1
|
Gómez-Llano M, Boys WA, Ping T, Tye SP, Siepielski AM. Interactions between fitness components across the life cycle constrain competitor coexistence. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:2297-2308. [PMID: 37087690 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13927] [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: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/24/2023]
Abstract
Numerous mechanisms can promote competitor coexistence. Yet, these mechanisms are often considered in isolation from one another. Consequently, whether multiple mechanisms shaping coexistence combine to promote or constrain species coexistence remains an open question. Here, we aim to understand how multiple mechanisms interact within and between life stages to determine frequency-dependent population growth, which has a key role stabilizing local competitor coexistence. We conducted field experiments in three lakes manipulating relative frequencies of two Enallagma damselfly species to evaluate demographic contributions of three mechanisms affecting different fitness components across the life cycle: the effect of resource competition on individual growth rate, predation shaping mortality rates, and mating harassment determining fecundity. We then used a demographic model that incorporates carry-over effects between life stages to decompose the relative effect of each fitness component generating frequency-dependent population growth. This decomposition showed that fitness components combined to increase population growth rates for one species when rare, but they combined to decrease population growth rates for the other species when rare, leading to predicted exclusion in most lakes. Because interactions between fitness components within and between life stages vary among populations, these results show that local coexistence is population specific. Moreover, we show that multiple mechanisms do not necessarily increase competitor coexistence, as they can also combine to yield exclusion. Identifying coexistence mechanisms in other systems will require greater focus on determining contributions of different fitness components across the life cycle shaping competitor coexistence in a way that captures the potential for population-level variation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Gómez-Llano
- Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, 65188, Sweden
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
| | - Wade A Boys
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
| | - Taylor Ping
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
| | - Simon P Tye
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
| | - Adam M Siepielski
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Helmy EAM, San PP, Zhang YZ, Adarkwah C, Tuda M. Entomotoxic efficacy of fungus-synthesized nanoparticles against immature stages of stored bean pests. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8508. [PMID: 37231118 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35697-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Nanopesticides, particularly biosynthesized ones using organic reductants, hold great promise as a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides. However, their efficacy on stored product pests, which can cause damage to dried grains, has not been extensively tested, especially on immature stages. Here, we biosynthesized six types of nanoparticles (NPs) using extracts from the fungus Fusarium solani: silver (AgNPs), selenium (SeNPs), silicon dioxide (SiO2NPs), copper oxide (CuONPs), titanium dioxide (TiO2NPs) and zinc oxide (ZnONPs) ranging in size from 8 to 33 nm. To test their efficacy on stored bean pests, they were applied to the eggs and larvae of pest beetles Callosobruchus chinensis and Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae), which burrow into seeds as larvae. Susceptibility to the NPs was species-dependent and differed between developmental stages; eggs were more susceptible than larvae inhabiting in seeds. SeNPs and TiO2NPs reduced the hatchability of C. chinensis eggs by 23% and 18% compared to the control, respectively, leading to an 18% reduction in egg-to-adult survival by SeNPs. In C. maculatus, TiO2NPs applied to eggs reduced larva-to-adult survivorship by 11%, resulting in a 15% reduction in egg-to-adult survival. The egg mass of C. chinensis was 23% smaller than that of C. maculatus: the higher surface-area-to-volume ratio of the C. chinensis eggs could explain their higher acute mortality caused by the NPs compared to C. maculatus eggs. The biosynthesized SeNPs and TiO2NPs have potential for controlling major stored bean pests when applied to their eggs. This is the first to show the efficacy of biosynthesized SeNPs and TiO2NPs on stored product pests and the efficacy of Fusarium-synthesized NPs on insects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eman Ahmed Mohamed Helmy
- The Regional Centre for Mycology and Biotechnology (RCMB), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
- Laboratory of Insect Natural Enemies, Institute of Biological Control, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Phyu Phyu San
- Laboratory of Insect Natural Enemies, Institute of Biological Control, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
- Department of Entomology and Zoology, Yezin Agricultural University, Naypyitaw, Myanmar
| | - Yao Zhuo Zhang
- Laboratory of Insect Natural Enemies, Institute of Biological Control, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Charles Adarkwah
- Laboratory of Insect Natural Enemies, Institute of Biological Control, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
- Department of Horticulture and Crop Production, School of Agriculture and Technology, Dormaa-Ahenkro Campus, University of Energy and Natural Resources, PO Box 214, Sunyani, Ghana.
