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Finnie S, Butterill P, Novotny V, Redmond C, Jorge LR, Abe T, Lamarre GPA, Maicher V, Sam K. Vertical stratification and defensive traits of caterpillars against parasitoids in a lowland tropical forest in Cameroon. Oecologia 2024; 204:915-930. [PMID: 38613574 PMCID: PMC11062930 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05542-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
Insect herbivores and their parasitoids play a crucial role in terrestrial trophic interactions in tropical forests. These interactions occur across the entire vertical gradient of the forest. This study compares how caterpillar communities, and their parasitism rates, vary across vertical strata and between caterpillar defensive strategies in a semi deciduous tropical forest in Nditam, Cameroon. Within a 0.1 ha plot, all trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 5 cm were felled and systematically searched for caterpillars. We divided the entire vertical gradient of the forest into eight, five-metre strata. All caterpillars were assigned to a stratum based on their collection height, reared, identified, and classified into one of three defensive traits: aposematic, cryptic and shelter-building. Caterpillar species richness and diversity showed a midstory peak, whereas density followed the opposite pattern, decreasing in the midstory and then increasing towards the highest strata. This trend was driven by some highly dense shelter-building caterpillars in the upper canopy. Specialisation indices indicated decreasing levels of caterpillar generality with increasing height, a midstory peak in vulnerability, and increasing connectance towards the upper canopy, although the latter was likely driven by decreasing network size. Both aposematic and shelter-building caterpillars had significantly higher parasitism rates than cryptic caterpillars. Our results highlight nuanced changes in caterpillar communities across forest strata and provide evidence that defences strategies are important indicators of parasitism rates in caterpillars and that both aposematic and shelter-building caterpillars could be considered a "safe haven" for parasitoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Finnie
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Philip Butterill
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Conor Redmond
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Leonardo Ré Jorge
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Tomokazu Abe
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiba University, Chiba, 263-8522, Japan
| | - Greg P A Lamarre
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, Balboa, 0843-03092, Ancon, Panama
| | - Vincent Maicher
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Libreville, Gabon
| | - Katerina Sam
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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Haug C, Haug JT, Haug GT, Müller P, Zippel A, Kiesmüller C, Gauweiler J, Hörnig MK. Fossils in Myanmar amber demonstrate the diversity of anti-predator strategies of Cretaceous holometabolan insect larvae. iScience 2024; 27:108621. [PMID: 38213619 PMCID: PMC10783632 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108621] [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: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Holometabolan larvae are a major part of the animal biomass and an important food source for many animals. Many larvae evolved anti-predator strategies and some of these can even be recognized in fossils. A Lagerstätte known for well-preserved holometabolan larvae is the approximately 100-million-year-old Kachin amber from Myanmar. Fossils can not only allow to identify structural defensive specializations, but also lifestyle and even behavioral aspects. We review here the different defensive strategies employed by various holometabolan larvae found in Kachin amber, also reporting new cases of a leaf-mining hymenopteran caterpillar and a hangingfly caterpillar with extensive spines. This overview demonstrates that already 100 million years ago many modern strategies had already evolved in multiple lineages, but also reveals some cases of now extinct strategies. The repetitive independent evolution of similar strategies in distantly related lineages indicates that several strategies evolved convergently as a result of similar selective pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Haug
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), Biocenter, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- GeoBio-Center at LMU, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, 80333 München, Germany
| | - Joachim T. Haug
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), Biocenter, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- GeoBio-Center at LMU, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, 80333 München, Germany
| | - Gideon T. Haug
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), Biocenter, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | | | - Ana Zippel
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), Biocenter, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Christine Kiesmüller
- University of Greifswald, Zoological Institute and Museum, Cytology and Evolutionary Biology, Soldmannstr. 23, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Joshua Gauweiler
- University of Greifswald, Zoological Institute and Museum, Cytology and Evolutionary Biology, Soldmannstr. 23, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Marie K. Hörnig
- University of Greifswald, Zoological Institute and Museum, Cytology and Evolutionary Biology, Soldmannstr. 23, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
- University Medical Center Rostock, Medical Biology and Electron Microscopy Center, Strempelstr. 14, 18057 Rostock, Germany
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Romero GQ, Gonçalves-Souza T, Roslin T, Marquis RJ, Marino NAC, Novotny V, Cornelissen T, Orivel J, Sui S, Aires G, Antoniazzi R, Dáttilo W, Breviglieri CPB, Busse A, Gibb H, Izzo TJ, Kadlec T, Kemp V, Kersch-Becker M, Knapp M, Kratina P, Luke R, Majnarić S, Maritz R, Mateus Martins P, Mendesil E, Michalko J, Mrazova A, Novais S, Pereira CC, Perić MS, Petermann JS, Ribeiro SP, Sam K, Trzcinski MK, Vieira C, Westwood N, Bernaschini ML, Carvajal V, González E, Jausoro M, Kaensin S, Ospina F, Cristóbal-Pérez EJ, Quesada M, Rogy P, Srivastava DS, Szpryngiel S, Tack AJM, Teder T, Videla M, Viljur ML, Koricheva J. Climate variability and aridity modulate the role of leaf shelters for arthropods: A global experiment. