1
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Soininen EM, Neby M. Small rodent population cycles and plants - after 70 years, where do we go? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:265-294. [PMID: 37827522 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13021] [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: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Small rodent population cycles characterise northern ecosystems, and the cause of these cycles has been a long-lasting central topic in ecology, with trophic interactions currently considered the most plausible cause. While some researchers have rejected plant-herbivore interactions as a cause of rodent cycles, others have continued to research their potential roles. Here, we present an overview of whether plants can cause rodent population cycles, dividing this idea into four different hypotheses with different pathways of plant impacts and related assumptions. Our systematic review of the existing literature identified 238 studies from 150 publications. This evidence base covered studies from the temperate biome to the tundra, but the studies were scattered across study systems and only a few specific topics were addressed in a replicated manner. Quantitative effects of rodents on vegetation was the best studied topic, and our evidence base suggests such that such effects may be most pronounced in winter. However, the regrowth of vegetation appears to take place too rapidly to maintain low rodent population densities over several years. The lack of studies prevented assessment of time lags in the qualitative responses of vegetation to rodent herbivory. We conclude that the literature is currently insufficient to discard with confidence any of the four potential hypotheses for plant-rodent cycles discussed herein. While new methods allow analyses of plant quality across more herbivore-relevant spatial scales than previously possible, we argue that the best way forward to rejecting any of the rodent-plant hypotheses is testing specific predictions of dietary variation. Indeed, all identified hypotheses make explicit assumptions on how rodent diet taxonomic composition and quality will change across the cycle. Passing this bottleneck could help pinpoint where, when, and how plant-herbivore interactions have - or do not have - plausible effects on rodent population dynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eeva M Soininen
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Postboks 6050 Langnes, Tromsø, 9037, Norway
| | - Magne Neby
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Høyvangvegen 40, Ridabu, 2322, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Liu R, Zhang Y, Zhang H, Cao L, Yan C. A global evaluation of the associations between long-term dynamics of seed falls and rodents. Integr Zool 2023; 18:831-842. [PMID: 35636774 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12665] [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] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
One classic system of pulsed resource and animal population is mast seeding and population dynamics of seed-eating rodents in forests. However, we still lack an understanding of the global patterns regarding the contributions of seed falls to rodent outbreaks or population dynamics. We analyzed a global dataset of coupled long-term time series of seed abundances and rodent populations from published literature, including 66 and 89 time series (156 rodent-seed pairs from 37 studies) for rodent and seed abundances, respectively. We found only half of the examined rodent populations showed statistically significant coincidence between rodent outbreak and mast-seeding years. Over all the coupled time series, seed abundance was found to positively correlate with rodent abundance with a one-year lag, and the relative importance of seed abundance was much lower than that of density dependence in affecting rodent population growth rates. We also found the relative importance of seed abundance decreased, but that of rodent density dependence increased with the latitude of study. For the first time, our work provides a global pattern on the associations between seed falls and rodent population dynamics mostly in mid- and high-latitude forests, and highlights the necessity of more long-term studies on this subject in more forest ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology & School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yongjun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology & School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hongmao Zhang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Lin Cao
- College of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology and Institute of Biodiversity, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Chuan Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology & School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Moore NB, Stephens RB, Rowe RJ. Nutritional and environmental factors influence small mammal seed selection in a northern temperate forest. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas B. Moore
- Natural Resources and the Environment University of New Hampshire Durham New Hampshire USA
| | - Ryan B. Stephens
- Natural Resources and the Environment University of New Hampshire Durham New Hampshire USA
| | - Rebecca J. Rowe
- Natural Resources and the Environment University of New Hampshire Durham New Hampshire USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Godó L, Valkó O, Borza S, Deák B. A global review on the role of small rodents and lagomorphs (clade Glires) in seed dispersal and plant establishment. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
|
6
|
Kravchenko LB. Influence of Social Conditions on Humoral Adaptive Immunity in Bank (Clethrionomys glareolus) and Gray-Sided (Clethrionomys rufocanus) Voles: An Experimental Study. BIOL BULL+ 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359021090120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
7
|
Yi X, Guo J, Wang M, Xue C, Ju M. Inter-trophic Interaction of Gut Microbiota in a Tripartite System. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2021; 81:1075-1087. [PMID: 33190166 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01640-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Gut microbiota can be transmitted either environmentally or socially and vertically at intraspecific level; however, whether gut microbiota interact along trophic levels has been largely overlooked. Here, we characterized the gut bacterial communities of weevil larvae of Curculio arakawai that infest acorns of Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica) as well as acorn-eating mammals, Siberian chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus), to test whether consumption of seed-borne larvae remodels the gut bacterial communities of T. sibiricus. Ingestion of weevil larvae of C. arakawai significantly altered the gut bacterial communities of T. sibiricus. Consequently, T. sibiricus fed larvae of C. arakawai showed higher capability to counter the negative effects of tannins, in terms of body weight maintenance, acorn consumption, N content in feces, urine pH, and blood ALT activity. Our results may first show that seed-borne insects as hidden players have a potential to alter the gut microbiota of seed predators in the tripartite system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xianfeng Yi
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, 273165, China.