- Division Urban Plant Ecophysiology, Faculty Life Sciences, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Lentzeallee 55/57, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Midori Tuda
- Laboratory of Insect Natural Enemies, Institute of Biological Control, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Holmes LA, Nelson WA, Lougheed SC. Strong effects of food quality on host life history do not scale to impact parasitoid efficacy or life history. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3528. [PMID: 36864085 PMCID: PMC9981602 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30441-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasitoids are small insects, (e.g., small wasps or flies) that reproduce by laying eggs on or within host arthropods. Parasitoids make up a large proportion of the world's biodiversity and are popular agents of biological control. Idiobiont parasitoids paralyze their hosts upon attack and thus are expected to only target hosts large enough to support offspring development. Host resources generally impact host attributes and life histories including size, development, and life span. Some argue slow host development in response to resource quality increases parasitoid efficacy (i.e., a parasitoid's ability to successfully reproduce on or within a host) due to longer host exposure to parasitoids. However, this hypothesis is not always supported and does not consider variation in other host traits in response to resources that may be important for parasitoids (e.g., variation in host size is known to impact parasitoid efficacy). In this study we test whether trait variation within host developmental stages in response to host resources is more important for parasitoid efficacy and life histories than trait variation across host developmental stages. We exposed seed beetle hosts raised on a food quality gradient to mated female parasitoids and measured the number of hosts parasitized and parasitoid life history traits at the scale of host stage- and age-structure. Our results suggest host food quality does not cascade to impact idiobiont parasitoid life histories despite large food quality effects on host life history. Instead, variation in host life histories across host developmental stages better predicts parasitoid efficacy and life histories, suggesting finding a host in a specific instar is more important for idiobiont parasitoids than finding hosts on or within higher quality resources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leslie A. Holmes
- grid.47609.3c0000 0000 9471 0214University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive West, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4 Canada
| | - William A. Nelson
- grid.410356.50000 0004 1936 8331Queen’s University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6 Canada
| | - Stephen C. Lougheed
- grid.410356.50000 0004 1936 8331Queen’s University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6 Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Li Y, Gao P, Sun X, Li B, Guo L, Yang R, Su X, Gao W, Xu Z, Yan G, Wang Q, Sun W. Primary Succession Changes the Composition and Functioning of the Protist Community on Mine Tailings, Especially Phototrophic Protists. ACS ENVIRONMENTAL AU 2022; 2:396-408. [PMID: 37101458 PMCID: PMC10125303 DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.1c00066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Primary succession in mine tailings is a prerequisite for tailing vegetation. Microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and protists, play an important role in this process in the driving force for improving the nutritional status. Compared to bacteria and fungi, protist populations have rarely been investigated regarding their role in mine tailings, especially for those inhabiting tailings associated with primary succession. Protists are the primary consumers of fungi and bacteria, and their predatory actions promote the release of nutrients immobilized in the microbial biomass, as well as the uptake and turnover of nutrients, affecting the functions of the wider ecosystems. In this study, three different types of mine tailings associated with three successional stages (original tailings, biological crusts, and Miscanthus sinensis grasslands) were selected to characterize the protistan community diversity, structure, and function during primary succession. Some members classified as consumers dominated the network of microbial communities in the tailings, especially in the original bare land tailings. The keystone phototrophs of Chlorophyceae and Trebouxiophyceae showed the highest relative abundance in the biological crusts and grassland rhizosphere, respectively. In addition, the co-occurrences between protist and bacterial taxa demonstrated that the proportion of protistan phototrophs gradually increased during primary succession. Further, the metagenomic analysis of protistan metabolic potential showed that abundances of many functional genes associated with photosynthesis increased during the primary succession of tailings. Overall, these results suggest that the primary succession of mine tailings drives the changes observed in the protistan community, and in turn, the protistan phototrophs facilitate the primary succession of tailings. This research offers an initial insight into the changes in biodiversity, structure, and function of the protistan community during ecological succession on tailings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yongbin Li
- National−Regional
Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation
in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management,
Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Pin Gao
- National−Regional
Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation
in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management,
Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Xiaoxu Sun
- National−Regional
Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation
in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management,
Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Baoqin Li
- National−Regional
Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation
in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management,
Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Lifang Guo
- National−Regional
Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation
in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management,
Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Rui Yang
- National−Regional
Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation
in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management,
Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Xianfa Su
- School
of Environment, Key Laboratory of Yellow River and Huai River Water
Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, P.R. China
| | - Wenlong Gao
- National−Regional
Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation
in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management,
Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Zhimin Xu
- Engineering
and Technology Research Center for Agricultural Land Pollution Prevention
and Control of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Resources
and Environment, Zhongkai University of
Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China
| | - Geng Yan
- National−Regional
Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation
in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management,
Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Qi Wang
- National−Regional
Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation
in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management,
Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Weimin Sun
- National−Regional
Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation
in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management,
Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
- School
of Environment, Key Laboratory of Yellow River and Huai River Water
Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, P.R. China
- . Fax: 86-020-87024123. Phone: 86-020-87024633
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hawlena H, Garrido M, Cohen C, Halle S, Cohen S. Bringing the Mechanistic Approach Back to Life: A Systematic Review of the Experimental Evidence for Coexistence and Four of Its Classical Mechanisms. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.898074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Coexistence theories develop rapidly at the ecology forefront suffering from interdisciplinary gaps and a lack of universality. The modern coexistence theory (MCT) was developed to address these deficiencies by formulating the universal conditions for coexistence. However, despite this theory's mechanistic foundation, initially, it has only rarely been used to determine the exact mechanisms that govern the competitive outcome. Recent theoretical developments have made MCT more accessible to experimentalists, but they can be challenging in practice. We propose that a comprehensive understanding of species co-occurrence patterns in nature can be reached by complementing the phenomenological approach with both the mechanistic view of MCT and coexistence experiments of the type that prevailed from the 1970s to the 2010s, which focused on specific mechanisms (designated the “mechanistic approach”). As a first step in this direction, we conducted a systematic review of the literature from 1967 to 2020, covering mechanistic experiments for invasibility—the criterion for species coexistence—and the best-studied classical coexistence mechanisms, namely, resource-ratio, natural enemy partitioning, frequency-dependent exploitation by generalist enemies, and the storage effect. The goals of the review were to evaluate (i) the percentage of the abovementioned mechanistic experiments that satisfy the theoretical criteria (designated “eligible studies”), (ii) the scope of these eligible studies, and (iii) their level of support for the theoretical predictions, and to identify their (iv) overarching implications and (v) research gaps. Through examination of 2,510 publications, the review reveals that almost 50 years after the theoretical formulations of the above four coexistence mechanisms, we still lack sufficient evidence to reveal the prevalence of coexistence and of each of the coexistence mechanisms, and to assess the dependency of the mechanisms on the natural history of the competing organisms. By highlighting, on the one hand, the overarching implications of the mechanistic approach to coexistence, and on the other hand, current research gaps, and by offering ways to bridge these gaps in the future, we seek to bring the mechanistic approach back to life.
