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Hwang BC, Giardina CP, Adu-Bredu S, Barrios-Garcia MN, Calvo-Alvarado JC, Dargie GC, Diao H, Duboscq-Carra VG, Hemp A, Hemp C, Huasco WH, Ivanov AV, Johnson NG, Kuijper DPJ, Lewis SL, Lobos-Catalán P, Malhi Y, Marshall AR, Mumladze L, Ngute ASK, Palma AC, Petritan IC, Rordriguez-Cabal MA, Suspense IA, Zagidullina A, Andersson T, Galiano-Cabrera DF, Jiménez-Castillo M, Churski M, Gage SA, Filippova N, Francisco KS, Gaglianese-Woody M, Iankoshvili G, Kaswamila MA, Lyatuu H, Mampouya Wenina YE, Materu B, Mbemba M, Moritz R, Orang K, Plyusnin S, Puma Vilca BL, Rodríguez-Solís M, Šamonil P, Stępniak KM, Walsh SK, Xu H, Metcalfe DB. The impact of insect herbivory on biogeochemical cycling in broadleaved forests varies with temperature. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6011. [PMID: 39019847 PMCID: PMC11254921 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50245-9] [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: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Herbivorous insects alter biogeochemical cycling within forests, but the magnitude of these impacts, their global variation, and drivers of this variation remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap and help improve biogeochemical models, we established a global network of 74 plots within 40 mature, undisturbed broadleaved forests. We analyzed freshly senesced and green leaves for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and silica concentrations, foliar production and herbivory, and stand-level nutrient fluxes. We show more nutrient release by insect herbivores at non-outbreak levels in tropical forests than temperate and boreal forests, that these fluxes increase strongly with mean annual temperature, and that they exceed atmospheric deposition inputs in some localities. Thus, background levels of insect herbivory are sufficiently large to both alter ecosystem element cycling and influence terrestrial carbon cycling. Further, climate can affect interactions between natural populations of plants and herbivores with important consequences for global biogeochemical cycles across broadleaved forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernice C Hwang
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Linnaeus väg 6, Umeå, Sweden.
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sterwartestraße 15, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Christian P Giardina
- Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Hilo, HI, USA
| | - Stephen Adu-Bredu
- CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana: Kumasi, Ashanti, Ghana
- Department of Natural Resources Management, CSIR College of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - M Noelia Barrios-Garcia
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA
- CONICET, CENAC-APN, Universidad Nacional del Comahue (CRUB), Bariloche (8400), Argentina
| | | | | | - Haoyu Diao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, 8903, Switzerland
| | - Virginia G Duboscq-Carra
- Grupo de Ecología de Invasiones, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA)-CONICET-Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Andreas Hemp
- Department of Plant Systematics, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Claudia Hemp
- Department of Plant Systematics, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Walter Huaraca Huasco
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
- Asociación Civil Sin Fines De Lucro Para La Biodiversidad, Investigación Y Desarrollo Ambiental En Ecosistemas Tropicales (ABIDA), Urbanización Ucchullo Grande, Avenida Argentina F-9, Cusco, Perú
| | - Aleksandr V Ivanov
- Institute of Geology and Nature Management Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Relochny lane, 1, Blagoveshchensk, 675000, Russia
| | - Nels G Johnson
- Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Hilo, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Dries P J Kuijper
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Ul. Stoczek 1, 17‑230, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Simon L Lewis
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK
| | - Paulina Lobos-Catalán
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Andrew R Marshall
- Forest Research Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia
- Reforest Africa, PO Box 5, Mang'ula, Kilombero District, Tanzania
| | - Levan Mumladze
- Institute of Zoology, Ilia State University, 3/5 Cholokashvili Ave, 0169, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Alain Senghor K Ngute
- Forest Research Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia
| | - Ana C Palma
- College of Science & Engineering and Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, James Cook University, Qld, Australia
| | - Ion Catalin Petritan
- Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Brașov, Șirul Beethoven 1, 500123, Brașov, Romania
| | - Mariano A Rordriguez-Cabal
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA
- Grupo de Ecología de Invasiones, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA)-CONICET-Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Ifo A Suspense
- Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Agronomie et de Foresterie, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, République du Congo
- Laboratoire de Biodiversité, de Gestion des Ecosystèmes et de l'Environnement, Faculté des Sciences et techniques, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, République du Congo
| | - Asiia Zagidullina
- Forest Research Institute, University of Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, QC, Canada
- Department of Physical Geography and Environmental Management Problems, Institute of Geography, Russian Science Academy, Moscow, Russia
| | - Tommi Andersson
- Kevo Subarctic Research Institute, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
| | - Darcy F Galiano-Cabrera
- Asociación Civil Sin Fines De Lucro Para La Biodiversidad, Investigación Y Desarrollo Ambiental En Ecosistemas Tropicales (ABIDA), Urbanización Ucchullo Grande, Avenida Argentina F-9, Cusco, Perú
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Av. de La Cultura 773, Cusco, Cusco Province, 08000, Peru
| | - Mylthon Jiménez-Castillo
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Marcin Churski
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Ul. Stoczek 1, 17‑230, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Shelley A Gage
- Centre for Horticultural Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, 47 Mayers Road, Nambour, 4056, Australia
| | - Nina Filippova
- Yugra State University, 628012, Chekhova street, 16, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
| | - Kainana S Francisco
- Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Hilo, HI, USA
| | | | - Giorgi Iankoshvili
- Institute of Ecology, Ilia State University, 3/5 Cholokashvili Ave, 0169, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | | | - Herman Lyatuu
- Reforest Africa, PO Box 5, Mang'ula, Kilombero District, Tanzania
| | - Y E Mampouya Wenina
- Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Agronomie et de Foresterie, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, République du Congo
- Laboratoire de Biodiversité, de Gestion des Ecosystèmes et de l'Environnement, Faculté des Sciences et techniques, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, République du Congo
| | - Brayan Materu
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - M Mbemba
- CongoPeat Project, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Agronomie et de Foresterie, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, République du Congo
| | - Ruslan Moritz
- Siberian Institute of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry SB RAS, 664033, Irkutsk, Lermontova str., 132, Russia
| | - Karma Orang
- Ugyen Wangchuk Institute for Forest Research and Training, Department of Forests and Park Services, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Lamai Goempa, Bumthang, Bhutan
| | - Sergey Plyusnin
- Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University, 455 Oktyabrsky prosp., 167001, Syktyvkar, Russia
| | - Beisit L Puma Vilca
- Asociación Civil Sin Fines De Lucro Para La Biodiversidad, Investigación Y Desarrollo Ambiental En Ecosistemas Tropicales (ABIDA), Urbanización Ucchullo Grande, Avenida Argentina F-9, Cusco, Perú
- Kevo Subarctic Research Institute, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
| | | | - Pavel Šamonil
- The Silva Tarouca Research Institute, Květnové náměstí 391, Průhonice, 252 43, Czech Republic
| | - Kinga M Stępniak
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Ul. Stoczek 1, 17‑230, Białowieża, Poland
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, 02-086, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Seana K Walsh
- Department of Science and Conservation, National Tropical Botanical Garden, 3530 Papalina Road, Kalāheo, HI, 96741, USA
| | - Han Xu
- Research Institute of Tropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, 510520, China
| | - Daniel B Metcalfe
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Linnaeus väg 6, Umeå, Sweden
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Sánchez Herrera M, Forero D, Calor AR, Romero GQ, Riyaz M, Callisto M, de Oliveira Roque F, Elme-Tumpay A, Khan MK, Justino de Faria AP, Pires MM, Silva de Azevêdo CA, Juen L, Zakka U, Samaila AE, Hussaini S, Kemabonta K, Guillermo-Ferreira R, Ríos-Touma B, Maharaj G. Systematic challenges and opportunities in insect monitoring: a Global South perspective. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230102. [PMID: 38705182 PMCID: PMC11070269 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Insect monitoring is pivotal for assessing biodiversity and informing conservation strategies. This study delves into the complex realm of insect monitoring in the Global South-world developing and least-developed countries as identified by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development-highlighting challenges and proposing strategic solutions. An analysis of publications from 1990 to 2024 reveals an imbalance in research contributions between the Global North and South, highlighting disparities in entomological research and the scarcity of taxonomic expertise in the Global South. We discuss the socio-economic factors that exacerbate the issues, including funding disparities, challenges in collaboration, infrastructure deficits, information technology obstacles and the impact of local currency devaluation. In addition, we emphasize the crucial role of environmental factors in shaping insect diversity, particularly in tropical regions facing multiple challenges including climate change, urbanization, pollution and various anthropogenic activities. We also stress the need for entomologists to advocate for ecosystem services provided by insects in addressing environmental issues. To enhance monitoring capacity, we propose strategies such as community engagement, outreach programmes and cultural activities to instill biodiversity appreciation. Further, language inclusivity and social media use are emphasized for effective communication. More collaborations with Global North counterparts, particularly in areas of molecular biology and remote sensing, are suggested for technological advancements. In conclusion, advocating for these strategies-global collaborations, a diverse entomological community and the integration of transverse disciplines-aims to address challenges and foster inclusive, sustainable insect monitoring in the Global South, contributing significantly to biodiversity conservation and overall ecosystem health. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Sánchez Herrera
- Department of Museum Research and Collections, University of Alabama Museums, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
- Laboratorio de Zoología y Ecología Acuática (LAZOEA), Biological Sciences Department, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, 111711, Colombia
| | - Dimitri Forero
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, 11132, Colombia
| | - Adolfo Ricardo Calor
- Instituto de Biologia, Laboratório de Entomologia Aquática, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, 40000-000, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Q. Romero
- Laboratório de Interações Multitróficas e Biodiversidade, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, Campinas-SP, CEP 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Muzafar Riyaz
- St Xavier's College, Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, CEP: 40170-115 7 – 627002, India
| | - Marcos Callisto
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte - MG, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Fabio de Oliveira Roque
- Departamento de Biología, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Ciudade Universitaria, Pioneiros, Campo Grande, MS, 79070-900, Brazil
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Douglas, Cairns, 4811, Queensland, Australia
| | - Araseli Elme-Tumpay
- Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Genética Ambiental (BioGeA), Universidad Nacional de Avellaneda, Mario Bravo 1460, CP1870 Piñeyro, Avellaneda, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Colección Entomológica, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Gabinete C-338, Pabellón C, Ciudad Universitaria de Perayoc, Cusco, 08003, Peru
| | - M. Kawsar Khan
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Ana Paula Justino de Faria
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual do Piauí, Rua João Cabral - Matinha, Teresina - PI, 64018-030, Brazil
| | - Mateus Marques Pires
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems, Universidade do Vale do Taquari - UNIVATES, Lajeado, RS, 95914-014 Brazil
| | - Carlos Augusto Silva de Azevêdo
- Departamento de Biología, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, Programa em Biodiversidade, Ambiente e Saúde, 65.055-310, Brazil
| | - Leandro Juen
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, UFPA, Belém - PA, 66077-830, Brazil
| | - Usman Zakka
- Department of Crop & Soil Science, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt 500272, Nigeria
| | - Akeweta Emmanuel Samaila
- Department of Agronomy, Federal University of Kashere: Kashere, P.M.B. 0182, Gombe State, Nigeria
