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Yu F, Zhang M, Yang Y, Wang Y, Yi X. Seed size and dispersal mode select mast seeding in perennial plants. Integr Zool 2024. [PMID: 39048928 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Reproduction by perennial plants varies from being relatively constant over years to the production of massive and synchronous seed crops at irregular intervals, a reproductive strategy called mast seeding. The sources of interspecific differences in the extent of interannual variation in seed production are largely unknown. We conducted a global meta-analysis of animal-dispersed species to quantify how the interannual variability in seed crops produced by plants can be explained by the seed mass, dispersal mode, phylogeny, and climate. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the interannual variations in seed production and seed mass tended to be similar in related species due to their shared evolution. The interannual variation in seed production was 1.22 times higher in synzoochorous species dispersed by scatter-hoarders compared with endozoochorous species dispersed by frugivores. Furthermore, the production of small seeds was associated with higher interannual variation in seed production, although synzoochorous species produced larger seeds than endozoochorous species. Precipitation rather than temperature had a significant positive effect on the interannual variation in seed production. The seed mass and dispersal mode contributed more to the interannual variation in seed production than phylogeny, climate, and fruit type. Our findings support a long-standing hypothesis that interspecific variation in the masting intensity is largely shaped by interactions between plants and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Yu
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
- School of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China
| | - Mingming Zhang
- College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China
- Henan Dabieshan National Field Observation and Research Station of Forest Ecosystem, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yueqin Yang
- College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China
| | - Yang Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Xianfeng Yi
- School of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China
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2
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Zhang H, Niu H, Steele MA, Peng L, He H, Li A, Yi X, Li H, Zhang Z. Masting promotes transformation from predation to mutualism in an oak-weevil-rodent system. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2024; 67:1514-1524. [PMID: 38558376 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-023-2517-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The significance of ecological non-monotonicity (a function whose first derivative changes signs) in shaping the structure and functions of the ecosystem has recently been recognized, but such studies involving high-order interactions are rare. Here, we have proposed a three-trophic conceptual diagram on interactions among trees, rodents, and insects in mast and non-mast years and tested the hypothesis that oak (Quercus wutaishanica) masting could result in increased mutualism and less predation in an oak-weevil-rodent system in a warm temperate forest of China. Our 14-year dataset revealed that mast years coincided with a relatively low rodent abundance but a high weevil abundance. Masting not only benefited seedling recruitment of oaks through increased dispersal by rodents but also a decrease in predation by rodents and weevils, as well as an increase in the overwintering survival of rodents. Masting appeared to have increased weevil survival by reducing predation of infested acorns by rodents. These results suggest that masting benefits all participants in the plant-insect-rodent system by increasing mutualism and reducing predation behavior (i.e., a non-monotonic function). Our study highlights the significance of masting in maintaining the diversity and function of the forest ecosystem by facilitating the transformation from predation to mutualism among trophic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmao Zhang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China.
