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Shi Y, Gao X, Jiang Y, Zhang J, Qi FH, Jing TZ. Spatial Pattern of Host Tree Size, Rather than of Host Tree Itself, Affects the Infection Likelihood of a Fungal Stem Disease. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:616. [PMID: 39194554 DOI: 10.3390/biology13080616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2024] [Revised: 08/12/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
The spatial pattern of diseased forest trees is a product of the spatial pattern of host trees and the disease itself. Previous studies have focused on describing the spatial pattern of diseased host trees, and it remains largely unknown whether an antecedent spatial pattern of host/nonhost trees affects the infection pattern of a disease and how large the effect sizes of the spatial pattern of host/nonhost trees and host size are. The results from trivariate random labeling showed that the antecedent pattern of the host ash tree, Fraxinus mandshurica, but not of nonhost tree species, impacted the infection pattern of a stem fungal disease caused by Inonotus hispidus. To investigate the effect size of the spatial pattern of ash trees, we employed the SADIE (Spatial Analysis by Distance IndicEs) aggregation index and clustering index as predictors in the GLMs. Globally, the spatial pattern (vi index) of ash trees did not affect the infection likelihood of the focal tree; however, the spatial pattern of DBH (diameter at breast height) of ash trees significantly affected the infection likelihood of the focal tree. We sampled a series of circular plots with different radii to investigate the spatial pattern effect of host size on the infection likelihood of the focal tree locally. The results showed that the location (patch/gap) of the DBH of the focal tree, rather than that of the focal tree itself, significantly affected its infection likelihood in most plots of the investigated sizes. A meta-analysis was employed to settle the discrepancy between plots of different sizes, which led to results consistent with those of global studies. The results from meta-regression showed that plot size had no significant effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanli Shi
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Xinbo Gao
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Yunxiao Jiang
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Junsheng Zhang
- Inner Mongolia Forest Industrial Group, Yakeshi 022150, China
| | - Feng-Hui Qi
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Tian-Zhong Jing
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
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Ojeda S, Arancibia M, Gómez F, Sepúlveda IB, Orellana JI, Fontúrbel FE. Spatial aggregation patterns in four mistletoe species: ecological and environmental determinants. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2023; 25:1186-1195. [PMID: 37703542 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13579] [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: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Plant spatial distribution is an important topic in ecology as it determines species coexistence and biodiversity dynamics. Usually, plants show clustered distributions in nature. Mistletoes are a good example of aggregated distributions, as they form dense aggregations due to several factors (availability of competent hosts, seed dispersal vectors, microclimate conditions). We analysed four native mistletoe species with divergent life histories and host ranges: Desmaria mutabilis and Tristerix corymbosus from the temperate rainforests of southern Chile; and Tristerix aphyllus and Tristerix verticillatus from the northern semi-desert zone. While T. corymbosus and T. verticillatus have a wide host range, T. aphyllus and D. mutabilis are specialists that can parasitize only a few plant species. We hypothesized that specialized species would be more aggregated due to ecological and environmental restrictions. We used heterogeneous Poisson models to quantify spatial aggregation. Three of the four mistletoe species were spatially clustered at both environments, with aggregation being stronger in the temperate rainforest of southern Chile and particularly in the host-specialist species. Our results suggest that environmental constraints are more important than ecological constraints (host range) in shaping mistletoe spatial structure. Mistletoe aggregated spatial distribution depends primarily on the environment that they inhabit, which conditions host spatial availability, and arrangement.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ojeda
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - M Arancibia
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - F Gómez
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - I B Sepúlveda
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - J I Orellana
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi), Valdivia, Chile
| | - F E Fontúrbel
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi), Valdivia, Chile