| | - Suwaiba Hussaini
- Department of Biological Sciences, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, 740272, Nigeria
| | - Kehinde Kemabonta
- Department of Zoology, University of Lagos: Akoka, Lagos, 100213, Nigeria
| | - Rhainer Guillermo-Ferreira
- Centro de Pesquisas em Entomologia e Biologia Experimental, Universidade Federal do Triangulo Mineiro (UFTM), Uberaba - MG, 38061-500, Brazil
| | - Blanca Ríos-Touma
- Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad, Medio Ambiente y Salud (BIOMAS), Universidad de Las Américas, Campus UDLAPARK, Quito, Ecuador 170513
| | - Gyanpriya Maharaj
- University of Guyana, Centre for the Study of Biological Diversity, Georgetown, Guyana
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Winter K. Are tropical forests approaching critical temperature thresholds? PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2024; 26:495-498. [PMID: 38477075 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
There is growing concern about the fate of tropical forests in the face of rising global temperatures. Doughty et al. (2023) suggest that an increase in air temperature beyond ∼4 °C will result in massive death of tropical forest leaves and potentially tree death. However, this prediction relies on assumptions that likely underestimate the heat tolerance of tropical leaves.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Winter
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Republic of Panama
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Martini F, Chen YF, Mammides C, Goodale E, Goodale UM. Exploring potential relationships between acoustic indices and ecosystem functions: a test on insect herbivory. Oecologia 2024; 204:875-883. [PMID: 38581444 PMCID: PMC11062954 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05536-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Biodiversity loss is a global concern. Current technological advances allow the development of novel tools that can monitor biodiversity remotely with minimal disturbance. One example is passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), which involves recording the soundscape of an area using autonomous recording units, and processing these data using acoustic indices, for example, to estimate the diversity of various vocal animal groups. We explored the hypothesis that data obtained through PAM could also be used to study ecosystem functions. Specifically, we investigated the potential relationship between seven commonly used acoustic indices and insect leaf herbivory, measured as total leaf damage and as the damage from three major insect feeding guilds. Herbivory was quantified on seedlings in 13 plots in four subtropical forests in south China, and acoustic data, representing insect acoustic complexity, were obtained by recording the evening soundscapes in those same locations. Herbivory levels correlated positively with the acoustic entropy index, commonly reported as one of the best-performing indices, whose high values indicate higher acoustic complexity, likely due to greater insect diversity. Relationships for specific feeding guilds were moderately stronger for chewers, indicating that the acoustic indices capture some insect groups more than others (e.g., chewers include soniferous taxa such as crickets, whereas miners are mostly silent). Our findings suggest that the use of PAM to monitor ecosystem functions deserves to be explored further, as this is a research field with unexplored potential. Well-designed targeted studies could help us better understand how to best use novel technologies to monitor ecosystem functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Martini
- Botany Department, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - You-Fang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Christos Mammides
- Nature Conservation Unit, Frederick University, 7, Yianni Frederickou Street, Pallouriotissa, 1036, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Eben Goodale
- Department of Health and Environmental Science, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
| | - Uromi Manage Goodale
- Department of Health and Environmental Science, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
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Danieli PP, Addeo NF, Lazzari F, Manganello F, Bovera F. Precision Beekeeping Systems: State of the Art, Pros and Cons, and Their Application as Tools for Advancing the Beekeeping Sector. Animals (Basel) 2023; 14:70. [PMID: 38200801 PMCID: PMC10778344 DOI: 10.3390/ani14010070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The present review aims to summarize the more recent scientific literature and updated state of the art on the research effort spent in adapting hardware-software tools to understand the true needs of honeybee colonies as a prerequisite for any sustainable management practice. A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis was also performed with the aim of identifying the key factors that could support or impair the diffusion of precision beekeeping (PB) systems. Honeybee husbandry, or beekeeping, is starting to approach precision livestock farming (PLF), as has already happened in other animal husbandry sectors. A transition from the current paradigm of rational beekeeping to that of precision beekeeping (PB) is thus expected. However, due to the peculiarities of this species and the related farming practices, the PB technological systems (PB systems) are still undergoing a development process that, to some extent, limits their large-scale practical application. Several physical-chemical (weight, temperature, humidity, sound, gases) and behavioral traits (flight activity, swarming) of the hive are reviewed in light of the evolution of sensors, communication systems, and data management approaches. These advanced sensors are equipped with a microprocessor that records data and sends it to a remote server for processing. In this way, through a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) system, the beekeeper, using specific applications on a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone, can have all the above-mentioned parameters under remote control. In general, weight, temperature, and humidity are the main hive traits monitored by commercial sensors. Surprisingly, flight activity sensors are rarely available as an option in modular PB systems marketed via the web. The SWOT analysis highlights that PB systems have promising strength points and represent great opportunities for the development of beekeeping; however, they have some weaknesses, represented especially by the high purchasing costs and the low preparedness of the addressed operators, and imply some possible threats for beekeeping in terms of unrealistic perception of the apiary status if they applied to some hives only and a possible adverse impact on the honeybees' colony itself. Even if more research is expected to take place in the next few years, indubitably, the success of commercial PB systems will be measured in terms of return on investment, conditioned especially by the benefits (higher yields, better colonies' health) that the beekeeper will appraise as a consequence of their use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pier Paolo Danieli
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via S. C. de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (F.L.); (F.M.)
| | - Nicola Francesco Addeo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Napoli Federico II, Via F. Delpino, 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy;
| | - Filippo Lazzari
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via S. C. de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (F.L.); (F.M.)
| | - Federico Manganello
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via S. C. de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (F.L.); (F.M.)
| | - Fulvia Bovera
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Napoli Federico II, Via F. Delpino, 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy;
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Pablo-Rodríguez JL, Bravo-Monzón ÁE, Montiel-González C, Benítez-Malvido J, Álvarez-Betancourt S, Ramírez-Sánchez O, Oyama K, Arena-Ortiz ML, Alvarez-Añorve MY, Avila-Cabadilla LD. Linking Anthropogenic Landscape Perturbation to Herbivory and Pathogen Leaf Damage in Tropical Tree Communities. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:3839. [PMID: 38005736 PMCID: PMC10675074 DOI: 10.3390/plants12223839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic disturbance of tropical humid forests leads to habitat loss, biodiversity decline, landscape fragmentation, altered nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration, soil erosion, pest/pathogen outbreaks, among others. Nevertheless, the impact of these alterations in multitrophic interactions, including host-pathogen and vector-pathogen dynamics, is still not well understood in wild plants. This study aimed to provide insights into the main drivers for the incidence of herbivory and plant pathogen damage, specifically, into how vegetation traits at the local and landscape scale modulate such interactions. For this purpose, in the tropical forest of Calakmul (Campeche, Mexico), we characterised the foliar damage caused by herbivores and pathogens in woody vegetation of 13 sampling sites representing a gradient of forest disturbance and fragmentation in an anthropogenic landscape from well preserved to highly disturbed and fragmented areas. We also evaluated how the incidence of such damage was modulated by the vegetation and landscape attributes. We found that the incidence of damage caused by larger, mobile, generalist herbivores, was more sensitive to changes in landscape configuration, while the incidence of damage caused by small and specialised herbivores with low dispersal capacity was more influenced by vegetation and landscape composition. In relation to pathogen symptoms, the herbivore-induced foliar damage seems to be the main factor related to their incidence, indicating the enormous importance of herbivorous insects in the modulation of disease dynamics across tropical vegetation, as they could be acting as vectors and/or facilitating the entry of pathogens by breaking the foliar tissue and the plant defensive barriers. The incidence of pathogen damage also responded to vegetation structure and landscape configuration; the incidence of anthracnose, black spot, and chlorosis, for example, were favoured in sites surrounded by smaller patches and a higher edge density, as well as those with a greater aggregation of semi-evergreen forest patches. Fungal pathogens were shown to be an important cause of foliar damage for many woody species. Our results indicate that an increasing transformation and fragmentation of the tropical forest of southern Mexico could reduce the degree of specialisation in plant-herbivore interactions and enhance the proliferation of generalist herbivores (chewers and scrapers) and of mobile leaf suckers, and consequently, the proliferation of some symptoms associated with fungal pathogens such as fungus black spots and anthracnose. The symptoms associated with viral and bacterial diseases and to nutrient deficiency, such as chlorosis, could also increase in the vegetation in fragmented landscapes with important consequences in the health and productivity of wild and cultivated plant species. This is a pioneering study evaluating the effect of disturbances on multitrophic interactions, offering key insights on the main drivers of the changes in herbivory interactions and incidence of plant pathogens in tropical forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Luis Pablo-Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional de Sistemas Tropicales, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Mérida, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida 97357, Mexico; (J.L.P.-R.); (Á.E.B.-M.); (S.Á.-B.); (O.R.-S.)
| | - Ángel E. Bravo-Monzón
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional de Sistemas Tropicales, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Mérida, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida 97357, Mexico; (J.L.P.-R.); (Á.E.B.-M.); (S.Á.-B.); (O.R.-S.)
| | - Cristina Montiel-González
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Sustentabilidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, San Francisco de Campeche 24500, Mexico;
| | - Julieta Benítez-Malvido
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Hábitats Alterados, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia 58190, Mexico;
| | - Sandra Álvarez-Betancourt
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional de Sistemas Tropicales, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Mérida, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida 97357, Mexico; (J.L.P.-R.); (Á.E.B.-M.); (S.Á.-B.); (O.R.-S.)
| | - Oriana Ramírez-Sánchez
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional de Sistemas Tropicales, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Mérida, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida 97357, Mexico; (J.L.P.-R.); (Á.E.B.-M.); (S.Á.-B.); (O.R.-S.)
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico
| | - Ken Oyama
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores (ENES) Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia 58190, Mexico;
| | - María Leticia Arena-Ortiz
- Laboratorio de Ecogenómica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Parque Científico y Tecnológico, Mérida 97302, Mexico;
| | - Mariana Yólotl Alvarez-Añorve
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional de Sistemas Tropicales, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Mérida, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida 97357, Mexico; (J.L.P.-R.); (Á.E.B.-M.); (S.Á.-B.); (O.R.-S.)
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional de Sistemas Tropicales, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla de Baz 54090, Mexico
| | - Luis Daniel Avila-Cabadilla
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional de Sistemas Tropicales, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Mérida, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida 97357, Mexico; (J.L.P.-R.); (Á.E.B.-M.); (S.Á.-B.); (O.R.-S.)