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
Most natural ecosystems contain animals feeding on many different types of food, but it is difficult to predict what will be eaten when food availabilities change. We present a method that estimates food preference over many study sites, even when number of food types vary widely from site to site. Sampling variation is estimated using bootstrapping. We test the precision and accuracy of this method using computer simulations that show the effects of overall number of food types, number of sites, and proportion of missing prey items per site. Accuracy is greater with fewer missing prey types, more prey types and more sites, and is affected by the number of sites more than the number of prey types. We present a case study using lion (Panthera leo) feeding data and show that preference vs prey size follows a bell-curve. Using just two estimated parameters, this curve can be used as a general way to describe predator feeding patterns. Our method can be used to: test hypotheses about what factors affect prey selection, predict preferences in new sites, and estimate overall prey consumed in new sites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vilis O. Nams
- Department of Plant, Food and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Matt W. Hayward
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Li Y, Yang R, Guo L, Gao W, Su P, Xu Z, Xiao H, Ma Z, Liu X, Gao P, Li B, Sun X, Yan G, Sun W. The composition, biotic network, and assembly of plastisphere protistan taxonomic and functional communities in plastic-mulching croplands. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 430:128390. [PMID: 35152106 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The increasing use of plastic film mulching has caused the accumulation of plastic film residue in soil. To date, most researches on the plastisphere have focused on bacterial and fungal communities, with few on protistan community, especially in terrestrial ecosystems. To understand plastisphere protistan communities, we collected plastic film residues from plastic-mulching croplands. The plastisphere significantly altered the alpha-diversity, structure, and composition of taxonomic and functional (consumers, phototrophs, and parasites) communities. In both the plastisphere and surrounding soil, although some consumers dominated the protistan community network, while their performance was weakened by mulch application. The ecological networks of the plastisphere community presented higher modularity, less complexity, and a lower proportion of positive connections than the networks of surrounding soil. In addition, the enriched plant pathogens (e.g., Spongospora) and keystone taxa classified as plant pathogens (e.g., Pythium) in the plastisphere imply that plastic film residues may pose a risk to soil health and plant performance. Neutral-based processes dominated the assembly of the plastisphere protistan communities, whereas niche-based processes governed the protistan community assembly of surrounding soil. This study reveals that plastic film residues generate a unique niche for protistan colonization, which disturbs protistan communities and threatens agricultural ecosystem health and function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yongbin Li
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Rui Yang
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Lifang Guo
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Wenlong Gao
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Pingzhou Su
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Zhimin Xu
- Engineering and Technology Research Center for Agricultural Land Pollution Prevention and Control of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Resources and Environment, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China
| | - Huan Xiao
- Engineering and Technology Research Center for Agricultural Land Pollution Prevention and Control of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Resources and Environment, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China
| | - Zhixiong Ma
- Engineering and Technology Research Center for Agricultural Land Pollution Prevention and Control of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Resources and Environment, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China
| | - Xiang Liu
- Engineering and Technology Research Center for Agricultural Land Pollution Prevention and Control of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Resources and Environment, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China
| | - Pin Gao
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Baoqin Li
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Xiaoxu Sun
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Geng Yan
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Weimin Sun
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China; School of Environment, Key Laboratory of Yellow River and Huai River Water Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Berkhout BW, Morozov A. Assassin snails (Anentome helena) as a biological model for exploring the effects of individual specialisation within generalist predators. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264996. [PMID: 35286318 PMCID: PMC8920249 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantifying feeding behaviour of generalist predators at the population and individual levels is crucial for understanding the structure and functioning of food webs. Individual predator/consumer feeding niches can be significantly narrower than that of the population across animal taxa. In such species, the population of a generalist predator becomes essentially an ensemble of specialist individuals and this often highly affects the dynamics of the prey-predator interactions. Currently, few experimental systems exist that are both easily technically manipulated in a lab and are reliable to accurately assess effects of individual specialisation within generalist predators. Here we argue that a freshwater predaceous snail, Anentome helena (also known as an ‘assassin snail’), is a convenient and reliable experimental system to study feeding of a generalist predator on multiple food types which exhibits well-pronounced specialisation of foraging individuals. Using A. helena we experimentally test: (i) how relative prey abundances in the environment affect the feeding patterns, (ii) whether the feeding patterns are consistent over the duration of the experimental period, and (iii) compare the feeding niche breadth of individuals to that of the laboratory population. By offering four different prey snail species, at a range of relative abundances, we show that there are consistent patterns in feeding. Importantly, the consumption of each prey was independent of the relative abundance at which they were present. Individual predators showed selectivity to a particular prey, i.e. the population of assassin snails seems to be formed of individuals that specialise on different prey. Our findings would contribute to the recent revision and the ongoing debate on the classification of predator species into generalists and specialists.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Boris W. Berkhout
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Andrew Morozov
- Department of Mathematics, University of Leicester, United Kingdom
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Robledo-Ospina LE, Morehouse N, Escobar F, Rao D. Search image formation for spider prey in a mud dauber wasp. Behav Processes 2022; 197:104619. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
10
|
Li Y, Wang C, Chen S. Biofertilization containing
Paenibacillus triticisoli
BJ‐18 alters the composition and interaction of the protistan community in the wheat rhizosphere under field conditions. J Appl Microbiol 2022; 132:3746-3757. [DOI: 10.1111/jam.15485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yongbin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology and College of Biological Sciences China Agricultural University Beijing People’s Republic of China
| | - Caixia Wang
- National‐Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro‐environmental Pollution Control and Management Institute of Eco‐environmental and Soil Sciences Guangdong Guangzhou China