| | - Hongyu Niu
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Michael A Steele
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, 18766, USA
| | - Liqing Peng
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Huimin He
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Aoqiang Li
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Xianfeng Yi
- School of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, 273165, China
| | - Hongjun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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Bogdziewicz M, Szymkowiak J, Tanentzap AJ, Calama R, Marino S, Steele MA, Seget B, Piechnik Ł, Żywiec M. Seed predation selects for reproductive variability and synchrony in perennial plants. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 229:2357-2364. [PMID: 32744333 PMCID: PMC7891628 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Annually variable and synchronous seed production by plant populations, or masting, is a widespread reproductive strategy in long-lived plants. Masting is thought to be selectively beneficial because interannual variability and synchrony increase the fitness of plants through economies of scale that decrease the cost of reproduction per surviving offspring. Predator satiation is believed to be a key economy of scale, but whether it can drive phenotypic evolution for masting in plants has been rarely explored. We used data from seven plant species (Quercus humilis, Quercus ilex, Quercus rubra, Quercus alba, Quercus montana, Sorbus aucuparia and Pinus pinea) to determine whether predispersal seed predation selects for plant phenotypes that mast. Predation selected for interannual variability in Mediterranean oaks (Q. humilis and Q. ilex), for synchrony in Q. rubra, and for both interannual variability and reproductive synchrony in S. aucuparia and P. pinea. Predation never selected for negative temporal autocorrelation of seed production. Predation by invertebrates appears to select for only some aspects of masting, most importantly high coefficient of variation, supporting individual-level benefits of the population-level phenomenon of mast seeding. Determining the selective benefits of masting is complex because of interactions with other seed predators, which may impose contradictory selective pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic ZoologyFaculty of BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityUl. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6Poznań61‐614Poland
| | - Jakub Szymkowiak
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityUl. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6Poznań61‐614Poland
| | - Andrew J. Tanentzap
- Ecosystems and Global Change GroupDepartment of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EAUK
| | - Rafael Calama
- Department of Forest Dynamics and ManagementINIA‐CIFORCtra A Coruña km 7.5Madrid28040Spain
| | - Shealyn Marino
- Department of BiologyWilkes UniversityWilkes‐BarrePA18766USA
| | | | - Barbara Seget
- Władysław Szafer Institute of BotanyPolish Academy of SciencesLubicz 46Kraków31‐512Poland
| | - Łukasz Piechnik
- Władysław Szafer Institute of BotanyPolish Academy of SciencesLubicz 46Kraków31‐512Poland
| | - Magdalena Żywiec
- Władysław Szafer Institute of BotanyPolish Academy of SciencesLubicz 46Kraków31‐512Poland
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4
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Bogdziewicz M, Szymkowiak J, Calama R, Crone EE, Espelta JM, Lesica P, Marino S, Steele MA, Tenhumberg B, Tyre A, Żywiec M, Kelly D. Does masting scale with plant size? High reproductive variability and low synchrony in small and unproductive individuals. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2020; 126:971-979. [PMID: 32574370 PMCID: PMC7539353 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS In a range of plant species, the distribution of individual mean fecundity is skewed and dominated by a few highly fecund individuals. Larger plants produce greater seed crops, but the exact nature of the relationship between size and reproductive patterns is poorly understood. This is especially clear in plants that reproduce by exhibiting synchronized quasi-periodic variation in fruit production, a process called masting. METHODS We investigated covariation of plant size and fecundity with individual-plant-level masting patterns and seed predation in 12 mast-seeding species: Pinus pinea, Astragalus scaphoides, Sorbus aucuparia, Quercus ilex, Q. humilis, Q. rubra, Q. alba, Q. montana, Chionochloa pallens, C. macra, Celmisia lyallii and Phormium tenax. KEY RESULTS Fecundity was non-linearly related to masting patterns. Small and unproductive plants frequently failed to produce any seeds, which elevated their annual variation and decreased synchrony. Above a low fecundity threshold, plants had similar variability and synchrony, regardless of their size and productivity. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows that within-species variation in masting patterns is correlated with variation in fecundity, which in turn is related to plant size. Low synchrony of low-fertility plants shows that the failure years were idiosyncratic to each small plant, which in turn implies that the small plants fail to reproduce because of plant-specific factors (e.g. internal resource limits). Thus, the behaviour of these sub-producers is apparently the result of trade-offs in resource allocation and environmental limits with which the small plants cannot cope. Plant size and especially fecundity and propensity for mast failure years play a major role in determining the variability and synchrony of reproduction in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Jakub Szymkowiak