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional de Sistemas Tropicales, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla de Baz 54090, Mexico
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7
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Schön JE, Tiede Y, Becker M, Donoso DA, Homeier J, Limberger O, Bendix J, Farwig N, Brandl R. Effects of leaf traits of tropical trees on the abundance and body mass of herbivorous arthropod communities. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288276. [PMID: 37934765 PMCID: PMC10629635 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
In tropical forests, herbivorous arthropods remove between 7% up to 48% of leaf area, which has forced plants to evolve defense strategies. These strategies influence the palatability of leaves. Palatability, which reflects a syndrome of leaf traits, in turn influences both the abundance and the mean body mass not only of particular arthropod taxa but also of the total communities. In this study, we tested two hypotheses: (H1) The abundance of two important chewer guilds ('leaf chewers' and 'rostrum chewers'), dominant components of arthropod communities, is positively related to the palatability of host trees. (H2) Lower palatability leads to an increased mean body mass of chewers (Jarman-Bell principle). Arthropods were collected by fogging the canopies of 90 tropical trees representing 31 species in three plots at 1000 m and three at 2000 m a.s.l. Palatability was assessed by measuring several 'leaf traits' of each host tree and by conducting a feeding trial with the generalist herbivore Gryllus assimilis (Orthoptera, Gryllidae). Leaf traits provided partial support for H1, as abundance of leaf chewers but not of rostrum chewers was positively affected by the experimentally estimated palatability. There was no support for H2 as neither leaf traits nor experimentally estimated palatability affected the mean body mass of leaf chewers. The mean body mass of rostrum chewers was positively related to palatability. Thus, leaf traits and experimentally estimated palatability influenced the abundance and mean body mass of chewing arthropods on the community level. However, the data were not consistent with the Jarman-Bell principle. Overall, our results suggest that the palatability of leaves is not among the dominant factors influencing abundance and mean body mass of the community of chewing arthropod herbivores. If other factors, such as the microclimate, predation or further (a-)biotic interactions are more important has to be analyzed in refined studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana E. Schön
- Department of Biology, Animal Ecology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Hesse, Germany
| | - Yvonne Tiede
- Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Hesse, Germany
| | - Marcel Becker
- Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Hesse, Germany
| | - David A. Donoso
- Departamento de Biología, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
| | - Jürgen Homeier
- Faculty of Resource Management, HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - Oliver Limberger
- Department of Geography, Laboratory for Climatology and Remote Sensing, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Hesse, Germany
| | - Jörg Bendix
- Department of Geography, Laboratory for Climatology and Remote Sensing, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Hesse, Germany
| | - Nina Farwig
- Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Hesse, Germany
| | - Roland Brandl
- Department of Biology, Animal Ecology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Hesse, Germany
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8
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Klotz M, Schaller J, Engelbrecht BMJ. Silicon-based anti-herbivore defense in tropical tree seedlings. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1250868. [PMID: 37900768 PMCID: PMC10602810 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1250868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Silicon-based defenses deter insect herbivores in many cultivated and wild grass species. Furthermore, in some of these species, silicon (Si) uptake and defense can be induced by herbivory. Tropical trees also take up Si and leaf Si concentrations vary greatly across and within species. As herbivory is a major driver of seedling mortality and niche differentiation of tropical tree species, understanding anti-herbivore defenses is pivotal. Yet, whether silicon is a constitutive and inducible herbivory defense in tropical forest tree species remains unknown. We grew seedlings of eight tropical tree species in a full factorial experiment, including two levels of plant-available soil Si concentrations (-Si/+Si) and a simulated herbivory treatment (-H/+H). The simulated herbivory treatment was a combination of clipping and application of methyl jasmonate. We then carried out multiple-choice feeding trials, separately for each tree species, in which leaves of each treatment combination were offered to a generalist caterpillar (Spodoptera frugiperda). Leaf damage was assessed. Three species showed a significant decrease in leaf damage under high compared to low Si conditions (by up to 72%), consistent with our expectation of Si-based defenses acting in tropical tree species. In one species, leaf damage was increased by increasing soil Si and in four species, no effect of soil Si on leaf damage was observed. Opposite to our expectation of Si uptake and defense being inducible by herbivory damage, simulated herbivory increased leaf damage in two species. Furthermore, simulated herbivory reduced Si concentrations in one species. Our results showed that tropical tree seedlings can be better defended when growing in Si-rich compared to Si-poor soils, and that the effects of Si on plant defense vary strongly across species. Furthermore, Si-based defenses may not be inducible in tropical tree species. Overall, constitutive Si-based defense should be considered part of the vast array of anti-herbivore defenses of tropical tree species. Our finding that Si-based defenses are highly species-specific combined with the fact that herbivory is a major driver of mortality in tropical tree seedling, suggests that variation in soil Si concentrations may have pervasive consequences for regeneration and performance across tropical tree species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Klotz
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
- Deptartment of Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Jörg Schaller
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Bettina M. J. Engelbrecht
- Deptartment of Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), Balboa, Panama
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9
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Schuldt A, Liu X, Buscot F, Bruelheide H, Erfmeier A, He JS, Klein AM, Ma K, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schmid B, Scholten T, Tang Z, Trogisch S, Wirth C, Wubet T, Staab M. Carbon-biodiversity relationships in a highly diverse subtropical forest. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:5321-5333. [PMID: 36970888 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Carbon-focused climate mitigation strategies are becoming increasingly important in forests. However, with ongoing biodiversity declines we require better knowledge of how much such strategies account for biodiversity. We particularly lack information across multiple trophic levels and on established forests, where the interplay between carbon stocks, stand age, and tree diversity might influence carbon-biodiversity relationships. Using a large dataset (>4600 heterotrophic species of 23 taxonomic groups) from secondary, subtropical forests, we tested how multitrophic diversity and diversity within trophic groups relate to aboveground, belowground, and total carbon stocks at different levels of tree species richness and stand age. Our study revealed that aboveground carbon, the key component of climate-based management, was largely unrelated to multitrophic diversity. By contrast, total carbon stocks-that is, including belowground carbon-emerged as a significant predictor of multitrophic diversity. Relationships were nonlinear and strongest for lower trophic levels, but nonsignificant for higher trophic level diversity. Tree species richness and stand age moderated these relationships, suggesting long-term regeneration of forests may be particularly effective in reconciling carbon and biodiversity targets. Our findings highlight that biodiversity benefits of climate-oriented management need to be evaluated carefully, and only maximizing aboveground carbon may fail to account for biodiversity conservation requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Schuldt
- Forest Nature Conservation, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Xiaojuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, 100093, Beijing, China
| | - François Buscot
- Department of Soil Ecology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06108, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | | | - Jin-Sheng He
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Alexandra-Maria Klein
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, 79106, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Keping Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, 100093, Beijing, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories, University of Zurich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Scholten
- Department of Geosciences, Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, 72070, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Zhiyao Tang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Stefan Trogisch
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06108, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Christian Wirth
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, University of Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tesfaye Wubet
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Community Ecology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Michael Staab
- Ecological Networks, Technical University Darmstadt, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany
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10
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Corley RB, Dawson W, Bishop TR. A simple method to account for thermal boundary layers during the estimation of CTmax in small ectotherms. J Therm Biol 2023; 116:103673. [PMID: 37527565 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
As temperatures rise, understanding how ectotherms will become impacted by thermal stress is of critical importance. In this context, many researchers quantify critical temperatures - these are the upper (CTmax) and lower (CTmin) thermal limits at which organisms can no longer function. Most studies estimate CTs using bath-based methods where organisms are submerged within a set thermal environment. Plate-based methods (i.e. hot plates), however, offer huge opportunity for automation and are readily available in many lab settings. Plates, however, generate a unidirectional thermal boundary layer above their surface which means that the temperatures experienced by organisms of different sizes is different. This boundary layer effect can bias estimates of critical temperatures. Here, we test the hypothesis that biases in critical temperature estimation on hot plates are driven by organism height. We also quantify the composition of the boundary layer in order to correct for these biases. We assayed four differently sized species of UK ants for their CTmax in dry baths (with no boundary layer) and on hot plates (with a boundary layer). We found that hot plates overestimated the CTmax values of the different ants, and that this overestimate was larger for taller species. By statistically modelling the thickness of the thermal boundary layer, and combining with estimates of species height, we were able to correct this overestimation and eliminate methodological differences. Our study provides two main findings. First, we provide evidence that organism height is positively related to the bias present in plate-based estimates of CTmax. Second, we show that a relatively simple statistical model can correct for this bias. By using simple corrections for boundary layer effects, as we have done here, researchers could open up a new possibility space in the design and implementation of thermal tolerance assays using plates rather than restrictive dry or water baths.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Will Dawson
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Tom R Bishop
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
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11
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Duffus NE, Echeverri A, Dempewolf L, Noriega JA, Furumo PR, Morimoto J. The Present and Future of Insect Biodiversity Conservation in the Neotropics: Policy Gaps and Recommendations. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:407-421. [PMID: 36918492 PMCID: PMC10181979 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-023-01031-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that insect populations may be declining at local and global scales, threatening the sustainability of the ecosystem services that insects provide. Insect declines are of particular concern in the Neotropics, which holds several of the world's hotspots of insect endemism and diversity. Conservation policies are one way to prevent and mitigate insect declines, yet these policies are usually biased toward vertebrate species. Here, we outline some key policy instruments for biodiversity conservation in the Neotropics and discuss their potential contribution and shortcomings for insect biodiversity conservation. These include species-specific action policies, protected areas and Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs), sectoral policies, biodiversity offsetting, market-based mechanisms, and the international policy instruments that underpin these efforts. We highlight that although these policies can potentially benefit insect biodiversity indirectly, there are avenues in which we could better incorporate the specific needs of insects into policy to mitigate the declines mentioned above. We propose several areas of improvement. Firstly, evaluating the extinction risk of more Neotropical insects to better target at-risk species with species-specific policies and conserve their habitats within area-based interventions. Secondly, alternative pest control methods and enhanced monitoring of insects in a range of land-based production sectors. Thirdly, incorporating measurable and achievable insect conservation targets into international policies and conventions. Finally, we emphasise the important roles of community engagement and enhanced public awareness in achieving these improvements to insect conservation policies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alejandra Echeverri
- Centre for Conservation Biology, Dept of Biology, Stanford Univ, CA, Stanford, USA
- The Natural Capital Project, Stanford Univ, CA, Stanford, USA
| | - Lena Dempewolf
- Ministry of Planning and Development, Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Jorge Ari Noriega
- Grupo Agua, Salud y Ambiente, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Paul R Furumo
- Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford Univ, Stanford, USA
| | - Juliano Morimoto
- School of Biological Sciences, Univ of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ecologia E Conservação, Univ Federal Do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
- Institute of Mathematics, Univ of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, Scotland
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12
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Does Ungulate Herbivory Translate into Diversity of Woody Plants? A Long-Term Study in a Montane Forest Ecosystem in Austria. DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15020165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Different species-specific traits of woody plant species, feeding preferences of herbivores together with resulting effects on plant competition are expected to translate into different plant community structures and expressions of biodiversity. We studied the diversity of woody plant species (trees and shrubs) and structural diversity of forest trees, using a 30-year and an 18-year dataset of ungulate exclosure-control plot pairs in a mixed alpine forest community in Austria. We surveyed the tallest individuals per tree species and plot and analyzed the collective of top-height individuals per plot pair. Incidence data for exclosure and control plots were aggregated. Comparing species diversity and diversity of height classes on the plots throughout time, we calculated diversity profiles based on Hill numbers. Diversity of top height individuals and structural diversity, expressed by height classes, were two diversity aspects that differed between exclosures and control plots. Other diversity estimates of woody plant species showed huge variation without significant differences between plots. Height growth was significantly suppressed by ungulate herbivory. Effects of ungulate herbivores in forest ecosystems are highly complex and context-dependent and thus not reducible to simple top-down forces. Long-term surveys provide data that reflect “ultimate” effects of herbivory interacting with other drivers of community dynamics.
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13
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Climate change alters slug abundance but not herbivory in a temperate grassland. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0283128. [PMID: 36917602 PMCID: PMC10013886 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change will significantly impact the world's ecosystems, in part by altering species interactions and ecological processes, such as herbivory and plant community dynamics, which may impact forage quality and ecosystem production. Yet relatively few field experimental manipulations assessing all of these parameters have been performed to date. To help fill this knowledge gap, we evaluated the effects of increased temperature (+3°C day and night, year-round) and precipitation (+30% of mean annual rainfall) on slug herbivory and abundance and plant community dynamics biweekly in a pasture located in central Kentucky, U.S.A. Warming increased slug abundance once during the winter, likely due to improving conditions for foraging, whereas warming reduced slug abundance at times in late spring, mid-summer, and early fall (from 62-95% reduction depending on month). We found that warming and increased precipitation did not significantly modify slug herbivory at our site, despite altering slug abundance and affecting plant community composition and forage quality. Climate change will alter seasonal patterns of slug abundance through both direct effects on slug biology and indirect effects mediated by changes in the plant community, suggesting that pasture management practices may have to adapt.