| | - Jiawei Guo
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, 273165, China
| | - Minghui Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, 273165, China
| | - Chao Xue
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, 273165, China
| | - Mengyao Ju
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, 273165, China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Skull-shape variation and modularity in two Japanese field mice, Apodemus speciosus and Apodemus argenteus (Rodentia: Muridae). ZOOL ANZ 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2020.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
9
|
Evidence for different bottom-up mechanisms in wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) and bank vole (Myodes glareolus) population fluctuations in Southern Norway. MAMMAL RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-020-00476-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAnimals that feed on forest tree seeds, such as Apodemus mice, increase in number after a mast year. At high latitudes, there is a similar delayed response by Myodes voles to high seed crops of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), but here the mechanism is hypothesised to be increased forage quality, caused by a trade-off between reproduction and defence in the plants. Both Apodemus mice and Myodes voles eat berries, but only the latter feed on bilberry plants. Hence, only Myodes voles are predicted to respond to bilberry peak years. A second prediction is that the effect should last longer than any possible direct impacts of bilberries, because the plants would not be able to rebuild their defence until the succeeding summer. During a 21-year snap-trapping study of small rodents in Southern Norway, the spring population of bank vole (Myodes glareolus) was positively related to a bilberry seed index of the previous year, indicating increased winter survival, whereas the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) was not affected. Also the succeeding autumn population index of the bank vole was positively related to the bilberry index of the previous year, even when controlling for spring population levels. The wood mouse population responded to mast years of sessile oak (Quercus petraea), whereas seeds of Norway spruce (Picea abies) seemed to have some impact on both species. It is concluded that these rodents are mainly limited from below, but by different mechanisms for the granivorous and the herbivorous species.
Collapse
|
10
|
Windley HR, Shimada T. Cold temperature improves tannin tolerance in a granivorous rodent. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:471-481. [PMID: 31580494 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The foraging ecology of mammalian herbivores is regulated in part by their ability to detoxify plant secondary metabolites (PSM). Ambient temperature has been shown to alter liver function in rodents and the toxicity of some PSMs, but little is known about the physiological and nutritional consequences of consuming PSMs at different ambient temperatures. Furthermore, the effect of ambient temperature on the response of mammals to the most ubiquitous class of PSM, tannins, is unknown. We measured the effect of temperature and tannin intake on liver function, and the subsequent effect on the tannin tolerance of wild Japanese wood mice, Apodemus speciosus. The experiment involved acclimation to one of two ambient temperatures (10°C or 20°C) followed by acclimation to a diet of acorns (6.2% tannin DW). Liver function was measured both before and after acclimation to acorns by measuring the clearance time of a hypnotic agent. Finally, the mice were fed only acorns in a 5-day feeding experiment to assess their tolerance to tannin in the diet. Acclimation to acorns had a significant effect on liver function, but the direction of this effect was dependent on ambient temperature. Acorn consumption improved the liver function of wood mice at 10°C, but reduced liver function at 20°C, revealing a complex relationship between ambient temperature and tannin intake on liver function. Furthermore, mice with better liver function, indicated by faster clearance of the hypnotic agent, exhibited higher protein digestibility on an acorn-only diet, indicative of higher tannin tolerance. These results suggest that environmental temperature plays a significant role in the tolerance of A. speciosus to tannins, providing new insight into their seasonal feeding behaviour and winter ecology. We contend that cold-induced tannin tolerance may help to explain the population dynamics of mammalian herbivores with seasonal changes in the tannin content of their diet, and inform predictions about the response of these animals to a changing climate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah R Windley
- Wildlife Ecology Laboratory, Department of Wildlife Biology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takuya Shimada