| | - Sanfeng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology and College of Biological Sciences China Agricultural University Beijing People’s Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Lester EK, Langlois TJ, McCormick MI, Simpson SD, Bond T, Meekan MG. Relative influence of predators, competitors and seascape heterogeneity on behaviour and abundance of coral reef mesopredators. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emily K. Lester
- School of Biological Sciences and the UWA Oceans Inst., Univ. of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
- Australian Inst. of Marine Science, UWA Oceans Inst. Crawley WA Australia
| | - Tim J. Langlois
- School of Biological Sciences and the UWA Oceans Inst., Univ. of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Mark I. McCormick
- Coastal Marine Field Station, School of Science, Univ of Waikato Tauranga New Zealand
| | | | - Todd Bond
- School of Biological Sciences and the UWA Oceans Inst., Univ. of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Mark G. Meekan
- Australian Inst. of Marine Science, UWA Oceans Inst. Crawley WA Australia
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
|
13
|
Kawatsu K, Ushio M, van Veen FJF, Kondoh M. Are networks of trophic interactions sufficient for understanding the dynamics of multi-trophic communities? Analysis of a tri-trophic insect food-web time-series. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:543-552. [PMID: 33439500 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Resource-consumer interactions are considered a major driving force of population and community dynamics. However, species also interact in many non-trophic and indirect ways and it is currently not known to what extent the dynamic coupling of species corresponds to the distribution of trophic links. Here, using a 10-year data set of monthly observations of a 40-species tri-trophic insect community and nonlinear time series analysis, we compare the occurrence and strengths of both the trophic and dynamic interactions in the insect community. The matching between observed trophic and dynamic interactions provides evidence that population dynamic interactions reflect resource-consumer interactions in the many-species community. However, the presence of a trophic interaction does not always correspond to a detectable dynamic interaction especially for top-down effects. Moreover a considerable proportion of dynamic interactions are not attributable to direct trophic interactions, suggesting the unignorable role of non-trophic and indirect interactions as co-drivers of community dynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kazutaka Kawatsu
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Masayuki Ushio
- Hakubi Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.,Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsu, Japan
| | - F J Frank van Veen
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Michio Kondoh
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Sun A, Jiao XY, Chen Q, Trivedi P, Li Z, Li F, Zheng Y, Lin Y, Hu HW, He JZ. Fertilization alters protistan consumers and parasites in crop-associated microbiomes. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:2169-2183. [PMID: 33400366 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Crop plants carry an enormous diversity of microbiota that provide massive benefits to hosts. Protists, as the main microbial consumers and a pivotal driver of biogeochemical cycling processes, remain largely understudied in the plant microbiome. Here, we characterized the diversity and composition of protists in sorghum leaf phyllosphere, and rhizosphere and bulk soils, collected from an 8-year field experiment with multiple fertilization regimes. Phyllosphere was an important habitat for protists, dominated by Rhizaria, Alveolata and Amoebozoa. Rhizosphere and bulk soils had a significantly higher diversity of protists than the phyllosphere, and the protistan community structure significantly differed among the three plant-soil compartments. Fertilization significantly altered specific functional groups of protistan consumers and parasites. Variation partitioning models revealed that soil properties, bacteria and fungi predicted a significant proportion of the variation in the protistan communities. Changes in protists may in turn significantly alter the compositions of bacterial and fungal communities from the top-down control in food webs. Altogether, we provide novel evidence that fertilization significantly affects the functional groups of protistan consumers and parasites in crop-associated microbiomes, which have implications for the potential changes in their ecological functions under intensive agricultural managements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anqi Sun
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Xiao-Yan Jiao
- College of Resource and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan, 030031, China
| | - Qinglin Chen
- School of Agriculture and Food, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., 3010, Australia
| | - Pankaj Trivedi
- Microbiome Network and Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Zixin Li
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Fangfang Li
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Yong Zheng
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Yongxin Lin
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Hang-Wei Hu
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China.,School of Agriculture and Food, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., 3010, Australia
| | - Ji-Zheng He
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China.,School of Agriculture and Food, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., 3010, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Schausberger P, Çekin D, Litin A. Learned predators enhance biological control via organizational upward and trophic top-down cascades. J Appl Ecol 2021; 58:158-166. [PMID: 33536685 PMCID: PMC7839590 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Learning is a behavioural change based on memory of previous experiences and a ubiquitous phenomenon in animals. Learning effects are commonly life-stage- and age-specific. In many animals, early life experiences lead to pervasive and persistent behavioural changes.There is broad consensus that learning has far-reaching implications to biological control. Proximate and ultimate factors of individual learning by parasitoids and true predators are relatively well understood, yet the consequences of learning to higher organizational levels, populations and communities, and top-down trophic cascades are unexplored.We addressed this issue using a tri-trophic system consisting of predatory mites Amblyseius swirskii, Western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis and whole common bean plants, Phaseolus vulgaris. F. occidentalis are notorious horticultural pests that are difficult to control. Therefore, practitioners have much to gain by optimizing biological control of thrips.Previous studies have shown that early life experience of thrips by A. swirskii improves foraging on thrips later in life due to decreased prey recognition times and increased predation rates, together enhancing predator fecundity. Here, we hypothesized that early learning by A. swirskii enhances biological control of thrips via immediate and cascading effects. We predicted that release of thrips-experienced predators enhances predator population growth and thrips suppression and reduces plant damage as compared to release of thrips-naïve predators.The behavioural changes brought about by early learning cascaded up to the population and community levels. Thrips-experienced predators caused favourable immediate and cascading effects that could not be compensated for in populations founded by thrips-naïve predators. Populations founded by thrips-experienced predators grew faster, reached higher abundances, were more efficacious in suppressing an emerging thrips population and kept plant damage at lower levels than populations founded by thrips-naïve predators. Plant fecundity correlated negatively with thrips abundance and positively with predatory mite abundance. Improved biological control was mainly due to thrips-experienced founders providing for a head-start in predator population growth and thrips suppression. Synthesis and applications. Our study suggests that learned natural enemies have high potential to optimize augmentative biological control on a larger scale due to favourably modulating organizational upward and trophic top-down cascades.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Schausberger