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14
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Gorczynski D, Hsieh C, Ahumada J, Akampurira E, Andrianarisoa MH, Espinosa S, Johnson S, Kayijamahe C, Lima MGM, Mugerwa B, Rovero F, Salvador J, Santos F, Sheil D, Uzabaho E, Beaudrot L. Human density modulates spatial associations among tropical forest terrestrial mammal species. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:7205-7216. [PMID: 36172946 PMCID: PMC9827980 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The spatial aggregation of species pairs often increases with the ecological similarity of the species involved. However, the way in which environmental conditions and anthropogenic activity affect the relationship between spatial aggregation and ecological similarity remains unknown despite the potential for spatial associations to affect species interactions, ecosystem function, and extinction risk. Given that human disturbance has been shown to both increase and decrease spatial associations among species pairs, ecological similarity may have a role in mediating these patterns. Here, we test the influences of habitat diversity, primary productivity, human population density, and species' ecological similarity based on functional traits (i.e., functional trait similarity) on spatial associations among tropical forest mammals. Large mammals are highly sensitive to anthropogenic change and therefore susceptible to changes in interspecific spatial associations. Using two-species occupancy models and camera trap data, we quantified the spatial overlap of 1216 species pairs from 13 tropical forest protected areas around the world. We found that the association between ecological similarity and interspecific species associations depended on surrounding human density. Specifically, aggregation of ecologically similar species was more than an order of magnitude stronger in landscapes with the highest human density compared to those with the lowest human density, even though all populations occurred within protected areas. Human-induced changes in interspecific spatial associations have been shown to alter top-down control by predators, increase disease transmission and increase local extinction rates. Our results indicate that anthropogenic effects on the distribution of wildlife within protected areas are already occurring and that impacts on species interactions, ecosystem functions, and extinction risk warrant further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Gorczynski
- Department of BiosciencesRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
- Program in Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Chia Hsieh
- Department of BiosciencesRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
- Program in Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Jorge Ahumada
- Moore Center for Science, Conservation InternationalArlingtonVirginiaUSA
| | - Emmanuel Akampurira
- Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation (ITFC), Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST)KabaleUganda
- Department of Conflict and Development Studies, Ghent UniversityGentBelgium
| | | | - Santiago Espinosa
- Facultad de CienciasUniversidad Autónoma de San Luis PotosíSan Luis PotosíMexico
- Escuela de Ciencias BiológicasPontificia Universidad Católica del EcuadorQuitoEcuador
| | - Steig Johnson
- Department of Anthropology and ArchaeologyUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryAlbertaCanada
| | | | - Marcela Guimarães Moreira Lima
- Biogeography of Conservation and Macroecology LaboratoryInstitute of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal do ParáParáBrazil
| | - Badru Mugerwa
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife ResearchBerlinGermany
- Department of EcologyTechnische Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Francesco Rovero
- Department of BiologyUniversity of FlorenceFlorenceItaly
- MUSE‐Museo delle ScienzeTrentoItaly
| | - Julia Salvador
- Wildlife Conservation SocietyQuitoEcuador
- Pontificia Universidad Católica del EcuadorQuitoEcuador
| | - Fernanda Santos
- Programa de Capacitação Institucional, Coordenação de Ciências da Terra e Ecologia, Museu Paraense Emílio GoeldiBelémBrazil
| | - Douglas Sheil
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)AasNorway
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen University & ResearchWageningenNetherlands
| | | | - Lydia Beaudrot
- Department of BiosciencesRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
- Program in Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
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15
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Minard G, Kahilainen A, Biere A, Pakkanen H, Mappes J, Saastamoinen M. Complex plant quality-microbiota-population interactions modulate the response of a specialist herbivore to the defence of its host plant. Funct Ecol 2022; 36:2873-2888. [PMID: 36632135 PMCID: PMC9826300 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Many specialist herbivores have evolved strategies to cope with plant defences, with gut microbiota potentially participating to such adaptations.In this study, we assessed whether the history of plant use (population origin) and microbiota may interact with plant defence adaptation.We tested whether microbiota enhance the performance of Melitaea cinxia larvae on their host plant, Plantago lanceolata and increase their ability to cope the defensive compounds, iridoid glycosides (IGs).The gut microbiota were significantly affected by both larval population origin and host plant IG level. Contrary to our prediction, impoverishing the microbiota with antibiotic treatment did not reduce larval performance.As expected for this specialized insect herbivore, sequestration of one of IGs was higher in larvae fed with plants producing higher concentration of IGs. These larvae also showed metabolic signature of intoxication (i.e. decrease in Lysine levels). However, intoxication on highly defended plants was only observed when larvae with a history of poorly defended plants were simultaneously treated with antibiotics.Our results suggest that both adaptation and microbiota contribute to the metabolic response of herbivores to plant defence though complex interactions. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Minard
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgrammeUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland,Université de LyonLyonFrance,Ecologie MicrobienneUMR CNRS 5557, UMR INRA 1418, VetAgro Sup, Université Lyon 1VilleurbanneFrance
| | - Aapo Kahilainen
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgrammeUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland,Finnish Environment InstituteBiodiversity CentreHelsinkiFinland
| | - Arjen Biere
- Department of Terrestrial EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)WageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Hannu Pakkanen
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgrammeUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland,Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | - Marjo Saastamoinen
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgrammeUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland,Helsinki Institute of Life SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
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16
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Kozlov MV, Zverev V, Zvereva EL. Elevational changes in insect herbivory on woody plants in six mountain ranges of temperate Eurasia: Sources of variation. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9468. [PMID: 36349250 PMCID: PMC9636509 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Current theory predicts that the intensity of biotic interactions, particularly herbivory, decreases with increasing latitude and elevation. However, recent studies have revealed substantial variation in both the latitudinal and elevational patterns of herbivory. This variation is often attributed to differences in study design and the type of data collected by different researchers. Here, we used a similar sampling protocol along elevational gradients in six mountain ranges, located at different latitudes within temperate Eurasia, to uncover the sources of variation in elevational patterns in insect herbivory on woody plant leaves. We discovered a considerable variation in elevational patterns among different mountain ranges; nevertheless, herbivory generally decreased with increasing elevation at both the community‐wide and individual plant species levels. This decrease was mostly due to openly living defoliators, whereas no significant association was detected between herbivory and elevation among insects living within plant tissues (i.e., miners and gallers). The elevational decrease in herbivory was significant for deciduous plants but not for evergreen plants, and for tall plants but not for low‐stature plants. The community‐wide herbivory increased with increases in both specific leaf area and leaf size. The strength of the negative correlation between herbivory and elevation increased from lower to higher latitudes. We conclude that despite the predicted overall decrease with elevation, elevational gradients in herbivory demonstrate considerable variation, and this variation is mostly associated with herbivore feeding habits, some plant traits, and latitude of the mountain range.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vitali Zverev
- Department of BiologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
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17
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Flores BM, Staal A. Feedback in tropical forests of the Anthropocene. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:5041-5061. [PMID: 35770837 PMCID: PMC9542052 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Tropical forests are complex systems containing myriad interactions and feedbacks with their biotic and abiotic environments, but as the world changes fast, the future of these ecosystems becomes increasingly uncertain. In particular, global stressors may unbalance the feedbacks that stabilize tropical forests, allowing other feedbacks to propel undesired changes in the whole ecosystem. Here, we review the scientific literature across various fields, compiling known interactions of tropical forests with their environment, including the global climate, rainfall, aerosols, fire, soils, fauna, and human activities. We identify 170 individual interactions among 32 elements that we present as a global tropical forest network, including countless feedback loops that may emerge from different combinations of interactions. We illustrate our findings with three cases involving urgent sustainability issues: (1) wildfires in wetlands of South America; (2) forest encroachment in African savanna landscapes; and (3) synergistic threats to the peatland forests of Borneo. Our findings reveal an unexplored world of feedbacks that shape the dynamics of tropical forests. The interactions and feedbacks identified here can guide future qualitative and quantitative research on the complexities of tropical forests, allowing societies to manage the nonlinear responses of these ecosystems in the Anthropocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo M. Flores
- Graduate Program in EcologyFederal University of Santa CatarinaFlorianopolisBrazil
| | - Arie Staal
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable DevelopmentUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
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18
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Hwang BC, Giardina CP, Litton CM, Francisco KS, Pacheco C, Thomas N, Uehara T, Metcalfe DB. Impacts of insect frass and cadavers on soil surface litter decomposition along a tropical forest temperature gradient. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9322. [PMID: 36188494 PMCID: PMC9493466 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect herbivores play important roles in shaping many ecosystem processes, but how climate change will alter the effects of insect herbivory are poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we quantified for the first time how insect frass and cadavers affected leaf litter decomposition rates and nutrient release along a highly constrained 4.3°C mean annual temperature (MAT) gradient in a Hawaiian montane tropical wet forest. We constructed litterbags of standardized locally sourced leaf litter, with some amended with insect frass + cadavers to produce treatments designed to simulate ambient (Control = no amendment), moderate (Amended‐Low = 2 × Control level), or severe (Amended‐High = 11 × Control level) insect outbreak events. Multiple sets of these litterbags were deployed across the MAT gradient, with individual litterbags collected periodically over one year to assess how rising MAT altered the effects of insect deposits on litter decomposition rates and nitrogen (N) release. Increased MAT and insect inputs additively increased litter decomposition rates and N immobilization rates, with effects being stronger for Amended‐High litterbags. However, the apparent temperature sensitivity (Q10) of litter decomposition was not clearly affected by amendments. The effects of adding insect deposits in this study operated differently than the slower litter decomposition and greater N mobilization rates often observed in experiments which use chemical fertilizers (e.g., urea, ammonium nitrate). Further research is required to understand mechanistic differences between amendment types. Potential increases in outbreak‐related herbivore deposits coupled with climate warming will accelerate litter decomposition and nutrient cycling rates with short‐term consequences for nutrient cycling and carbon storage in tropical montane wet forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernice C. Hwang
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science Lund University Lund Sweden
| | - Christian P. Giardina
- Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry Hilo Hawaii USA
| | - Creighton M. Litton
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Honolulu Hawaii USA
| | - Kainana S. Francisco
- Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry Hilo Hawaii USA
| | - Cody Pacheco
- Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry Hilo Hawaii USA
| | - Naneaikealaula Thomas
- Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry Hilo Hawaii USA
| | - Tyler Uehara
- Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry Hilo Hawaii USA
| | - Daniel B. Metcalfe
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science Lund University Lund Sweden
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science Umeå University Umeå Sweden
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19
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Defoliation-induced changes in foliage quality may trigger broad-scale insect outbreaks. Commun Biol 2022; 5:463. [PMID: 35577895 PMCID: PMC9110339 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03407-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Top-down effects, like predation, are drivers of insect outbreaks, but bottom-up effects, like host nutritional quality, also influence outbreaks and could in turn be altered by insect-caused defoliation. We evaluated the prediction that herbivory leads to a positive feedback on outbreak severity as nutrient concentration in plant tissues increases through improved soil nutrient availability from frass and litter deposition. Over seven years of a spruce budworm outbreak, we quantified litter nutrient fluxes, soil nitrogen availability, and host tree foliar nutrient status along a forest susceptibility gradient. As the outbreak progressed, both soil nutrient fluxes and availability increased which, in turn, improved foliage quality in surviving host trees. This is consistent with boosted insect fitness and increased population density and defoliation as outbreaks grow. Our results suggest that a positive bottom-up feedback to forest ecosystems from defoliation may result in conditions favorable to self-amplifying population dynamics in insect herbivores that can contribute to driving broad-scale outbreaks. Progression of a spruce budworm outbreak over seven years is associated with increased soil nutrient fluxes and availability and improved foliage quality in surviving host trees. This could create a bottom-up feedback that sustains an insect outbreak.