- Population Ecology Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Rafael Calama
- Department of Forest Dynamics and Management, INIA-CIFOR, Ctra A CoruñaMadrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Peter Lesica
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Shealyn Marino
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA
| | | | - Brigitte Tenhumberg
- School of Biological Sciences and Department of Mathematics, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Andrew Tyre
- School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Magdalena Żywiec
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz, Kraków, Poland
| | - Dave Kelly
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
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5
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Moreira X, Abdala-Roberts L, Bruun HH, Covelo F, De Frenne P, Galmán A, Gaytán Á, Jaatinen R, Pulkkinen P, Ten Hoopen JPJG, Timmermans BGH, Tack AJM, Castagneyrol B. Latitudinal variation in seed predation correlates with latitudinal variation in seed defensive and nutritional traits in a widespread oak species. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2020; 125:881-890. [PMID: 31858135 PMCID: PMC7218813 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcz207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Classic theory on geographical gradients in plant-herbivore interactions assumes that herbivore pressure and plant defences increase towards warmer and more stable climates found at lower latitudes. However, the generality of these expectations has been recently called into question by conflicting empirical evidence. One possible explanation for this ambiguity is that most studies have reported on patterns of either herbivory or plant defences whereas few have measured both, thus preventing a full understanding of the implications of observed patterns for plant-herbivore interactions. In addition, studies have typically not measured climatic factors affecting plant-herbivore interactions, despite their expected influence on plant and herbivore traits. METHODS Here we tested for latitudinal variation in insect seed predation and seed traits putatively associated with insect attack across 36 Quercus robur populations distributed along a 20° latitudinal gradient. We then further investigated the associations between climatic factors, seed traits and seed predation to test for climate-based mechanisms of latitudinal variation in seed predation. KEY RESULTS We found strong but contrasting latitudinal clines in seed predation and seed traits, whereby seed predation increased whereas seed phenolics and phosphorus decreased towards lower latitudes. We also found a strong direct association between temperature and seed predation, with the latter increasing towards warmer climates. In addition, temperature was negatively associated with seed traits, with populations at warmer sites having lower levels of total phenolics and phosphorus. In turn, these negative associations between temperature and seed traits led to a positive indirect association between temperature and seed predation. CONCLUSIONS These results help unravel how plant-herbivore interactions play out along latitudinal gradients and expose the role of climate in driving these outcomes through its dual effects on plant defences and herbivores. Accordingly, this emphasizes the need to account for abiotic variation while testing concurrently for latitudinal variation in plant traits and herbivore pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xoaquín Moreira
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
| | - Luis Abdala-Roberts
- Departamento de Ecología Tropical, Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Itzimná, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - Hans Henrik Bruun
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Felisa Covelo
- Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - Andrea Galmán
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
| | - Álvaro Gaytán
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Raimo Jaatinen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Haapastensyrjä Breeding Station, Läyliäinen, Finland
| | - Pertti Pulkkinen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Haapastensyrjä Breeding Station, Läyliäinen, Finland
| | | | - Bart G H Timmermans
- Department of Agriculture, Louis Bolk Institute, LA Driebergen, the Netherlands
| | - Ayco J M Tack
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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6
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Bogdziewicz M, Espelta JM, Bonal R. Tolerance to seed predation mediated by seed size increases at lower latitudes in a Mediterranean oak. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2019; 123:707-714. [PMID: 30452531 PMCID: PMC6417470 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcy203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The ability of plants to allocate energy to resistance against herbivores changes with abiotic conditions and thus may vary along geographical clines, with important consequences for plant communities. Seed size is a plant trait potentially influencing plant tolerance to endoparasites, and seed size often varies across latitude. Consequently, plant tolerance to endoparasites may change across geographical clines. METHODS The interaction between Quercus ilex (holm oak) and seed-predating Curculio spp. (weevils) was explored along most of the latitudinal range of Q. ilex. This included quantification of variation in seed size, survival likelihood of infested seeds, multi-infestation of acorns and community composition of Curculio weevils in acorns. KEY RESULTS Larger seeds had a higher probability of surviving weevil attack (i.e. embryo not predated). Southern populations of oak produced on average four times larger seeds than those of northern populations. Consequently, the probability of survival of infested acorns decreased with latitude. The community composition of Curculio varied, with large weevils (C. elephas) dominating in southern populations and small weevils (C. glandium) dominating in northern populations. However, damage tolerance was robust against this turnover in predator functional traits. Furthermore, we did not detect any change in multi-infestation of acorns along the geographical gradient. CONCLUSIONS Quercus ilex tolerance to seed predation by Curculio weevils increases toward the southern end of its distribution. Generally, studies on geographical variation in plant defence against enemies largely ignore seed attributes or they focus on seed physical barriers. Thus, this research suggests another dimension in which geographical trends in plant defences should be considered, i.e. geographical variation in tolerance to seed predators mediated by seed size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
- For correspondence. E-mail
| | | | - Raul Bonal
- Forest Research Group, INDEHESA, University of Extremadura, Plasencia, Spain
- DITEG Research Group, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
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7
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Moreira X, Abdala-Roberts L, Pérez-Ramos IM, Knops JMH, Pesendorfer MB, Koenig WD, Mooney KA. Weather cues associated with masting behavior dampen the negative autocorrelation between past and current reproduction in oaks. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2019; 106:51-60. [PMID: 30633821 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY The influence of weather conditions on masting and the ecological advantages of this reproductive behavior have been the subject of much interest. Weather conditions act as cues influencing reproduction of individual plants, and similar responses expressed across many individuals lead to population-level synchrony in reproductive output. In turn, synchrony leads to benefits from economies of scale such as enhanced pollination success and seed predator satiation. However, there may also be individual-level benefits from reproductive responses to weather cues, which may explain the origin of masting in the absence of economies of scale. In a previous study, we found support for a mechanism whereby individual responses to weather cues attenuate the negative autocorrelation between past and current annual seed production-a pattern typically attributed to resource limitation and reproductive tradeoffs among years. METHODS Here we provide a follow-up and more robust evaluation of this hypothesis in 12 species of oaks (Quercus spp.), testing for a negative autocorrelation (tradeoff) between past and current reproduction and whether responses to weather cues associated with masting reduce the strength of this negative autocorrelation. KEY RESULTS Our results showed a strong negative autocorrelation for 11 of the species, and that species-specific reproductive responses to weather cues dampened this negative autocorrelation in 10 of them. CONCLUSIONS This dampening effect presumably reflects a reduction in resource limitation or increased resource use associated with weather conditions, and suggests that responses to weather cues conferring these advantages should be selected for based on individual benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xoaquín Moreira
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Apdo. 28, 36080, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
| | - Luis Abdala-Roberts
- Departamento de Ecología Tropical, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Apartado Postal 4-116, Itzimna, 97000, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - Ignacio M Pérez-Ramos
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC), P.O. Box 1052, 41080, Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain
| | - Johannes M H Knops
- Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Mario B Pesendorfer
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York, 14850, USA
| | - Walter D Koenig
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York, 14850, USA
| | - Kailen A Mooney
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA, 92697
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8
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Bogdziewicz M, Marino S, Bonal R, Zwolak R, Steele MA. Rapid aggregative and reproductive responses of weevils to masting of North American oaks counteract predator satiation. Ecology 2018; 99:2575-2582. [PMID: 30182480 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Revised: 07/07/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The predator satiation hypothesis posits that masting helps plants escape seed predation through starvation of predators in lean years, followed by satiation of predators in mast years. Importantly, successful satiation requires sufficiently delayed bottom-up effects of seed availability on seed consumers. However, some seed consumers may be capable of quick aggregative and reproductive responses to masting, which may jeopardize positive density dependence of seed survival. We used a 17-yr data set on seed production and