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1,187 results for “herbivores”

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Silicon-based anti-herbivore defense in tropical tree seedlings

Silicon-based defenses effectively 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 the remaining 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.

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Contrasting impacts of short- and long-term large herbivore exclusion on understory net CO2 exchange in a boreal forest

Across boreal forests, trees are the main living biomass carbon (C) stock, but the understory vegetation can contribute significantly to the C cycling and net forest carbon dioxide (CO2) balance. The patchy understory vegetation which consists of sunlit (i.e., lichen-like) and shaded habitats (i.e., dwarf shrub-like) is often altered by ungulate grazers. Grazers may influence understory CO2 exchange, and consequently, the forest CO2 balance. Grazing affects differently the biomass of slow growing lichens compared to the faster growing mosses and dwarf shrubs, and therefore the effects of grazing on CO2 exchange in the patchy understory vegetation could vary temporally. We studied how excluding grazing for short- and long-term affects the CO2 exchange and vegetation biomass in the understory of an oligotrophic Scots pine forest. We measured growing season (2019, 2020) CO2 exchange across sunlit and shaded habitats inside fences that had excluded large grazers for 0–1 and 25–26 years and in the adjacent grazed area. In addition, we measured the height of understory vegetation. We found that short-term grazer exclusion increased ecosystem CO2 source fluxes only in the shaded habitats. However, long-term exclusion of grazing decreased CO2 net release regardless of the habitat type. Furthermore, grazer exclusion increased moss depth immediately which coincided with an abrupt intensification of CO2 net release. Considering the impacts of grazing over both short- and long-term may help to forecast C fluxes more accurately which may be relevant for informed climate solutions regionally and even on a larger scale.

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Proactive cursorial and ambush predation risk avoidance in four African herbivore species

Most herbivores must balance demands to meet nutritional requirements, maintain stable thermoregulation and avoid predation. Species-specific predator and prey characteristics determine the ability of prey to avoid predation and the ability of predators to maximise hunting success. Using GPS collar data from African wild dogs, lions, impala, tsessebe, wildebeest and zebra in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, we studied proactive predation risk avoidance by herbivores. We considered predator activity level in relation to prey movement, predator and prey habitat selection, and preferential use of areas by prey. We compared herbivore behaviour to lion and wild dog activity patterns and determined the effect of seasonal resource availability and prey body mass on anti-predator behaviour. Herbivore movement patterns were more strongly correlated to lion than wild dog activity. Habitat selection by predators was not activity level-dependent and, while prey and predators differed to some extent in their habitat selection, there were also overlaps, probably caused by predators seeking habitats with high prey abundance. Areas favoured by lions were used by herbivores more when lions were less active, whereas wild dog activity level was not correlated with prey use. Prey body mass was not a strong predictor of the strength of proactive predation avoidance behaviour. Herbivores showed stronger anti-predator behaviours during the rainy season when resources were abundant. Reducing movement when top predators are most active and avoiding areas with a high likelihood of predator use during the same periods appear to be common strategies to minimize predation risk. Such valuable insights into predator-prey dynamics are only possible when using similar data from multiple sympatric species of predator and prey, an approach that should become more prevalent given the ongoing integration of technological methods into ecological studies.

opencc-zeroMay 2024View details →

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