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20
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Rastetter EB, Griffin KL, Rowe RJ, Gough L, McLaren JR, Boelman NT. Model responses to CO 2 and warming are underestimated without explicit representation of Arctic small-mammal grazing. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e02478. [PMID: 34657358 PMCID: PMC9285540 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We use a simple model of coupled carbon and nitrogen cycles in terrestrial ecosystems to examine how "explicitly representing grazers" vs. "having grazer effects implicitly aggregated in with other biogeochemical processes in the model" alters predicted responses to elevated carbon dioxide and warming. The aggregated approach can affect model predictions because grazer-mediated processes can respond differently to changes in climate compared with the processes with which they are typically aggregated. We use small-mammal grazers in a tundra as an example and find that the typical three-to-four-year cycling frequency is too fast for the effects of cycle peaks and troughs to be fully manifested in the ecosystem biogeochemistry. We conclude that implicitly aggregating the effects of small-mammal grazers with other processes results in an underestimation of ecosystem response to climate change, relative to estimations in which the grazer effects are explicitly represented. The magnitude of this underestimation increases with grazer density. We therefore recommend that grazing effects be incorporated explicitly when applying models of ecosystem response to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward B. Rastetter
- The Ecosystems CenterMarine Biological LaboratoryWoods HoleMassachusetts02543USA
| | - Kevin L. Griffin
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental BiologyColumbia UniversityNew YorkNew York10027USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental SciencesColumbia UniversityPalisadesNew York10964USA
- Lamont‐Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia UniversityPalisadesNew York10964USA
| | - Rebecca J. Rowe
- Natural Resources and the EnvironmentUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNew Hampshire03824USA
| | - Laura Gough
- Department of Biological SciencesTowson UniversityTowsonMaryland21252USA
| | - Jennie R. McLaren
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Texas at El PasoEl PasoTexas79968USA
| | - Natalie T. Boelman
- Lamont‐Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia UniversityPalisadesNew York10964USA
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21
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Berenguer E, Lennox GD, Ferreira J, Malhi Y, Aragão LEOC, Barreto JR, Del Bon Espírito-Santo F, Figueiredo AES, França F, Gardner TA, Joly CA, Palmeira AF, Quesada CA, Rossi LC, de Seixas MMM, Smith CC, Withey K, Barlow J. Tracking the impacts of El Niño drought and fire in human-modified Amazonian forests. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2019377118. [PMID: 34282005 PMCID: PMC8325159 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2019377118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
With humanity facing an unprecedented climate crisis, the conservation of tropical forests has never been so important - their vast terrestrial carbon stocks can be turned into emissions by climatic and human disturbances. However, the duration of these effects is poorly understood, and it is unclear whether impacts are amplified in forests with a history of previous human disturbance. Here, we focus on the Amazonian epicenter of the 2015-16 El Niño, a region that encompasses 1.2% of the Brazilian Amazon. We quantify, at high temporal resolution, the impacts of an extreme El Niño (EN) drought and extensive forest fires on plant mortality and carbon loss in undisturbed and human-modified forests. Mortality remained higher than pre-El Niño levels for 36 mo in EN-drought-affected forests and for 30 mo in EN-fire-affected forests. In EN-fire-affected forests, human disturbance significantly increased plant mortality. Our investigation of the ecological and physiological predictors of tree mortality showed that trees with lower wood density, bark thickness and leaf nitrogen content, as well as those that experienced greater fire intensity, were more vulnerable. Across the region, the 2015-16 El Niño led to the death of an estimated 2.5 ± 0.3 billion stems, resulting in emissions of 495 ± 94 Tg CO2 Three years after the El Niño, plant growth and recruitment had offset only 37% of emissions. Our results show that limiting forest disturbance will not only help maintain carbon stocks, but will also maximize the resistance of Amazonian forests if fires do occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Berenguer
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, United Kingdom;
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
| | - Gareth D Lennox
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
| | - Joice Ferreira
- Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Belém 66095-100, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-10, Brazil
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, United Kingdom
| | - Luiz E O C Aragão
- Remote Sensing Division, National Institute for Space Research, São José dos Campos 12227-010, Brazil
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, United Kingdom
| | - Julia Rodrigues Barreto
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Paisagens e Conservação, Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Fernando Del Bon Espírito-Santo
- Institute of Space and Earth Observation Science at Space Park Leicester, Centre for Landscape and Climate Research, School of Geography, Geology and Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-900, Brazil
| | - Axa Emanuelle S Figueiredo
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus 69080-971, Brazil
| | - Filipe França
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
| | | | - Carlos A Joly
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas 13083-862, Brazil
| | - Alessandro F Palmeira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-10, Brazil
- Centro de Previsão de Tempo e Estudos Climáticos, National Institute for Space Research, São José dos Campos 12227-010, Brazil
| | - Carlos Alberto Quesada
- Coordination of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research, Manaus 69080-971, Brazil
| | - Liana Chesini Rossi
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro 13506-900, Brazil
| | | | - Charlotte C Smith
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
| | - Kieran Withey
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
| | - Jos Barlow
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
- Setor de Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras 37200-900, Brazil
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22
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Homeier J, Seeler T, Pierick K, Leuschner C. Leaf trait variation in species-rich tropical Andean forests. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9993. [PMID: 33976239 PMCID: PMC8113502 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89190-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Screening species-rich communities for the variation in functional traits along environmental gradients may help understanding the abiotic drivers of plant performance in a mechanistic way. We investigated tree leaf trait variation along an elevation gradient (1000-3000 m) in highly diverse neotropical montane forests to test the hypothesis that elevational trait change reflects a trend toward more conservative resource use strategies at higher elevations, with interspecific trait variation decreasing and trait integration increasing due to environmental filtering. Analysis of trait variance partitioning across the 52 tree species revealed for most traits a dominant influence of phylogeny, except for SLA, leaf thickness and foliar Ca, where elevation was most influential. The community-level means of SLA, foliar N and Ca, and foliar N/P ratio decreased with elevation, while leaf thickness and toughness increased. The contribution of intraspecific variation was substantial at the community level in most traits, yet smaller than the interspecific component. Both within-species and between-species trait variation did not change systematically with elevation. High phylogenetic diversity, together with small-scale edaphic heterogeneity, cause large interspecific leaf trait variation in these hyper-diverse Andean forests. Trait network analysis revealed increasing leaf trait integration with elevation, suggesting stronger environmental filtering at colder and nutrient-poorer sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Homeier
- Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Goettingen, Germany.
- Centre for Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Goettingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.
| | - Tabea Seeler
- Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Kerstin Pierick
- Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Leuschner
- Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Goettingen, Germany
- Centre for Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Goettingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
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23
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Glatthorn J, Annighöfer P, Balkenhol N, Leuschner C, Polle A, Scheu S, Schuldt A, Schuldt B, Ammer C. An interdisciplinary framework to describe and evaluate the functioning of forest ecosystems. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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24
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Barreto JR, Berenguer E, Ferreira J, Joly CA, Malhi Y, de Seixas MMM, Barlow J. Assessing invertebrate herbivory in human-modified tropical forest canopies. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:4012-4022. [PMID: 33976790 PMCID: PMC8093672 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on the effects of human-driven forest disturbance usually focus on either biodiversity or carbon dynamics but much less is known about ecosystem processes that span different trophic levels. Herbivory is a fundamental ecological process for ecosystem functioning, but it remains poorly quantified in human-modified tropical rainforests.Here, we present the results of the largest study to date on the impacts of human disturbances on herbivory. We quantified the incidence (percentage of leaves affected) and severity (the percentage of leaf area lost) of canopy insect herbivory caused by chewers, miners, and gall makers in leaves from 1,076 trees distributed across 20 undisturbed and human-modified forest plots in the Amazon.We found that chewers dominated herbivory incidence, yet were not a good predictor of the other forms of herbivory at either the stem or plot level. Chewing severity was higher in both logged and logged-and-burned primary forests when compared to undisturbed forests. We found no difference in herbivory severity between undisturbed primary forests and secondary forests. Despite evidence at the stem level, neither plot-level incidence nor severity of the three forms of herbivory responded to disturbance. Synthesis. Our large-scale study of canopy herbivory confirms that chewers dominate the herbivory signal in tropical forests, but that their influence on leaf area lost cannot predict the incidence or severity of other forms. We found only limited evidence suggesting that human disturbance affects the severity of leaf herbivory, with higher values in logged and logged-and-burned forests than undisturbed and secondary forests. Additionally, we found no effect of human disturbance on the incidence of leaf herbivory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Rodrigues Barreto
- Setor de Ecologia e ConservaçãoUniversidade Federal de LavrasLavrasBrazil
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia do Instituto de Biociências da USPUniversidade de São PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Erika Berenguer
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentEnvironmental Change InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Lancaster Environment CentreLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
| | | | - Carlos A. Joly
- Departamento de Biologia VegetalInstituto de BiologiaUniversidade Estadual de CampinasCampinasBrazil
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentEnvironmental Change InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | | | - Jos Barlow
- Setor de Ecologia e ConservaçãoUniversidade Federal de LavrasLavrasBrazil
- Lancaster Environment CentreLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
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25
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Wu R, Lev-Yadun S, Sun L, Sun H, Song B. Higher Elevations Tend to Have Higher Proportion of Plant Species With Glandular Trichomes. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:632464. [PMID: 33912203 PMCID: PMC8075162 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.632464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Glandular trichomes are well known to participate in plant chemical and physical defenses against herbivores, especially herbivorous insects. However, little is known about large-scale geographical patterns in glandular trichome occurrence. Herbivory pressure is thought to be higher at low elevations because of warmer and more stable climates. We therefore predicted a higher proportion of species with glandular trichomes at low elevations than at higher elevations. We compiled glandular trichome data (presence/absence) for 6,262 angiosperm species from the Hengduan Mountains (a global biodiversity hotspot in southwest China). We tested the elevational gradient (800-5,000 m a.s.l.) in the occurrence of plant species with glandular trichomes, and its correlations with biotic (occurrence of herbivorous insects) and abiotic factors, potentially shaping the elevational gradient in the occurrence of glandular trichomes. We found a significantly positive relationship between elevation and the occurrence of glandular trichomes, with the proportion of species having glandular trichomes increasing from 11.89% at 800 m a.s.l. to 17.92% at above 4,700 m. This cross-species relationship remained significant after accounting for phylogenetic relationships between species. Herbivorous insect richness peaked at mid-elevations and its association with the incidence of glandular trichomes was weak. Mean annual temperature was the most important factor associated negatively with glandular trichomes. Our results do not support the hypothesis that plant defenses decrease with increasing elevation. In contrast, a higher proportion of plant species with glandular trichome toward higher elevations is observed. Our results also highlight the importance of considering the simultaneous influences of biotic and abiotic factors in testing geographical variation in multifunctional plant defenses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Wu
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Simcha Lev-Yadun
- Department of Biology and Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa at Oranim, Kiryat Tiv’on, Israel
| | - Lu Sun
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Hang Sun
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Bo Song
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
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26
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Takafumi H, Kanno Y, Abe S, Abe T, Enoki T, Hirao T, Hiura T, Hoshizaki K, Ida H, Ishida K, Maki M, Masaki T, Naoe S, Noguchi M, Otani T, Sato T, Sakimoto M, Sakio H, Takagi M, Takashima A, Tokuchi N, Utsumi S, Hidaka A, Nakamura M. Assessing insect herbivory on broadleaf canopy trees at 19 natural forest sites across Japan. Ecol Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hino Takafumi
- Network Center of the Forest and Grassland Survey of the Monitoring Sites 1000 Project Japan Wildlife Research Center, c/o Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University Tomakomai Japan
| | - Yuri Kanno
- Wakayama Experimental Forest Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University Wakayama Japan
| | - Shin Abe
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Tsukuba Japan
| | - Tetsuto Abe
- Kyushu Research Center Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Kumamoto Japan
| | - Tsutomu Enoki
- Faculty of Agriculture Kyushu University Fukuoka Japan
| | - Toshihide Hirao
- The University of Tokyo Chichibu Forest, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences The University of Tokyo Chichibu Japan
| | - Tsutom Hiura
- Tomakomai Experimental Forest Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University Tomakomai Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Hoshizaki
- Faculty of Bioresource Sciences Akita Prefectural University Akita Japan
| | - Hideyuki Ida
- Institute of Nature Education in Shiga Heights, Faculty of Education Shinshu University Yamanouchi Japan
| | - Ken Ishida
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan
| | | | - Takashi Masaki
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Tsukuba Japan
| | - Shoji Naoe
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Tsukuba Japan
| | - Mahoko Noguchi
- Tohoku Research Center Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Morioka Japan
| | - Tatsuya Otani
- Shikoku Research Center Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Kochi Japan
| | - Takanori Sato
- Ecohydrology Research Institute The University of Tokyo Forests, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo Seto Japan
| | - Michinori Sakimoto
- Field Science Education and Research Center Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
| | - Hitoshi Sakio
- Field Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Faculty of Agriculture Niigata University Sado Japan
| | - Masahiro Takagi
- Faculty of Agriculture University of Miyazaki Miyazaki Japan
| | - Atsushi Takashima
- Yona Field, Subtropical Field Science Center, Faculty of Agriculture University of the Ryukyus Kunigami Japan
| | - Naoko Tokuchi
- Field Science Education and Research Center Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
| | - Shunsuke Utsumi
- Uryu Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere Hokkaido University Horokanai Japan
| | - Amane Hidaka
- Network Center of the Forest and Grassland Survey of the Monitoring Sites 1000 Project Japan Wildlife Research Center, c/o Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University Tomakomai Japan
| | - Masahiro Nakamura