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Group of Arthropod Ecology and BehaviorDepartment of Crop SciencesUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Demet Çekin
- Group of Arthropod Ecology and BehaviorDepartment of Crop SciencesUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Alena Litin
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Holmes LA, Nelson WA, Dyck M, Lougheed SC. Enhancing the usefulness of artificial seeds in seed beetle model systems research. Methods Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Markus Dyck
- Department of Environment Government of Nunavut Igloolik NU Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Mariette MM. On nest-site copying, owner aggression, and mimicry: the adaptive significance of interspecific information use in a landscape of fear. Acta Ethol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-020-00357-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
|
18
|
Kuriwada T, Kawasaki R, Kuwano A, Reddy GVP. Mate Choice Behavior of Female Field Crickets Is Not Affected by Exposure to Heterospecific Calling Songs. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 49:561-565. [PMID: 32270174 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvaa034] [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: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Many animals produce acoustic signals to mark territories and attract mates. When different species produce acoustic signals simultaneously, the signals create a noisy environment, with potential acoustic interference between species. Theoretical studies suggest that such reproductive interference may have strong effects on species interaction. For example, the inferior resource competitor can survive if its disadvantage is counterbalanced by superiority in reproductive interference. Two field cricket species, Teleogryllus occipitalis (Audinet-Serville) (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) and Loxoblemmus equestris Saussure (Orthoptera: Gryllidae), cooccur in the same habitat. A previous study has shown that L. equestris is an inferior species to T. occipitalis in terms of resource competition. Therefore, we predicted that mate location and choice behavior of female T. occipitalis would be negatively affected by the acoustic signals of L. equestris and tested this with a series of playback experiments. The mate choice behavior of female T. occipitalis was not significantly affected by the calling song of L. equestris. Our results suggest that the acoustic interference does not explain the cooccurrence of the two species in the same habitat.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Kuriwada
- Department of Science Education, Kagoshima University, Faculty of Education, Laboratory of Zoology, Korimoto, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Rintaro Kawasaki
- Department of Science Education, Kagoshima University, Faculty of Education, Laboratory of Zoology, Korimoto, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Akifumi Kuwano
- Department of Science Education, Kagoshima University, Faculty of Education, Laboratory of Zoology, Korimoto, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Gadi V P Reddy
- USDA-ARS-Southern Insect Pest Management Research Unit, Stoneville, MS
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Moderate parasitoidism on pollinators contributes to population oscillations and increases species diversity in the fig-fig wasp community. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s12080-019-00448-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|
20
|
Karakoç C, Clark AT, Chatzinotas A. Diversity and coexistence are influenced by time-dependent species interactions in a predator-prey system. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:983-993. [PMID: 32243074 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 12/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Although numerous studies show that communities are jointly influenced by predation and competitive interactions, few have resolved how temporal variability in these interactions influences community assembly and stability. Here, we addressed this challenge in experimental microbial microcosms by employing empirical dynamic modelling tools to: (1) detect causal interactions between prey species in the absence and presence of a predator; (2) quantify the time-varying strength of these interactions and (3) explore stability in the resulting communities. Our findings show that predators boost the number of causal interactions among community members, and lead to reduced dynamic stability, but higher coexistence among prey species. These results correspond to time-varying changes in species interactions, including emergence of morphological characteristics that appeared to reduce predation, and indirectly facilitate growth of predator-susceptible species. Jointly, our findings suggest that careful consideration of both context and time may be necessary to predict and explain outcomes in multi-trophic systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Canan Karakoç
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Adam Thomas Clark
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.,Synthesis Centre for Biodiversity Sciences (sDiv), Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Antonis Chatzinotas
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Talstrasse 33, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Torné‐Noguera A, Arnan X, Rodrigo A, Bosch J. Spatial variability of hosts, parasitoids and their interactions across a homogeneous landscape. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:3696-3705. [PMID: 32313628 PMCID: PMC7160165 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6158] [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: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Species assemblages and their interactions vary through space, generating diversity patterns at different spatial scales. Here, we study the local-scale spatial variation of a cavity-nesting bee and wasp community (hosts), their nest associates (parasitoids), and the resulting antagonistic network over a continuous and homogeneous habitat. To obtain bee/wasp nests, we placed trap-nests at 25 sites over a 32 km2 area. We obtained 1,541 nests (4,954 cells) belonging to 40 host species and containing 27 parasitoid species. The most abundant host species tended to have higher parasitism rate. Community composition dissimilarity was relatively high for both hosts and parasitoids, and the main component of this variability was species turnover, with a very minor contribution of ordered species loss (nestedness). That is, local species richness tended to be similar across the study area and community composition tended to differ between sites. Interestingly, the spatial matching between host and parasitoid composition was low. Host β-diversity was weakly (positively) but significantly related to geographic distance. On the other hand, parasitoid and host-parasitoid interaction β-diversities were not significantly related to geographic distance. Interaction β-diversity was even higher than host and parasitoid β-diversity, and mostly due to species turnover. Interaction rewiring between plots and between local webs and the regional metaweb was very low. In sum, species composition was rather idiosyncratic to each site causing a relevant mismatch between hosts and parasitoid composition. However, pairs of host and parasitoid species tended to interact similarly wherever they co-occurred. Our results additionally show that interaction β-diversity is better explained by parasitoid than by host β-diversity. We discuss the importance of identifying the sources of variation to understand the drivers of the observed heterogeneity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Anselm Rodrigo
- CREAFCerdanyola del VallèsSpain
- Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaCerdanyola del VallèsSpain
| | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Preedy KF, Chaplain MAJ, Leybourne DJ, Marion G, Karley AJ. Learning-induced switching costs in a parasitoid can maintain diversity of host aphid phenotypes although biocontrol is destabilized under abiotic stress. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1216-1229. [PMID: 32096554 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Aphid populations frequently include phenotypes that are resistant to parasitism by hymenopterous parasitoid wasps, which is often attributed to the presence of 'protective' facultative endosymbionts residing in aphid tissues, particularly Hamiltonella defensa. In field conditions, under parasitoid pressure, the observed coexistence of aphids with and without protective symbionts cannot be explained by their difference in fitness alone. Using the cereal aphid Rhopalosiphum padi as a model, we propose an alternative mechanism whereby parasitoids are more efficient at finding common phenotypes of aphid and experience a fitness cost when switching to the less common phenotype. We construct a model based on delay differential equations and parameterize and validate the model with values within the ranges obtained from experimental studies. We then use it to explore the possible effects on system dynamics under conditions of environmental stress, using our existing data on the effects of drought stress in crops as an example. We show the 'switching penalty' incurred by parasitoids leads to stable coexistence of aphids with and without H. defensa and provides a potential mechanism for maintaining phenotypic diversity among host organisms. We show that drought-induced reduction in aphid development time has little impact. However, greater reduction in fecundity on droughted plants of symbiont-protected aphids can cause insect population cycles when the system would be stable in the absence of drought stress. The stabilizing effect of the increased efficiency in dealing with more commonly encountered host phenotypes is applicable to a broad range of consumer-resource systems and could explain stable coexistence in competitive environments. The loss of stable coexistence when drought has different effects on the competing aphid phenotypes highlights the importance of scenario testing when considering biocontrol for pest management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark A J Chaplain
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | | | - Glenn Marion
- Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Wang L, Tang Y, Wang RW, Shang XY. Re-evaluating the ‘plankton paradox’ using an interlinked empirical data and a food web model. Ecol Modell 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
|
24
|
Host–parasitoid development and survival strategies in a non-pollinating fig wasp community. ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2017.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
25
|
Harauchi Y, Muranaka K, Ohta E, Kawachi H, Imamura-Jinda A, Nehira T, Ômura H, Ohta S. Sulfated Purine Alkaloid Glycosides from the Pupal Case Built by the Bruchid Beetle Bruchidius dorsalis Inside the Seed of Gleditsia japonica. Chem Biodivers 2018; 15:e1800154. [PMID: 29907997 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.201800154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Three new sulfated isoguanine alkaloid glycosides, designated as saikachinoside A monosulfate (1), saikachinoside A disulfate (2), and locustoside B disulfate (3), have been isolated from the pupal case of the wild bruchid seed beetle Bruchidius dorsalis (Chrysomelidae, Bruchinae) infesting the seed of Gleditsia japonica Miq. (Fabaceae). Their structures were determined by spectroscopic methods and the inhibitory activity of 2 and 3 against acid phosphatase was evaluated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yui Harauchi
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8521, Japan
| | - Kyo Muranaka
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8521, Japan
| | - Emi Ohta
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8521, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kawachi
- Graduate School of Bioscience, Nagahama Institute for Bioscience and Technology, 1266 Tamura-cho, Nagahama-shi, Shiga, 526-0829, Japan
| | - Aya Imamura-Jinda
- Graduate School of Bioscience, Nagahama Institute for Bioscience and Technology, 1266 Tamura-cho, Nagahama-shi, Shiga, 526-0829, Japan
| | - Tatsuo Nehira
- Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8521, Japan
| | - Hisashi Ômura
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8521, Japan
| | - Shinji Ohta
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8521, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Inglis RF, Asikhia O, Ryu E, Queller DC, Strassmann JE. Predator-by-Environment Interactions Mediate Bacterial Competition in the Dictyostelium discoideum Microbiome. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:781. [PMID: 29740414 PMCID: PMC5928206 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactions between species and their environment play a key role in the evolution of diverse communities, and numerous studies have emphasized that interactions among microbes and among trophic levels play an important role in maintaining microbial diversity and ecosystem functioning. In this study, we investigate how two of these types of interactions, public goods cooperation through the production of iron scavenging siderophores and predation by the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, mediate competition between two strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens that were co-isolated from D. discoideum. We find that although we are able to generally predict the competitive outcomes between strains based on the presence and absence of either D. discoideum or iron, predator-by-environment interactions result in unexpected competitive outcomes. This suggests that while both cooperation and predation can mediate the competitive abilities and potentially the coexistence of these strains, predicting how combinations of different environments affect even the relatively simple microbiome of D. discoideum remains challenging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Fredrik Inglis
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Odion Asikhia
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Erica Ryu
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - David C Queller
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Joan E Strassmann
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Staniczenko PPA, Lewis OT, Tylianakis JM, Albrecht M, Coudrain V, Klein AM, Reed-Tsochas F. Predicting the effect of habitat modification on networks of interacting species. Nat Commun 2017; 8:792. [PMID: 28986532 PMCID: PMC5630616 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00913-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A pressing challenge for ecologists is predicting how human-driven environmental changes will affect the complex pattern of interactions among species in a community. Weighted networks are an important tool for studying changes in interspecific interactions because they record interaction frequencies in addition to presence or absence at a field site. Here we show that changes in weighted network structure following habitat modification are, in principle, predictable. Our approach combines field data with mathematical models: the models separate changes in relative species abundance from changes in interaction preferences (which describe how interaction frequencies deviate from random encounters). The models with the best predictive ability compared to data requirement are those that capture systematic changes in interaction preferences between different habitat types. Our results suggest a viable approach for predicting the consequences of rapid environmental change for the structure of complex ecological networks, even in the absence of detailed, system-specific empirical data. In a changing world, the ability to predict the impact of environmental change on ecological communities is essential. Here, the authors show that by separating species abundances from interaction preferences, they can predict the effects of habitat modification on the structure of weighted species interaction networks, even with limited data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Phillip P A Staniczenko
- National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), Annapolis, MD, 21401, USA. .,Department of Biology, University of Maryland College Park, Maryland, MD, 20742, USA. .,CABDyN Complexity Centre, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 1HP, UK.