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:3694-3710. [PMID: 35243726 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Current climate change is disrupting biotic interactions and eroding biodiversity worldwide. However, species sensitive to aridity, high temperatures, and climate variability might find shelter in microclimatic refuges, such as leaf rolls built by arthropods. To explore how the importance of leaf shelters for terrestrial arthropods changes with latitude, elevation, and climate, we conducted a distributed experiment comparing arthropods in leaf rolls versus control leaves across 52 sites along an 11,790 km latitudinal gradient. We then probed the impact of short- versus long-term climatic impacts on roll use, by comparing the relative impact of conditions during the experiment versus average, baseline conditions at the site. Leaf shelters supported larger organisms and higher arthropod biomass and species diversity than non-rolled control leaves. However, the magnitude of the leaf rolls' effect differed between long- and short-term climate conditions, metrics (species richness, biomass, and body size), and trophic groups (predators vs. herbivores). The effect of leaf rolls on predator richness was influenced only by baseline climate, increasing in magnitude in regions experiencing increased long-term aridity, regardless of latitude, elevation, and weather during the experiment. This suggests that shelter use by predators may be innate, and thus, driven by natural selection. In contrast, the effect of leaf rolls on predator biomass and predator body size decreased with increasing temperature, and increased with increasing precipitation, respectively, during the experiment. The magnitude of shelter usage by herbivores increased with the abundance of predators and decreased with increasing temperature during the experiment. Taken together, these results highlight that leaf roll use may have both proximal and ultimate causes. Projected increases in climate variability and aridity are, therefore, likely to increase the importance of biotic refugia in mitigating the effects of climate change on species persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Q Romero
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity, Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
- Laboratory of Ecological Synthesis and Biodiversity Conservation, Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, Brazil
| | - Tomas Roslin
- Spatial Foodweb Ecology Group, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
- Spatial Foodweb Ecology Group, Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Robert J Marquis
- Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center, Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Nicholas A C Marino
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Tatiana Cornelissen
- Centre for Ecological Synthesis and Conservation, Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Jerome Orivel
- CNRS, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (EcoFoG), AgroParisTech, CIRAD, INRAE, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles, Campus agronomique, Kourou cedex, France
| | - Shen Sui
- New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Nagada Harbour, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Gustavo Aires
- Laboratory of Ecological Synthesis and Biodiversity Conservation, Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, Brazil
| | - Reuber Antoniazzi
- Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, USA
| | - Wesley Dáttilo
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Crasso P B Breviglieri
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity, Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Annika Busse
- Department of Nature Conservation and Research, Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
| | - Heloise Gibb
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Thiago J Izzo
- Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Brasil
| | - Tomas Kadlec
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Victoria Kemp
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Monica Kersch-Becker
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Michal Knapp
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Rebecca Luke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK
| | - Stefan Majnarić
- Faculty of Science, Department of biology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Robin Maritz
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
| | - Paulo Mateus Martins
- Laboratory of Ecological Synthesis and Biodiversity Conservation, Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Etnobiologia e Conservação da Natureza, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE) [Federal Rural University of Pernambuco], Recife, Brazil
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Esayas Mendesil
- Department of Horticulture and Plant Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Jaroslav Michalko
- Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovakia
- Mlynany Arboretum, Institute of Forest Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Anna Mrazova
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Samuel Novais
- Red de Interacciones Multitróficas, Instituto de Ecología A.C, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Cássio C Pereira
- Centre for Ecological Synthesis and Conservation, Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Mirela S Perić
- Faculty of Science, Department of biology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jana S Petermann
- Department of Environment and Biodiversity, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Sérvio P Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Ecoehalth, Ecology of Canopy Insects and Natural Succession, NUPEB-Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil
| | - Katerina Sam
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - M Kurtis Trzcinski
- Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Camila Vieira
- Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação de Recursos Naturais, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Natalie Westwood
- Dept. of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Maria L Bernaschini
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Valentina Carvajal
- Laboratorio de Ecologia, Grupo de Investigación en Ecosistemas Tropicales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia
| | - Ezequiel González
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute for Environmental Science, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Mariana Jausoro
- Departamento de Ciencias Basicas, Universidad Nacional de Chilecito, Chilecito, Spain
| | - Stanis Kaensin
- New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Nagada Harbour, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Fabiola Ospina
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia
| | - E Jacob Cristóbal-Pérez
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica (LANASE), Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México
| | - Mauricio Quesada
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica (LANASE), Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México
| | - Pierre Rogy
- Dept. of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Diane S Srivastava
- Dept. of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Scarlett Szpryngiel
- Department of Zoology, The Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ayco J M Tack
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tiit Teder
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Martin Videla
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Mari-Liis Viljur
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III), Julius Maximilians University Würzburg, Rauhenebrach, Germany
| | - Julia Koricheva
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK
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