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Zhang H, Niu H, Steele MA, Peng L, He H, Li A, Yi X, Li H, Zhang Z. Masting promotes transformation from predation to mutualism in an oak-weevil-rodent system. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2024; 67:1514-1524. [PMID: 38558376 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-023-2517-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The significance of ecological non-monotonicity (a function whose first derivative changes signs) in shaping the structure and functions of the ecosystem has recently been recognized, but such studies involving high-order interactions are rare. Here, we have proposed a three-trophic conceptual diagram on interactions among trees, rodents, and insects in mast and non-mast years and tested the hypothesis that oak (Quercus wutaishanica) masting could result in increased mutualism and less predation in an oak-weevil-rodent system in a warm temperate forest of China. Our 14-year dataset revealed that mast years coincided with a relatively low rodent abundance but a high weevil abundance. Masting not only benefited seedling recruitment of oaks through increased dispersal by rodents but also a decrease in predation by rodents and weevils, as well as an increase in the overwintering survival of rodents. Masting appeared to have increased weevil survival by reducing predation of infested acorns by rodents. These results suggest that masting benefits all participants in the plant-insect-rodent system by increasing mutualism and reducing predation behavior (i.e., a non-monotonic function). Our study highlights the significance of masting in maintaining the diversity and function of the forest ecosystem by facilitating the transformation from predation to mutualism among trophic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmao Zhang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China.
| | - Hongyu Niu
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Michael A Steele
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, 18766, USA
| | - Liqing Peng
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Huimin He
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Aoqiang Li
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Xianfeng Yi
- School of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, 273165, China
| | - Hongjun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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He X, Hanusch M, Böll L, Lach A, Seifert T, Junker RR. Adding experimental precision to the realism of field observations: Plant communities structure bacterial communities in a glacier forefield. Environ Microbiol 2024; 26:e16590. [PMID: 38356117 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Ecological studies are aligned along a realism-precision continuum ranging from field observations to controlled lab experiments that each have their own strengths and limitations. Ecological insight may be most robust when combining approaches. In field observations along a successional gradient, we found correlations between plant species composition and soil bacterial communities, while bacterial Shannon diversity was unrelated to vegetation characteristics. To add a causal understanding of the processes of bacterial community assembly, we designed lab experiments to specifically test the influence of plant composition on bacterial communities. Using soil and seeds from our field site, we added different combinations of surface-sterilised seeds to homogenised soil samples in microcosms and analysed bacterial communities 4 months later. Our results confirmed the field observations suggesting that experimental plant community composition shaped bacterial community composition, while Shannon diversity was unaffected. These results reflect intimate plant-bacteria interactions that are important drivers of plant health and community assembly. While this study provided insights into the role of plants underlying the assembly of bacterial communities, we did not experimentally manipulate other drivers of community assembly such as abiotic factors. Therefore, we recommend multi-factorial laboratory experiments to quantify the relative importance of different factors contributing to microbial composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xie He
- Department of Environment and Biodiversity, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Maximilian Hanusch
- Department of Environment and Biodiversity, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Laura Böll
- Department of Environment and Biodiversity, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Alexander Lach
- Evolutionary Ecology of Plants, Department of Biology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Seifert
- Department of Environment and Biodiversity, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Robert R Junker
- Department of Environment and Biodiversity, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Evolutionary Ecology of Plants, Department of Biology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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