| | - Owen T Lewis
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Jason M Tylianakis
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand.,Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Matthias Albrecht
- Institute for Sustainability Sciences, Agroscope, Zurich, 8046, Switzerland
| | - Valérie Coudrain
- Mediterranean Institute of Marine and Terrestrial Biodiversity and Ecology, Aix-Marseille University, University of Avignon, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Marseille, 13284, France
| | - Alexandra-Maria Klein
- Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, D-79106, Germany
| | - Felix Reed-Tsochas
- CABDyN Complexity Centre, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 1HP, UK.,Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3BD, UK
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Nakadai R. Species diversity of herbivorous insects: a brief review to bridge the gap between theories focusing on the generation and maintenance of diversity. Ecol Res 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s11284-017-1500-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
|
29
|
Sato Y, Ito K, Kudoh H. Optimal foraging by herbivores maintains polymorphism in defence in a natural plant population. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Sato
- Center for Ecological ResearchKyoto University Otsu Shiga Japan
- Department of Plant Life SciencesFaculty of AgricultureRyukoku University Otsu Shiga Japan
| | - Koichi Ito
- Center for Ecological ResearchKyoto University Otsu Shiga Japan
- Department of PsychologyCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesWashington Singer LaboratoriesUniversity of Exeter Exeter UK
| | - Hiroshi Kudoh
- Center for Ecological ResearchKyoto University Otsu Shiga Japan
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Abstract
The ability to learn allows organisms to take advantage of dynamic and ephemeral opportunities in their environment. Here we show that learning in belowground entomopathogenic nematodes has cascading multitrophic effects on their hosts, other nematodes, and nematophagous fungal predators. In addition to quantifying these effects, we show that social behavioral plasticity in these belowground parasitoids can amplify signaling by plant defense pathways and results in an almost doubling of insect herbivore infection by entomopathogenic nematodes. Cumulatively, these effects point to the critical role of plant signaling in regulating community structure while suggesting an equally important role for behavioral plasticity in shaping community dynamics.
Collapse
|
31
|
Nakadai R, Kawakita A. Patterns of temporal and enemy niche use by a community of leaf cone moths (Caloptilia) coexisting on maples (Acer) as revealed by metabarcoding. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:3309-3319. [PMID: 28316099 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Revised: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The diversity of herbivorous insects is often considered a function of host plant diversity. However, recent research has uncovered many examples of closely related herbivores using the same host plant(s), suggesting that partitioning of host plants is not the only mechanism generating diversity. Herbivores sharing hosts may utilize different parts of the same plant, but such resource partitioning is often not apparent; hence, the factors that allow closely related herbivores to coexist are still largely undetermined. We examined whether partitioning of phenology or natural enemies may explain the coexistence of leaf cone moths (Caloptilia; Gracillariidae) associated with maples (Acer; Sapindaceae). Larval activity of 10 sympatric Caloptilia species found on nine maple species was monitored every 2-3 weeks for a total of 13 sampling events, and an exhaustive search for internal parasitoid wasps was conducted using high-throughput sequencing. Blocking primers were used to facilitate the detection of wasp larvae inside moth tissue. We found considerable phenological overlap among Caloptilia species, with two clear peaks in July and September-October. Coexisting Caloptilia species also had largely overlapping parasitoid communities; a total of 13 chalcid and ichneumon wasp species attacked Caloptilia in a nonspecific fashion at an overall parasitism rate of 46.4%. Although coexistence may be facilitated by factors not accounted for in this study, it appears that niche partitioning is not necessary for closely related herbivores to stably coexist on shared hosts. Co-occurrence without resource partitioning may provide an additional axis along which herbivorous insects attain increased species richness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Nakadai
- Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Hirano 2-509-3, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2113, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kawakita
- Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Hirano 2-509-3, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2113, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Chu C, Adler PB. Large niche differences emerge at the recruitment stage to stabilize grassland coexistence. ECOL MONOGR 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/14-1741.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
|
33
|
Socolar J, Washburne A. Prey Carrying Capacity Modulates the Effect of Predation on Prey Diversity. Am Nat 2015; 186:333-47. [PMID: 26655352 DOI: 10.1086/682362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the role of predation in regulating prey diversity is a major goal in ecology, with profound consequences for community dynamics, ecosystem structure, and conservation practice. Deterministic differential equation models predict that some predation regimes, such as prey-switching predation, should promote prey coexistence and increase prey diversity. However, such models do not capture stochastic population fluctuations that are ubiquitous in empirical study sites and nature reserves. In this article, we examine the effects of prey-switching predation on the species richness of prey communities with demographic noise. We show that in finite, discrete prey populations, the ability of prey-switching predation to promote diversity depends on the carrying capacity of the prey community and the richness of the source pool for prey. Identical predation regimes may have opposite effects on prey diversity depending on the size and productivity of the habitat or the metacommunity richness. Statistical properties of the fluctuations of prey populations determine the effect of stabilizing mechanisms on species richness. We discuss the implications of this result for empirical studies of predation in small study areas and for the management of small nature reserves.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Socolar
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544
| | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Tuda M, Kagoshima K, Toquenaga Y, Arnqvist G. Global genetic differentiation in a cosmopolitan pest of stored beans: effects of geography, host-plant usage and anthropogenic factors. PLoS One 2014; 9:e106268. [PMID: 25180499 PMCID: PMC4152179 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Accepted: 08/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic differentiation can be promoted allopatrically by geographic isolation of populations due to limited dispersal ability and diversification over time or sympatrically through, for example, host-race formation. In crop pests, the trading of crops across the world can lead to intermixing of genetically distinct pest populations. However, our understanding of the importance of allopatric and sympatric genetic differentiation in the face of anthropogenic genetic intermixing is limited. Here, we examined global sequence variation in two mitochondrial and one nuclear genes in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus that uses different legumes as hosts. We analyzed 180 samples from 42 populations of this stored bean pest from tropical and subtropical continents and archipelagos: Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, Oceania and South America. For the mitochondrial genes, there was weak but significant genetic differentiation across continents/archipelagos. Further, we found pronounced differentiation among subregions within continents/archipelagos both globally and within Africa but not within Asia. We suggest that multiple introductions into Asia and subsequent intermixing within Asia have generated this pattern. The isolation by distance hypothesis was supported globally (with or without continents controlled) but not when host species was restricted to cowpeas Vigna unguiculata, the ancestral host of C. maculatus. We also document significant among-host differentiation both globally and within Asia, but not within Africa. We failed to reject a scenario of a constant population size in the recent past combined with selective neutrality for the mitochondrial genes. We conclude that mitochondrial DNA differentiation is primarily due to geographic isolation within Africa and to multiple invasions by different alleles, followed by host shifts, within Asia. The weak inter-continental differentiation is most likely due to frequent inter-continental gene flow mediated by human crop trade.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Midori Tuda