- Wakayama Experimental Forest Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University Wakayama Japan
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27
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Ferreira Neto GDS, Baccaro FB, Spironello WR, Benchimol M, Fleischer K, Quesada CA, Sousa Gonçalves AL, Pequeno PAL, Barnett APA. Soil fertility and anthropogenic disturbances drive mammal species richness and assemblage composition on tropical fluvial islands. AUSTRAL ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gilson de Souza Ferreira Neto
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia/INPA‐V8 INPA Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Av. André Araújo 2936, PetrópolisManaus69067‐375Brazil
| | - Fabricio Beggiato Baccaro
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia/INPA‐V8 INPA Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Av. André Araújo 2936, PetrópolisManaus69067‐375Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia Universidade Federal do AmazonasInstituto de Ciências Biológicas ManausBrazil
| | - Wilson Roberto Spironello
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia/INPA‐V8 INPA Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Av. André Araújo 2936, PetrópolisManaus69067‐375Brazil
| | - Maíra Benchimol
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aplicada à Conservação Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz Ilhéus Brazil
| | - Katrin Fleischer
- Land Surface‐Atmosphere Interactions Technical University of Munich Munchen Germany
| | - Carlos Alberto Quesada
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia/INPA‐V8 INPA Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Av. André Araújo 2936, PetrópolisManaus69067‐375Brazil
| | - André Luis Sousa Gonçalves
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia/INPA‐V8 INPA Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Av. André Araújo 2936, PetrópolisManaus69067‐375Brazil
| | - Pedro Aurélio Lima Pequeno
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia/INPA‐V8 INPA Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Av. André Araújo 2936, PetrópolisManaus69067‐375Brazil
| | - Adrian Paul Ashton Barnett
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia/INPA‐V8 INPA Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Av. André Araújo 2936, PetrópolisManaus69067‐375Brazil
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Walker AP, De Kauwe MG, Bastos A, Belmecheri S, Georgiou K, Keeling RF, McMahon SM, Medlyn BE, Moore DJP, Norby RJ, Zaehle S, Anderson-Teixeira KJ, Battipaglia G, Brienen RJW, Cabugao KG, Cailleret M, Campbell E, Canadell JG, Ciais P, Craig ME, Ellsworth DS, Farquhar GD, Fatichi S, Fisher JB, Frank DC, Graven H, Gu L, Haverd V, Heilman K, Heimann M, Hungate BA, Iversen CM, Joos F, Jiang M, Keenan TF, Knauer J, Körner C, Leshyk VO, Leuzinger S, Liu Y, MacBean N, Malhi Y, McVicar TR, Penuelas J, Pongratz J, Powell AS, Riutta T, Sabot MEB, Schleucher J, Sitch S, Smith WK, Sulman B, Taylor B, Terrer C, Torn MS, Treseder KK, Trugman AT, Trumbore SE, van Mantgem PJ, Voelker SL, Whelan ME, Zuidema PA. Integrating the evidence for a terrestrial carbon sink caused by increasing atmospheric CO 2. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 229:2413-2445. [PMID: 32789857 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2 ]) is increasing, which increases leaf-scale photosynthesis and intrinsic water-use efficiency. These direct responses have the potential to increase plant growth, vegetation biomass, and soil organic matter; transferring carbon from the atmosphere into terrestrial ecosystems (a carbon sink). A substantial global terrestrial carbon sink would slow the rate of [CO2 ] increase and thus climate change. However, ecosystem CO2 responses are complex or confounded by concurrent changes in multiple agents of global change and evidence for a [CO2 ]-driven terrestrial carbon sink can appear contradictory. Here we synthesize theory and broad, multidisciplinary evidence for the effects of increasing [CO2 ] (iCO2 ) on the global terrestrial carbon sink. Evidence suggests a substantial increase in global photosynthesis since pre-industrial times. Established theory, supported by experiments, indicates that iCO2 is likely responsible for about half of the increase. Global carbon budgeting, atmospheric data, and forest inventories indicate a historical carbon sink, and these apparent iCO2 responses are high in comparison to experiments and predictions from theory. Plant mortality and soil carbon iCO2 responses are highly uncertain. In conclusion, a range of evidence supports a positive terrestrial carbon sink in response to iCO2 , albeit with uncertain magnitude and strong suggestion of a role for additional agents of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony P Walker
- Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Martin G De Kauwe
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Ana Bastos
- Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Luisenstr. 37, Munich, 80333, Germany
| | - Soumaya Belmecheri
- Laboratory of Tree Ring Research, University of Arizona, 1215 E Lowell St, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Katerina Georgiou
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Ralph F Keeling
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Sean M McMahon
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, 21037, USA
| | - Belinda E Medlyn
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - David J P Moore
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, 1064 East Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Richard J Norby
- Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Sönke Zaehle
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Kristina J Anderson-Teixeira
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, MRC 5535, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA
- Center for Tropical Forest Science-Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | - Giovanna Battipaglia
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, Università della Campania, Caserta, 81100, Italy
| | | | - Kristine G Cabugao
- Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Maxime Cailleret
- INRAE, UMR RECOVER, Aix-Marseille Université, 3275 route de Cézanne, Aix-en-Provence Cedex 5, 13182, France
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Elliott Campbell
- Department of Geography, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Josep G Canadell
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Philippe Ciais
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, F-91191, France
| | - Matthew E Craig
- Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - David S Ellsworth
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Graham D Farquhar
- Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Simone Fatichi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 1 Engineering Drive 2, Singapore, 117576, Singapore
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Stefano-Franscini Platz 5, Zurich, 8093, Switzerland
| | - Joshua B Fisher
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | - David C Frank
- Laboratory of Tree Ring Research, University of Arizona, 1215 E Lowell St, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Heather Graven
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Lianhong Gu
- Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Vanessa Haverd
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Kelly Heilman
- Laboratory of Tree Ring Research, University of Arizona, 1215 E Lowell St, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Martin Heimann
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Bruce A Hungate
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
| | - Colleen M Iversen
- Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Fortunat Joos
- Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Sidlerstr. 5, Bern, CH-3012, Switzerland
| | - Mingkai Jiang
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Trevor F Keenan
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Jürgen Knauer
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Christian Körner
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Botany, University of Basel, Basel, 4056, Switzerland
| | - Victor O Leshyk
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
| | - Sebastian Leuzinger
- School of Science, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Yao Liu
- Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Natasha MacBean
- Department of Geography, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Tim R McVicar
- CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, 142 Mills Rd, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Josep Penuelas
- CSIC, Global Ecology CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Catalonia, 08193, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Catalonia, 08193, Spain
| | - Julia Pongratz
- Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Luisenstr. 37, Munich, 80333, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Bundesstr. 53, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - A Shafer Powell
- Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Terhi Riutta
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Manon E B Sabot
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Juergen Schleucher
- Department of Medical Biochemistry & Biophysics, Umeå University, Umea, 901 87, Sweden
| | - Stephen Sitch
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, Laver Building, EX4 4QF, UK
| | - William K Smith
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, 1064 East Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Benjamin Sulman
- Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Benton Taylor
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, 21037, USA
| | - César Terrer
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94550, USA
| | - Margaret S Torn
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Kathleen K Treseder
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Anna T Trugman
- Department of Geography, 1832 Ellison Hall, Santa Barbara, CA, 93016, USA
| | - Susan E Trumbore
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | | | - Steve L Voelker
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA
| | - Mary E Whelan
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Pieter A Zuidema
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, Wageningen, 6700 AA, the Netherlands
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Ramos DL, Cunha WL, Evangelista J, Lira LA, Rocha MVC, Gomes PA, Frizzas MR, Togni PHB. Ecosystem Services Provided by Insects in Brazil: What Do We Really Know? NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 49:783-794. [PMID: 32462421 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-020-00781-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Insects are the most abundant and diverse organisms on Earth and provide essential ecosystem services. However, Brazilian society rarely consider the importance of insects in their diverse country. Therefore, in this review, we provide an overview of ecosystem services provided by insects in Brazil. A database search returned 136 articles, published in English or Portuguese, on ecosystem services provided by insects in Brazil. The first article was published in 1982, and majority of the studies were conducted in the Atlantic Forest or the Cerrado biomes. The most frequently studied insect-provided ecosystem services were pollination, decomposition, and biological control of pests. The studies focused primarily on natural and anthropic ecosystems, and most followed an experimental approach. We noted that the term "ecosystem services" was not used frequently in studies on insects in Brazil. The information available was mostly taxon-biased. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to reconciling economic interests and the need for insect conservation for continued provision of ecosystem services in a broader perspective. In conclusion, we argue that the scientific community should focus on understanding the ecosystem services provided by insects other than those strictly related to economic activities, and on improving communication with policymakers and citizens. As a tropical and megadiverse country, Brazil has the potential to become a protagonist in conserving and using the ecosystem services provided by insects, both locally and internationally, by providing scientific information to policymakers and citizens.
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Affiliation(s)
- D L Ramos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Univ de Brasília - UnB, Brasília, DF, Brasil
| | - W L Cunha
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Univ de Brasília - UnB, Brasília, DF, Brasil
| | - J Evangelista
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Univ de Brasília - UnB, Brasília, DF, Brasil
| | - L A Lira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Univ de Brasília - UnB, Brasília, DF, Brasil
| | - M V C Rocha
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Univ de Brasília - UnB, Brasília, DF, Brasil
| | - P A Gomes
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Univ de Brasília - UnB, Brasília, DF, Brasil
| | - M R Frizzas
- Depto de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Univ de Brasília - UnB, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brasil.
| | - P H B Togni
- Depto de Ecologia, Univ de Brasília - UnB, Brasília, DF, Brasil
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30
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Schmitz OJ, Leroux SJ. Food Webs and Ecosystems: Linking Species Interactions to the Carbon Cycle. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-011720-104730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
All species within ecosystems contribute to regulating carbon cycling because of their functional integration into food webs. Yet carbon modeling and accounting still assumes that only plants, microbes, and invertebrate decomposer species are relevant to the carbon cycle. Our multifaceted review develops a case for considering a wider range of species, especially herbivorous and carnivorous wild animals. Animal control over carbon cycling is shaped by the animals’ stoichiometric needs and functional traits in relation to the stoichiometry and functional traits of their resources. Quantitative synthesis reveals that failing to consider these mechanisms can lead to serious inaccuracies in the carbon budget. Newer carbon-cycle models that consider food-web structure based on organismal functional traits and stoichiometry can offer mechanistically informed predictions about the magnitudes of animal effects that will help guide new empirical research aimed at developing a coherent understanding of the interactions and importance of all species within food webs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oswald J. Schmitz
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
| | - Shawn J. Leroux
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
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31
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Kristensen JA, Michelsen A, Metcalfe DB. Background insect herbivory increases with local elevation but makes minor contribution to element cycling along natural gradients in the Subarctic. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:11684-11698. [PMID: 33144993 PMCID: PMC7593201 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Herbivores can exert major controls over biogeochemical cycling. As invertebrates are highly sensitive to temperature shifts (ectothermal), the abundances of insects in high-latitude systems, where climate warming is rapid, is expected to increase. In subarctic mountain birch forests, research has focussed on geometrid moth outbreaks, while the contribution of background insect herbivory (BIH) to elemental cycling is poorly constrained. In northern Sweden, we estimated BIH along 9 elevational gradients distributed across a gradient in regional elevation, temperature, and precipitation to allow evaluation of consistency in local versus regional variation. We converted foliar loss via BIH to fluxes of C, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) from the birch canopy to the soil to compare with other relevant soil inputs of the same elements and assessed different abiotic and biotic drivers of the observed variability. We found that leaf area loss due to BIH was ~1.6% on average. This is comparable to estimates from tundra, but considerably lower than ecosystems at lower latitudes. The C, N, and P fluxes from canopy to soil associated with BIH were 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than the soil input from senesced litter and external nutrient sources such as biological N fixation, atmospheric deposition of N, and P weathering estimated from the literature. Despite the minor contribution to overall elemental cycling in subarctic birch forests, the higher quality and earlier timing of the input of herbivore deposits to soils compared to senesced litter may make this contribution disproportionally important for various ecosystem functions. BIH increased significantly with leaf N content as well as local elevation along each transect, yet showed no significant relationship with temperature or humidity, nor the commonly used temperature proxy, absolute elevation. The lack of consistency between the local and regional elevational trends calls for caution when using elevation gradients as climate proxies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeppe A. Kristensen
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem ScienceLund UniversityLundSweden
- Geological Survey of Denmark and GreenlandCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Anders Michelsen
- Department of BiologyTerrestrial Ecology SectionUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
- Center for PermafrostUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Daniel B. Metcalfe
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem ScienceLund UniversityLundSweden
- Department of Ecology and Environmental SciencesUmeå Umeå UniversitetUmeåSweden
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32
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Bishop TR, Griffiths HM, Ashton LA, Eggleton P, Woon JS, Parr CL. Clarifying Terrestrial Recycling Pathways. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 36:9-11. [PMID: 33012566 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tom R Bishop
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3GP, UK; Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
| | - Hannah M Griffiths
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3GP, UK.