- Wildlife Ecology Laboratory, Department of Wildlife Biology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Sato JJ, Kyogoku D, Komura T, Inamori C, Maeda K, Yamaguchi Y, Isagi Y. Potential and Pitfalls of the DNA Metabarcoding Analyses for the Dietary Study of the Large Japanese Wood Mouse Apodemus speciosus on Seto Inland Sea Islands. MAMMAL STUDY 2019. [DOI: 10.3106/ms2018-0067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jun J. Sato
- Laboratory of Animal Cell Technology, Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Fukuyama University, Higashimura-cho, Aza, Sanzo, 985, Fukuyama 729-0292, Japan
| | - Daisuke Kyogoku
- Laboratory of Forest Biology, Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Taketo Komura
- Laboratory of Forest Biology, Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Chiaki Inamori
- Laboratory of Animal Cell Technology, Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Fukuyama University, Higashimura-cho, Aza, Sanzo, 985, Fukuyama 729-0292, Japan
| | - Kouhei Maeda
- Laboratory of Animal Cell Technology, Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Fukuyama University, Higashimura-cho, Aza, Sanzo, 985, Fukuyama 729-0292, Japan
| | - Yasunori Yamaguchi
- Laboratory of Animal Cell Technology, Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Fukuyama University, Higashimura-cho, Aza, Sanzo, 985, Fukuyama 729-0292, Japan
| | - Yuji Isagi
- Laboratory of Forest Biology, Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Bogdziewicz M, Marino S, Bonal R, Zwolak R, Steele MA. Rapid aggregative and reproductive responses of weevils to masting of North American oaks counteract predator satiation. Ecology 2018; 99:2575-2582. [PMID: 30182480 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Revised: 07/07/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The predator satiation hypothesis posits that masting helps plants escape seed predation through starvation of predators in lean years, followed by satiation of predators in mast years. Importantly, successful satiation requires sufficiently delayed bottom-up effects of seed availability on seed consumers. However, some seed consumers may be capable of quick aggregative and reproductive responses to masting, which may jeopardize positive density dependence of seed survival. We used a 17-yr data set on seed production and insect (Curculio weevils) infestation of three North American oaks species (northern red Quercus rubra, white Q. alba, and chestnut oak Q. montana) to test predictions of the predation satiation hypothesis. Furthermore, we tested for the unlagged numerical response of Curculio to acorn production. We found that masting results in a bottom-up effect on the insect population; both through increased reproductive output and aggregation at seed-rich trees. Consequently, mast seeding in two out of three studied oaks (white and chestnut oak) did not help to escape insect seed predation, whereas, in the red oak, the escape depended on the synchronization of mast crops within the population. Bottom-up effects of masting on seed consumer populations are assumed to be delayed, and therefore to have negligible effects on seed survival in mast years. Our research suggests that insect populations may be able to mount rapid reproductive and aggregative responses when seed availability increases, possibly hindering satiation effects of masting. Many insect species are able to quickly benefit from pulsed resources, making mechanisms described here potentially relevant in many other systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Shealyn Marino
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 18766, USA
| | - Raul Bonal
- Forest Research Group, INDEHESA, University of Extremadura, Calle Virgen Puerto, 2, 10600, Plasencia, Spain.,DITEG Research Group, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Calle Altagracia, 50, 13003 Ciudad Real, Toledo, Spain
| | - Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Michael A Steele
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 18766, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Sato JJ, Shimada T, Kyogoku D, Komura T, Uemura S, Saitoh T, Isagi Y. Dietary niche partitioning between sympatric wood mouse species (Muridae: Apodemus) revealed by DNA meta-barcoding analysis. J Mammal 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyy063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jun J Sato
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Fukuyama University, Higashimura-cho, Aza, Sanzo, Fukuyama, Japan
| | - Takuya Shimada
- Tohoku Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Nabeyashiki, Shimo-Kuriyagawa, Morioka, Japan
| | - Daisuke Kyogoku
- Laboratory of Forest Biology, Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Taketo Komura
- Laboratory of Forest Biology, Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Shigeru Uemura
- Field Science Center, Hokkaido University, Tokuda, Nayoro, Japan
| | - Takashi Saitoh
- Field Science Center, Hokkaido University, Kita-11, Nishi-10, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yuji Isagi
- Laboratory of Forest Biology, Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| |
Collapse
|