- Laboratory of Insect Natural Enemies, Division of Agricultural Bioresource Sciences, Department of Bioresource Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
- Institute of Biological Control, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | | | - Yukihiko Toquenaga
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Göran Arnqvist
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Evolutionary Biology Centre, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Abou Chakra M, Hilbe C, Traulsen A. Plastic behaviors in hosts promote the emergence of retaliatory parasites. Sci Rep 2014; 4:4251. [PMID: 24589512 PMCID: PMC3940972 DOI: 10.1038/srep04251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Mafia like behavior, where individuals cooperate under the threat of punishment, occurs not only in humans, but is also observed in several animal species. Observations suggest that avian hosts tend to accept a certain degree of parasitism in order to avoid retaliating punishment from the brood parasite. To understand under which conditions it will be beneficial for a host to cooperate, we model the interaction between hosts and parasites as an evolutionary game. In our model, the host's behavior is plastic, and thus, its response depends on the previous interactions with the parasite. We find that such learned behavior in turn is crucial for the evolution of retaliating parasites. The abundance of this kind of mafia behavior oscillates in time and does not settle to an equilibrium. Our results suggest that retaliation is a mechanism for the parasite to evade specialization and to induce acceptance by the host.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Abou Chakra
- Evolutionary Theory Group, Max Planck Institute, D-24306 Plön, Germany
| | - Christian Hilbe
- 1] Evolutionary Theory Group, Max Planck Institute, D-24306 Plön, Germany [2] Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Arne Traulsen
- Evolutionary Theory Group, Max Planck Institute, D-24306 Plön, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Ammunét T, Klemola T, Parvinen K. Consequences of asymmetric competition between resident and invasive defoliators: a novel empirically based modelling approach. Theor Popul Biol 2014; 92:107-17. [PMID: 24380810 DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2013.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2013] [Revised: 12/10/2013] [Accepted: 12/18/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Invasive species can have profound effects on a resident community via indirect interactions among community members. While long periodic cycles in population dynamics can make the experimental observation of the indirect effects difficult, modelling the possible effects on an evolutionary time scale may provide the much needed information on the potential threats of the invasive species on the ecosystem. Using empirical data from a recent invasion in northernmost Fennoscandia, we applied adaptive dynamics theory and modelled the long term consequences of the invasion by the winter moth into the resident community. Specifically, we investigated the outcome of the observed short-term asymmetric preferences of generalist predators and specialist parasitoids on the long term population dynamics of the invasive winter moth and resident autumnal moth sharing these natural enemies. Our results indicate that coexistence after the invasion is possible. However, the outcome of the indirect interaction on the population dynamics of the moth species was variable and the dynamics might not be persistent on an evolutionary time scale. In addition, the indirect interactions between the two moth species via shared natural enemies were able to cause asynchrony in the population cycles corresponding to field observations from previous sympatric outbreak areas. Therefore, the invasion may cause drastic changes in the resident community, for example by prolonging outbreak periods of birch-feeding moths, increasing the average population densities of the moths or, alternatively, leading to extinction of the resident moth species or to equilibrium densities of the two, formerly cyclic, herbivores.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tea Ammunét
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden; Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland.
| | - Tero Klemola
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Kalle Parvinen
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland; Evolution and Ecology Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Fraser BA, Hughes KA, Tosh DN, Rodd FH. The role of learning by a predator, Rivulus hartii
, in the rare-morph survival advantage in guppies. J Evol Biol 2013; 26:2597-605. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2012] [Revised: 07/30/2013] [Accepted: 08/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- B. A. Fraser
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology; Tuebingen Germany
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Toronto; Toronto ON Canada
| | - K. A. Hughes
- Department of Biological Science; Florida State University; Tallahassee FL USA
| | - D. N. Tosh
- Department of Biological Science; Florida State University; Tallahassee FL USA
| | - F. H. Rodd
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Toronto; Toronto ON Canada
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Zrelec V, Zini M, Guarino S, Mermoud J, Oppliger J, Valtat A, Zeender V, Kawecki TJ. Drosophila rely on learning while foraging under semi-natural conditions. Ecol Evol 2013; 3:4139-48. [PMID: 24324865 PMCID: PMC3853559 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2013] [Revised: 08/16/2013] [Accepted: 08/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning is predicted to affect manifold ecological and evolutionary processes, but the extent to which animals rely on learning in nature remains poorly known, especially for short-lived non-social invertebrates. This is in particular the case for Drosophila, a favourite laboratory system to study molecular mechanisms of learning. Here we tested whether Drosophila melanogaster use learned information to choose food while free-flying in a large greenhouse emulating the natural environment. In a series of experiments flies were first given an opportunity to learn which of two food odours was associated with good versus unpalatable taste; subsequently, their preference for the two odours was assessed with olfactory traps set up in the greenhouse. Flies that had experienced palatable apple-flavoured food and unpalatable orange-flavoured food were more likely to be attracted to the odour of apple than flies with the opposite experience. This was true both when the flies first learned in the laboratory and were then released and recaptured in the greenhouse, and when the learning occurred under free-flying conditions in the greenhouse. Furthermore, flies retained the memory of their experience while exploring the greenhouse overnight in the absence of focal odours, pointing to the involvement of consolidated memory. These results support the notion that even small, short lived insects which are not central-place foragers make use of learned cues in their natural environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vukašin Zrelec
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
|
40
|
Sasakawa K, Uchijima K, Shibao H, Shimada M. Different patterns of oviposition learning in two closely related ectoparasitoid wasps with contrasting reproductive strategies. Naturwissenschaften 2012; 100:117-24. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-012-1001-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2012] [Revised: 11/21/2012] [Accepted: 11/26/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|