| | - Louise A Ashton
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Paul Eggleton
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Joel S Woon
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3GP, UK; Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Catherine L Parr
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3GP, UK; Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa; School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
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33
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Wehi PM, Brownstein G, Morgan‐Richards M. Indigenous plant naming and experimentation reveal a plant–insect relationship in New Zealand forests. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla M. Wehi
- School of Agriculture and Environment Massey University Palmerston North New Zealand
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research Dunedin New Zealand
| | | | - Mary Morgan‐Richards
- School of Agriculture and Environment Massey University Palmerston North New Zealand
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34
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Harrison MLK, Banks-Leite C. Edge effects on trophic cascades in tropical rainforests. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2020; 34:977-987. [PMID: 31762059 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 10/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The cascading effects of biodiversity loss on ecosystem functioning of forests have become more apparent. However, how edge effects shape these processes has yet to be established. We assessed how edge effects alter arthropod populations and the strength of any resultant trophic cascades on herbivory rate in tropical forests of Brazil. We established 7 paired forest edge and interior sites. Each site had a vertebrate-exclosure, procedural (exclosure framework with open walls), and control plot (total 42 plots). Forest patches were surrounded by pasture. Understory arthropods and leaf damage were sampled every 4 weeks for 11 months. We used path analysis to determine the strength of trophic cascades in the interior and edge sites. In forest interior exclosures, abundance of predaceous and herbivorous arthropods increased by 326% and 180%, respectively, compared with control plots, and there were significant cascading effects on herbivory. Edge-dwelling invertebrates responded weakly to exclusion and there was no evidence of trophic cascade. Our results suggest that the vertebrate community at forest edges controls invertebrate densities to a lesser extent than it does in the interior. Edge areas can support vertebrate communities with a smaller contingent of insectivores. This allows arthropods to flourish and indirectly accounts for higher levels of plant damage at these sites. Increased herbivory rates may have important consequences for floristic community composition and primary productivity, as well as cascading effects on nutrient cycling. By interspersing natural forest patches with agroforests, instead of pasture, abiotic edge effects can be softened and prevented from penetrating deep into the forest. This would ensure a greater proportion of forest remains habitable for sensitive species and could help retain ecosystem functions in edge zones.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cristina Banks-Leite
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, U.K
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35
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Kozlov MV, Sokolova IV, Zverev V, Egorov AA, Goncharov MY, Zvereva EL. Biases in estimation of insect herbivory from herbarium specimens. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12298. [PMID: 32704145 PMCID: PMC7378164 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69195-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Information regarding plant damage by insects in the past is essential to explore impacts of climate change on herbivory. We asked whether insect herbivory measured from herbarium specimens reflects the levels of herbivory occurring in nature at the time of herbarium sampling. We compared herbivory measurements between herbarium specimens collected by botany students and ecological samples collected simultaneously by the authors by a method that minimized unconscious biases, and asked herbarium curators to select one of two plant specimens, which differed in leaf damage, for their collections. Both collectors and curators generally preferred specimens with lesser leaf damage, but the strength of this preference varied among persons. In addition, the differences in measured leaf damage between ecological samples and herbarium specimens varied among plant species and increased with the increase in field herbivory. Consequently, leaf damage in herbarium specimens did not correlate with the actual level of herbivory. We conclude that studies of herbarium specimens produce biased information on past levels of herbivory, because leaf damage measured from herbarium specimens not only underestimates field herbivory, but it is not proportional to the level of damage occurring in nature due to multiple factors that cannot be controlled in data analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail V Kozlov
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
| | - Irina V Sokolova
- Herbarium, V. L. Komarov Botanical Institute, Professora Popova Str. 2, 197376, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Vitali Zverev
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
| | - Alexander A Egorov
- Department of Biogeography and Nature Preservation, Institute of Earth Sciences, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Mikhail Y Goncharov
- St. Petersburg Chemical-Pharmaceutical University, Professora Popova Str. 14, 197022, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Elena L Zvereva
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
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36
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Devaney JL, Pullen J, Cook-Patton SC, Burghardt KT, Parker JD. Tree diversity promotes growth of late successional species despite increasing deer damage in a restored forest. Ecology 2020; 101:e03063. [PMID: 32239510 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The role of tree diversity in restored forests and its impact on key ecological processes like growth and resistance to herbivory has become increasingly important. We analyzed height growth and white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus browsing damage to saplings of 16 broadleaved tree species in a large-scale (13 ha) reforestation experiment in Maryland, USA, where we manipulated tree diversity in 70 1,225-m2 plots. After four growing seasons, higher plot-level tree richness led to increased deer browsing damage (i.e., associational susceptibility). Despite increased deer damage to saplings in mixed plots, tree richness had no overall effect on sapling height growth. However, diversity-height relationships were related to species functional traits. Light demanding species with large leaves and faster growth rates had reduced heights in mixtures, whereas shade-tolerant, slower-growing species generally had either increased or unchanged height growth in diverse tree communities, likely related to increased canopy closure in mixtures relative to monocultures. We show that tree diversity can improve growth of late successional species despite exacerbated mammalian herbivore damage. By facilitating the establishment of species with a range of life-history strategies, increased tree diversity may enhance ecosystem multi-functionality in the early stages of forest restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- John L Devaney
- Botany Department, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, 2, Ireland.,Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland, 21037, USA
| | - Jamie Pullen
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland, 21037, USA
| | - Susan C Cook-Patton
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland, 21037, USA.,The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia, 22203, USA
| | - Karin T Burghardt
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland, 21037, USA.,Department of Entomology, University of Maryland-College Park, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA
| | - John D Parker
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland, 21037, USA
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37
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Pausas JG, Bond WJ. On the Three Major Recycling Pathways in Terrestrial Ecosystems. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:767-775. [PMID: 32381268 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.04.004] [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: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Plants are the largest biomass component of most terrestrial ecosystems, and litter decomposition is considered the dominant process by which nutrients return to plants. We show that in terrestrial ecosystems, there are three major pathways by which plant biomass is degraded into forms that release nutrients again available to plants: microbial decomposition; vertebrate herbivory; and wildfires. These processes act at different spatial and temporal scales, have different niches, and generates different ecological and evolutionary feedbacks. This holistic view in which microbes, herbivores, and wildfires play a joint role in the functioning of ecosystems contributes to a better understanding of the diversity of mechanisms regulating the biosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juli G Pausas
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CIDE-CSIC), Valencia, Spain.
| | - William J Bond
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; South African Environmental Observation Network, National Research Foundation, Claremont, South Africa
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38
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Silicon and Plant-Animal Interactions: Towards an Evolutionary Framework. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9040430. [PMID: 32244583 PMCID: PMC7238073 DOI: 10.3390/plants9040430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Herbivory is fundamental in ecology, being a major driver of ecosystem structure and functioning. Plant Si and phytoliths play a significant antiherbivory role, the understanding of which and of its evolutionary context will increase our understanding of this phenomenon, its origins, and its significance for past, extant, and future ecosystems. To achieve this goal, we need a superdisciplinary evolutionary framework connecting the role of Si in plant–herbivore interactions, in global processes, and in plant and herbivore evolution. To do this properly, we should acknowledge and incorporate into our work some basic facts that are too often overlooked. First, there is great taxonomic variance both in plant Si contents, forms, and roles, but also in herbivore responses, dietary preferences, and in fossil evidence. Second, species and their traits, as well as whole ecosystems, should be seen in the context of their entire evolutionary history and may therefore reflect not only adaptations to extant selective factors but also anachronistic traits. Third, evolutionary history and evolutionary transitions are complex, resulting in true and apparent asynchronisms. Fourth, evolution and ecology are multiscalar, in which various phenomena and processes act at various scales. Taking these issues into consideration will improve our ability to develop this needed theoretical framework and will bring us closer to gaining a more complete understanding of one of the most exciting and elusive phenomena in plant biology and ecology.
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39
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Sam K, Koane B, Sam L, Mrazova A, Segar S, Volf M, Moos M, Simek P, Sisol M, Novotny V. Insect herbivory and herbivores of
Ficus
species along a rain forest elevational gradient in Papua New Guinea. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Sam
- Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Bonny Koane
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Legi Sam
- Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Anna Mrazova
- Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Simon Segar
- Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Department of Crop and Environment Sciences Harper Adams University Edgmond UK
| | - Martin Volf
- Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Molecular Interaction Ecology Group German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Martin Moos
- Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Petr Simek
- Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Mentap Sisol
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
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40
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Robinson JPW, McDevitt‐Irwin JM, Dajka J, Hadj‐Hammou J, Howlett S, Graba‐Landry A, Hoey AS, Nash KL, Wilson SK, Graham NAJ. Habitat and fishing control grazing potential on coral reefs. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jan‐Claas Dajka
- Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster UK
| | | | | | - Alexia Graba‐Landry
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville Qld Australia
| | - Andrew S. Hoey
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville Qld Australia
| | - Kirsty L. Nash
- Centre for Marine Socioecology University of Tasmania Hobart Tas. Australia
- Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania Hobart Tas. Australia
| | - Shaun K. Wilson
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions: Marine Science Program Kensington WA Australia
- Oceans Institute University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
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41
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Nitrogen-fixing and non-fixing trees differ in leaf chemistry and defence but not herbivory in a lowland Costa Rican rain forest. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467419000233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
AbstractNitrogen-fixing plants provide critical nitrogen inputs that support the high productivity of tropical forests, but our understanding of the ecology of nitrogen fixers – and especially their interactions with herbivores – remains incomplete. Herbivores may interact differently with nitrogen fixers vs. non-fixers due to differences in leaf nitrogen content and herbivore defence strategies. To examine these potential differences, our study compared leaf carbon, nitrogen, toughness, chemical defence and herbivory for four nitrogen-fixing tree species (Inga oerstediana, Inga sapindoides, Inga thibaudiana and Pentaclethra macroloba) and three non-fixing species (Anaxagorea crassipetala, Casearia arborea and Dipteryx panamensis) in a lowland tropical rain forest. Leaf chemical defence, not nutritional content, was the primary driver of herbivore damage among our species. Even though nitrogen fixers exhibited 21.1% higher leaf nitrogen content, 20.1% lower C:N ratios and 15.4% lower leaf toughness than non-fixers, we found no differences in herbivory or chemical defence between these two plant groups. Our results do not support the common hypotheses that nitrogen fixers experience preferential herbivory or that they produce more nitrogen-rich defensive compounds than non-fixers. Rather, these findings suggest strong species-specific differences in plant–herbivore relationships among both nitrogen-fixing and non-fixing tropical trees.