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Vitali A, Sasal Y, Vázquez DP, Miguel MF, Rodríguez-Cabal MA. The disruption of a keystone interaction erodes pollination and seed dispersal networks. Ecology 2021; 103:e03547. [PMID: 34618911 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the impacts of global change on ecological communities is a major challenge in modern ecology. The gain or loss of particular species and the disruption of key interactions are both consequences and drivers of global change that can lead to the disassembly of ecological networks. We examined whether the disruption of a hummingbird-mistletoe-marsupial mutualism by the invasion of non-native species can have cascading effects on both pollination and seed dispersal networks in the temperate forest of Patagonia, Argentina. We focused on network motifs, subnetworks composed of a small number of species exhibiting particular patterns of interaction, to examine the structure and diversity of mutualistic networks. We found that the hummingbird-mistletoe-marsupial mutualism plays a critical role in the community by increasing the complexity of pollination and seed dispersal networks through supporting a high diversity of interactions. Moreover, we found that the disruption of this tripartite mutualism by non-native ungulates resulted in diverse indirect effects that led to less complex pollination and seed dispersal networks. Our results demonstrate that the gains and losses of particular species and the alteration of key interactions can lead to cascading effects in the community through the disassembly of mutualistic networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustin Vitali
- Grupo de Ecología de Invasiones, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA) - CONICET - Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Yamila Sasal
- Laboratorio Ecotono, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA) - CONICET - Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Diego P Vázquez
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas, CONICET & Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina.,Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - M Florencia Miguel
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas, CONICET & Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Mariano A Rodríguez-Cabal
- Grupo de Ecología de Invasiones, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA) - CONICET - Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina.,Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, 05405, USA
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Vitali A, Vázquez DP, Miguel MF, Sasal Y, Rodríguez-Cabal MA. A keystone mutualism promotes resistance to invasion. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:74-85. [PMID: 34558076 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
It is not uncommon for one or a few species, and their interactions, to have disproportionate effects on other species in ecological communities. Such keystone interactions might affect how communities respond to the invasion of non-native species by preventing or inhibiting the establishment, spread or impact of non-native species. We explore whether a keystone mutualism among a hummingbird-mistletoe-marsupial promotes ecological resistance to an invasive pollinator, the bumblebee Bombus terrestris, by comparing data collected at sites prior to bumblebee invasion to data collected 11 years after the invasion in sites with and without the keystone mutualism. We built pollination networks and focused on network motifs, regarded as building blocks of networks, to identify the central pollinators and estimate the change in their interactions after invasion of B. terrestris. We also estimated the interaction rewiring across the season in post-invasion networks and tested it as a possible mechanism explaining how the keystone mutualism increased ecological resistance to invasion. We found two times more species in post-invasion sites with the keystone mutualism than in post-invasion sites without the keystone mutualism. Moreover, we found that invasive bumblebee reduced the strength and interaction niche of the five central pollinator species while increasing its own strength and interaction niche, suggesting a replacement of interactions. Also, we found that the keystone mutualism promoted resistance to B. terrestris invasion by reducing its negative impacts on central species. In the presence of the keystone mutualism, central species had three times more direct interactions than in sites without this keystone mutualism. The higher interaction rewiring, after invasion of B. terrestris, in sites with the keystone mutualism indicates greater chances of central pollinators to form new interactions and reduces their competence for resources with the non-native bumblebee. Our results demonstrate that a keystone mutualism can enhance community resistance against the impacts of a non-native invasive pollinator by increasing species diversity and promoting interaction rewiring in the community. This study suggests that the conservation of mutualisms, especially those considered keystone, could be essential for long-term preservation of natural communities under current and future impacts of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustin Vitali
- Grupo de Ecología de Invasiones & Laboratorio Ecotono, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA) - CONICET- Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Diego P Vázquez
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas, CONICET & Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina.,Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - María F Miguel
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas, CONICET & Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Yamila Sasal
- Grupo de Ecología de Invasiones & Laboratorio Ecotono, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA) - CONICET- Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Mariano A Rodríguez-Cabal
- Grupo de Ecología de Invasiones & Laboratorio Ecotono, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA) - CONICET- Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina.,Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
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