraging decisions to maintain a high intake of the preferred species in response to various plant micro-patterns, and consequently cause diverse associational effects of both focal plant individuals and population. These associational effects have important implications for understanding the species coexistence and plant community assembly in the grazing ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Huang
- Key Laboratory of Forest and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China.,Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Ministry of Education, Changchun, China
| | - Ling Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Ministry of Education, Changchun, China
| | - Deli Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Ministry of Education, Changchun, China
| | - De-Hui Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Forest and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Yexing Li
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Ministry of Education, Changchun, China
| | - Jun Liu
- College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yue Wang
- College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China
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Champagne E, Moore BD, Côté SD, Tremblay J. Spatial correlations between browsing on balsam fir by white-tailed deer and the nutritional value of neighboring winter forage. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:2812-2823. [PMID: 29531697 PMCID: PMC5838068 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Associational effects, that is, the influence of neighboring plants on herbivory suffered by a plant, are an outcome of forage selection. Although forage selection is a hierarchical process, few studies have investigated associational effects at multiple spatial scales. Because the nutritional quality of plants can be spatially structured, it might differently influence associational effects across multiple scales. Our objective was to determine the radius of influence of neighbor density and nutritional quality on balsam fir (Abies balsamea) herbivory by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in winter. We quantified browsing rates on fir and the density and quality of neighboring trees in a series of 10-year-old cutovers on Anticosti Island (Canada). We used cross-correlations to investigate relationships between browsing rates and the density and nutritional quality of neighboring trees at distances up to 1,000 m. Balsam fir and white spruce (Picea glauca) fiber content and dry matter in vitro true digestibility were correlated with fir browsing rate at the finest extra-patch scale (across distance of up to 50 m) and between cutover areas (300-400 m). These correlations suggest associational effects, that is, low nutritional quality of neighbors reduces the likelihood of fir herbivory (associational defense). Our results may indicate associational effects mediated by intraspecific variation in plant quality and suggest that these effects could occur at scales from tens to hundreds of meters. Understanding associational effects could inform strategies for restoration or conservation; for example, planting of fir among existing natural regeneration could be concentrated in areas of low nutritional quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Champagne
- Département de biologieCentre d’études nordiques & Chaire de recherche industrielle CRSNG en aménagement intégré des ressources de l’île d'AnticostiUniversité LavalQuébecCanada
- Centre d’étude de la forêtUniversité LavalQuébecCanada
| | - Ben D. Moore
- Hawkesbury Institute for the EnvironmentWestern Sydney UniversityRichmondNSWAustralia
| | - Steeve D. Côté
- Département de biologieCentre d’études nordiques & Chaire de recherche industrielle CRSNG en aménagement intégré des ressources de l’île d'AnticostiUniversité LavalQuébecCanada
| | - Jean‐Pierre Tremblay
- Département de biologieCentre d’études nordiques & Chaire de recherche industrielle CRSNG en aménagement intégré des ressources de l’île d'AnticostiUniversité LavalQuébecCanada
- Centre d’étude de la forêtUniversité LavalQuébecCanada
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Champagne E, Perroud L, Dumont A, Tremblay JP, Côté S. Neighbouring plants and perception of predation risk modulate winter browsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). CAN J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2017-0063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The presence of neighbouring plants and predation risk can affect trophic interactions between plants and herbivores. We hypothesized that the relative preference for neighbouring species would determine winter herbivory and that predation risk would modulate browsing pressure. We tested these hypotheses using feeding trials in two regions with high white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)) densities: Outaouais and Anticosti Island (Quebec, Canada). In each, we selected a species of interest and compared browsing rates and time spent foraging with neighbours relatively preferred or avoided. In a subexperiment, we included coyote (Canis latrans Say, 1823) urine to test for threat-sensitive foraging and interactions with neighbour effects. In Outaouais, time spent foraging on the focal species was reduced by the presence of potentially avoided neighbours and deer reduced browsing with increased perceived predation risk. On Anticosti, browsing rates on the focal species increased with avoided neighbours, with no effect of the predator urine. Anticosti deer have been in a predator-free environment for more than 120 years, likely reducing antipredator behaviours. This study demonstrates both neighbour effects and threat-sensitive foraging, phenomena that could interact and thus would benefit from being studied together to better represent trophic interactions in natural environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Champagne
- Département de biologie, Centre d’études nordiques et Chaire de recherche industrielle CRSNG en aménagement intégré des ressources de l’île d’Anticosti, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre d’étude de la forêt, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - L. Perroud
- Département de biologie, Centre d’études nordiques et Chaire de recherche industrielle CRSNG en aménagement intégré des ressources de l’île d’Anticosti, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Département d’Écologie–Évolution, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, 21000, France
| | - A. Dumont
- Direction de la gestion de la faune de l’Outaouais, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, Gatineau, QC J8T 0B1, Canada
| | - J.-P. Tremblay
- Département de biologie, Centre d’études nordiques et Chaire de recherche industrielle CRSNG en aménagement intégré des ressources de l’île d’Anticosti, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre d’étude de la forêt, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - S.D. Côté
- Département de biologie, Centre d’études nordiques et Chaire de recherche industrielle CRSNG en aménagement intégré des ressources de l’île d’Anticosti, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
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15
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Kambach S, Kühn I, Castagneyrol B, Bruelheide H. The Impact of Tree Diversity on Different Aspects of Insect Herbivory along a Global Temperature Gradient - A Meta-Analysis. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0165815. [PMID: 27835651 PMCID: PMC5105991 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Forests with higher tree diversity are often assumed to be more resistant to insect herbivores but whether this effect depends on climatic conditions is so far poorly understood. In particular, a forest’s resistance to herbivory may depend on mean annual temperature (MAT) as a key driver of plant and insect phenology. We carried out a global meta-analysis on regression coefficients between tree diversity and four aspects of insect herbivory, namely herbivore damage, abundance, incidence rate and species richness. To test for a potential shift of tree diversity effects along a global gradient of MAT we applied mixed-effects models and estimated grand mean effect sizes and the influence of MAT, experimental vs. observational studies and herbivores diet breadth. There was no overall effect of tree diversity on the pooled effect sizes of insect herbivore damage, abundance and incidence rate. However, when analysed separately, we found positive grand mean effect sizes for herbivore abundance and species richness. For herbivore damage and incidence rate we found a significant but opposing shift along a gradient of MAT indicating that with increasing MAT diversity effects on herbivore damage tend towards associational resistance whereas diversity effects on incidence rates tend towards associational susceptibility. Our results contradict previous meta-analyses reporting overall associational resistance to insect herbivores in mixed forests. Instead, we report that tree diversity effects on insect herbivores can follow a biogeographic pattern calling for further in-depth studies in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Kambach
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Ingolf Kühn
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Helge Bruelheide
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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