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42
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Njovu HK, Peters MK, Schellenberger Costa D, Brandl R, Kleyer M, Steffan-Dewenter I. Leaf traits mediate changes in invertebrate herbivory along broad environmental gradients on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:1777-1788. [PMID: 31294458 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Temperature, primary productivity, plant functional traits, and herbivore abundances are considered key predictors of leaf herbivory but their direct and indirect contributions to community-level herbivory are not well understood along broad climatic gradients. Here, we determined elevational herbivory patterns and used a path analytical approach to disentangle the direct and indirect effects of climate, land use, net primary productivity (NPP), herbivore abundance, and plant functional traits on community-level invertebrate herbivory along the extensive elevational and land use gradients at Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. We recorded standing leaf herbivory caused by leaf chewers, leaf miners and leaf gallers on 55 study sites distributed in natural and anthropogenic habitats along a 3,060 m elevation gradient. We related the total community-level herbivory to climate (temperature and precipitation), NPP, plant functional traits (specific leaf area, leaf carbon-to-nitrogen [CN] ratio and leaf nitrogen-to-phosphorus [NP] ratio) and herbivore abundances. Leaf herbivory ranged from 5% to 11% along the elevation gradient. Total leaf herbivory showed unimodal pattern in natural habitats but a strongly contrasting bimodal pattern in anthropogenic habitats. We also detected some variation in the patterns of leaf herbivory along environmental gradients across feeding guilds with leaf chewers being responsible for a disproportionally large part of herbivory. Path analyses indicated that the variation in leaf herbivory was mainly driven by changes in leaf CN and NP ratios which were closely linked to changes in NPP in natural habitats. Similarly, patterns of leaf herbivory in anthropogenic habitats were best explained by variation in leaf CN ratios and a negative effect of land use. Our study elucidates the strong role of leaf nutrient stoichiometry and its linkages to climate and NPP for explaining the variation in leaf herbivory along broad climatic gradients. Furthermore, the study suggests that climatic changes and nutrient inputs in the course of land use change may alter leaf herbivory and consequently energy and nutrient fluxes in terrestrial habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry K Njovu
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany.,College of African Wildlife Management, Mweka, Moshi, Tanzania
| | - Marcell K Peters
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | | | - Roland Brandl
- Department of Animal Ecology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Michael Kleyer
- Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
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43
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Rego C, Boieiro M, Rigal F, Ribeiro SP, Cardoso P, Borges PAV. Taxonomic and functional diversity of insect herbivore assemblages associated with the canopy-dominant trees of the Azorean native forest. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0219493. [PMID: 31306456 PMCID: PMC6629062 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Oceanic islands have been providing important insights on the structuring of ecological communities and, under the context of the present biodiversity crisis, they are paramount to assess the effects of biological invasions on community assembly. In this study we compare the taxonomic and functional diversity of insect herbivore assemblages associated with the dominant tree species of Azorean native forests and investigate the ecological processes that may have originated current patterns of plant-herbivore associations. Five dominant trees-Erica azorica, Ilex perado subsp. azorica, Juniperus brevifolia, Laurus azorica and Vaccinium cylindraceum-were sampled in the remnants of the native forest of Terceira Island (Azores) using a standardised methodology. The taxonomic and functional diversity of insect herbivore assemblages was assessed using complementary metrics and beta diversity partitioning analysis (species replacement and richness differences) aiming to evaluate the variation in insect herbivore assemblages within and between the study plant species. Sixty two insect species, mostly bugs (Hemiptera) and caterpillars (Lepidoptera), were found in the five study plants with indigenous (endemic and native non-endemic) insects occurring with higher species richness and abundance than introduced ones. Species replacement was the most important component of insect herbivore taxonomic beta diversity while differences in trait richness played a major role on functional beta diversity. The endemic E. azorica stands out from the other study plants by having associated a very distinct insect herbivore assemblage with a particular set of functional attributes, mainly composed by large bodied and long shaped species that feed by chewing. Despite the progressive biotic homogenization witnessed in the Azores during the last few decades, several strong associations between the endemic trees and their indigenous insect herbivores remain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Rego
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Universidade dos Açores, Angra do Heroísmo, Açores, Portugal
- * E-mail:
| | - Mário Boieiro
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Universidade dos Açores, Angra do Heroísmo, Açores, Portugal
| | - François Rigal
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Universidade dos Açores, Angra do Heroísmo, Açores, Portugal
- CNRS-Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Materiaux, MIRA, Environment and Microbiology Team, UMR 5254, BP, Pau Cedex, France
| | - Sérvio P. Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Evolutionay Ecology of Canopy Insects and Natural Succession/Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Pedro Cardoso
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Paulo A. V. Borges
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Universidade dos Açores, Angra do Heroísmo, Açores, Portugal
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44
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Schueller SK, Paul S, Payer N, Schultze R, Vikas M. Urbanization decreases the extent and variety of leaf herbivory for native canopy tree species Quercus rubra, Quercus alba, and Acer saccharum. Urban Ecosyst 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-019-00866-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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45
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Rossetti MR, Rösch V, Videla M, Tscharntke T, Batáry P. Insect and plant traits drive local and landscape effects on herbivory in grassland fragments. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Rosa Rossetti
- Agroecology Department of Crop Sciences Georg‐August‐University Göttingen Germany
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales Centro de Investigaciones Entomológicas de Córdoba Córdoba Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV) Av. Vélez Sársfield 1611 X5016GCA Córdoba Argentina
| | - Verena Rösch
- Agroecology Department of Crop Sciences Georg‐August‐University Göttingen Germany
- Institute for Environmental Sciences University of Koblenz‐Landau Landau/Pfalz Germany
| | - Martín Videla
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales Centro de Investigaciones Entomológicas de Córdoba Córdoba Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV) Av. Vélez Sársfield 1611 X5016GCA Córdoba Argentina
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Agroecology Department of Crop Sciences Georg‐August‐University Göttingen Germany
| | - Péter Batáry
- Agroecology Department of Crop Sciences Georg‐August‐University Göttingen Germany
- MTA ÖK Lendület Landscape and Conservation Ecology Research Group Alkotmány u. 2‐4 2163 Vácrátót Hungary
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46
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Odell EH, Stork NE, Kitching RL. Lianas as a food resource for herbivorous insects: a comparison with trees. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:1416-1429. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erica H. Odell
- Environmental Futures Research Institute and School of Environment and ScienceGriffith University Nathan Queensland Australia
| | - Nigel E. Stork
- Environmental Futures Research Institute and School of Environment and ScienceGriffith University Nathan Queensland Australia
| | - Roger L. Kitching
- Environmental Futures Research Institute and School of Environment and ScienceGriffith University Nathan Queensland Australia
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47
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Taylor PG, Cleveland CC, Soper F, Wieder WR, Dobrowski SZ, Doughty CE, Townsend AR. Greater stem growth, woody allocation, and aboveground biomass in Paleotropical forests than in Neotropical forests. Ecology 2019; 100:e02589. [PMID: 30801709 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Forest dynamics and tree species composition vary substantially between Paleotropical and Neotropical forests, but these broad biogeographic regions are treated uniformly in many land models. To assess whether these regional differences translate into variation in productivity and carbon (C) storage, we compiled a database of climate, tree stem growth, litterfall, aboveground net primary production (ANPP), and aboveground biomass across tropical rainforest sites spanning 33 countries throughout Central and South America, Asia, and Australasia, but excluding Africa due to a paucity of available data. Though the sum of litterfall and stem growth (ANPP) did not differ between regions, both stem growth and the ratio of stem growth to litterfall were higher in Paleotropical forests compared to Neotropical forests across the full observed range of ANPP. Greater C allocation to woody growth likely explains the much larger aboveground biomass estimates in Paleotropical forests (~29%, or ~80 Mg DW/ha, greater than in the Neotropics). Climate was similar in Paleo- and Neotropical forests, thus the observed differences in C likely reflect differences in the evolutionary history of species and forest structure and function between regions. Our analysis suggests that Paleotropical forests, which can be dominated by tall-statured Dipterocarpaceae species, may be disproportionate hotspots for aboveground C storage. Land models typically treat these distinct tropical forests with differential structures as a single functional unit, but our findings suggest that this may overlook critical biogeographic variation in C storage potential among regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip G Taylor
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309-0450, USA
| | - Cory C Cleveland
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, 59812, USA
| | - Fiona Soper
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, 59812, USA
| | - William R Wieder
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309-0450, USA.,Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, 80307, USA
| | - Solomon Z Dobrowski
- Department of Forest Management, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, 59812, USA
| | - Christopher E Doughty
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011, USA
| | - Alan R Townsend
- Environmental Program, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80903, USA
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48
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Parr TB, Capps KA, Inamdar SP, Metcalf KA. Animal‐mediated organic matter transformation: Aquatic insects as a source of microbially bioavailable organic nutrients and energy. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas B. Parr
- Department of Plant and Soil Science University of Delaware Newark Delaware
| | - Krista A. Capps
- Odum School of Ecology University of Georgia Athens Georgia
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Aiken South Carolina
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49
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Visakorpi K, Gripenberg S, Malhi Y, Bolas C, Oliveras I, Harris N, Rifai S, Riutta T. Small-scale indirect plant responses to insect herbivory could have major impacts on canopy photosynthesis and isoprene emission. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2018; 220:799-810. [PMID: 30047151 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Insect herbivores cause substantial changes in the leaves they attack, but their effects on the ecophysiology of neighbouring, nondamaged leaves have never been quantified in natural canopies. We studied how winter moth (Operophtera brumata), a common herbivore in temperate forests, affects the photosynthetic and isoprene emission rates of its host plant, the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur). Through a manipulative experiment, we measured leaves on shoots damaged by caterpillars or mechanically by cutting, or left completely intact. To quantify the effects at the canopy scale, we surveyed the extent and patterns of leaf area loss in the canopy. Herbivory reduced photosynthesis both in damaged leaves and in their intact neighbours. Isoprene emission rates significantly increased after mechanical leaf damage. When scaled up to canopy-level, herbivory reduced photosynthesis by 48 ± 10%. The indirect effects of herbivory on photosynthesis in undamaged leaves (40%) were much more important than the direct effects of leaf area loss (6%). If widespread across other plant-herbivore systems, these findings suggest that insect herbivory has major and previously underappreciated influences in modifying ecosystem carbon cycling, with potential effects on atmospheric chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristiina Visakorpi
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Sofia Gripenberg
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Conor Bolas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Imma Oliveras
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Neil Harris
- Centre for Atmospheric Informatics and Emissions Technology, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - Sami Rifai
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Terhi Riutta
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
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50
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Parasite and host biomass and reproductive output in barnacle populations in the rocky intertidal zone. Parasitology 2018; 146:407-412. [PMID: 30301482 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182018001634] [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] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The rocky intertidal zone has a long history of ecological study with barnacles frequently serving as a model system to explore foundational theories. Parasites are often ignored in community ecology studies, and this particularly holds for true for the rocky intertidal zone. We explore the role of the isopod parasite, Hemioniscus balani, on its host, the acorn barnacle, Chthamalus fissus. We use the currencies of biomass and reproduction measured at the individual level, then applied to the population level, to evaluate the importance of this parasite to barnacle populations. We found H. balani can comprise substantial biomass in 'apparent' barnacle populations, sometimes even equaling barnacle biomass. Additionally, parasite reproduction sometimes matched barnacle reproduction. Thus, parasites divert substantial energy flow from the barnacle population and to near-shore communities in the form of parasite larvae. Parasites appeared to decrease barnacle reproduction per area. Potentially, this parasite may control barnacle populations, depending on the extent to which heavily infected barnacle populations contribute to barnacle populations at larger scales. These findings regarding the importance of a particular parasite for host population dynamics in this well studied ecosystem call for the integration of disease dynamics into community ecological studies of the rocky intertidal zone.
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