insect (Curculio weevils) infestation of three North American oaks species (northern red Quercus rubra, white Q. alba, and chestnut oak Q. montana) to test predictions of the predation satiation hypothesis. Furthermore, we tested for the unlagged numerical response of Curculio to acorn production. We found that masting results in a bottom-up effect on the insect population; both through increased reproductive output and aggregation at seed-rich trees. Consequently, mast seeding in two out of three studied oaks (white and chestnut oak) did not help to escape insect seed predation, whereas, in the red oak, the escape depended on the synchronization of mast crops within the population. Bottom-up effects of masting on seed consumer populations are assumed to be delayed, and therefore to have negligible effects on seed survival in mast years. Our research suggests that insect populations may be able to mount rapid reproductive and aggregative responses when seed availability increases, possibly hindering satiation effects of masting. Many insect species are able to quickly benefit from pulsed resources, making mechanisms described here potentially relevant in many other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Shealyn Marino
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 18766, USA
| | - Raul Bonal
- Forest Research Group, INDEHESA, University of Extremadura, Calle Virgen Puerto, 2, 10600, Plasencia, Spain.,DITEG Research Group, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Calle Altagracia, 50, 13003 Ciudad Real, Toledo, Spain
| | - Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Michael A Steele
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 18766, USA
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9
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Bogdziewicz M, Espelta JM, Muñoz A, Aparicio JM, Bonal R. Effectiveness of predator satiation in masting oaks is negatively affected by conspecific density. Oecologia 2018; 186:983-993. [PMID: 29383506 PMCID: PMC5859101 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4069-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Variation in seed availability shapes plant communities, and is strongly affected by seed predation. In some plant species, temporal variation in seed production is especially high and synchronized over large areas, which is called ‘mast seeding’. One selective advantage of this phenomenon is predator satiation which posits that masting helps plants escape seed predation through starvation of predators in lean years, and satiation in mast years. However, even though seed predation can be predicted to have a strong spatial component and depend on plant densities, whether the effectiveness of predator satiation in masting plants changes according to the Janzen-Connell effect has been barely investigated. We studied, over an 8-year period, the seed production, the spatiotemporal patters of weevil seed predation, and the abundance of adult weevils in a holm oak (Quercus ilex) population that consists of trees interspersed at patches covering a continuum of conspecific density. Isolated oaks effectively satiate predators, but this is trumped by increasing conspecific plant density. Lack of predator satiation in trees growing in dense patches was caused by re-distribution of insects among plants that likely attenuated them against food shortage in lean years, and changed the type of weevil functional response from type II in isolated trees to type III in trees growing in dense patches. This study provides the first empirical evaluation of the notion that masting and predator satiation should be more important in populations that start to dominate their communities, and is consistent with the observation that masting is less frequent and less intense in diverse forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznań, Poland. .,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193, Catalonia, Spain.
| | | | - Alberto Muñoz
- Departamento de Didáctica de la Ciencias Experimentales, Facultad de Educación, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose M Aparicio
- Grupo de Investigación de la Biodiversidad Genética y Cultural, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Raul Bonal
- Forest Research Group, INDEHESA, University of Extremadura, Plasencia, Spain.,DITEG Research Group, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
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10
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Espelta JM, Arias-LeClaire H, Fernández-Martínez M, Doblas-Miranda E, Muñoz A, Bonal R. Beyond predator satiation: Masting but also the effects of rainfall stochasticity on weevils drive acorn predation. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Harold Arias-LeClaire
- CREAF; Cerdanyola del Vallés 08193 Catalonia Spain
- Escuela de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad Estatal a Distancia; Mercedes de Montes de Oca San José 474-2050 Costa Rica
| | - Marcos Fernández-Martínez
- CREAF; Cerdanyola del Vallés 08193 Catalonia Spain
- CSIC; Global Ecology Unit; CREAF-CSIC-UAB; Cerdanyola del Vallés 08193 Catalonia Spain
| | | | - Alberto Muñoz
- Departamento de Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales; Facultad de Educación; Universidad Complutense de Madrid; 28040 Madrid Spain
| | - Raúl Bonal
- Forest Research Group; INDEHESA; University of Extremadura; 10600 Plasencia Spain
- Grupo de Investigación de la Biodiversidad Genética y Cultural; Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos CSIC-UCLM-JCCM; 13005 Ciudad Real Spain
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