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759 results for “Plant–plant interactions”
Soil nitrate and ammonium: Interactive Effects of Fertility and Distribution on Plant Community Diversity and Structure
There are four levels of nitrogen, corresponding to treatments A, C, F and G in E001, applied at the same time as in that experiment. For a description of fertilizer added to E052, see file fertilization details. There are four levels of soil disturbance designated 1, 2, 3 and 4. Level 1: undisturbed Level 2: 1 pass with a 7 HP Honda rear-tined rototiller with the elevator set to till to a depth of 9 inches Level 3: 2 passes or however many required to produce about 50% bare ground Level 4: 3 passes or however many required to produce 100% bare ground. This requires 3 passes in some plots but 5 or 6 in others. In addition, all woody vegetation not destroyed by tilling is cut at the base. Rototilling is applied in late April. Each fertilization treatment receives each disturbance treatment, for a total of sixteen treatments. There are four replicates of each of the sixteen treatments. In addition, the four extreme ends (lowest N, lowest disturbance; highest N, lowest disturbance, etc. ) are replicated an additional ten times. Treatments are applied in a completely randomized design. Each of the 104 plots is 5m x 5m. Measurements taken at E052 will include: 1) species abundances, 2) community biomass allocation to leaves/roots/stems/flowers, 3) above and below ground net primary production and 4) rates of nitrogen mineralization. For a list of treatments, see the treatment layouts in file trmte52. The plots in E052 are enclosed by a fence to exclude mammalian herbivores. Galvanized welded-wire hardware cloth with 6mm x 6mm openings was buried to a depth of 50cm. Additional hardware cloth extends 60cm above the ground and poultry netting extends to 2m above the ground. In 1990, ten plots of each of four treatments (N1D1, N1D4, N4D1, N4D4, where N is the level of nitrogen added and D is the disturbance treatment) were randomly selected for the competition experiment. The above and belowground effects of neighbors on transplanted grass seedlings were measured using three
Plant species percent cover data: Interactive Effects of Fertility and Distribution on Plant Community Diversity and Structure
There are four levels of nitrogen, corresponding to treatments A, C, F and G in E001, applied at the same time as in that experiment. For a description of fertilizer added to E052, see file fertilization details. There are four levels of soil disturbance designated 1, 2, 3 and 4. Level 1: undisturbed Level 2: 1 pass with a 7 HP Honda rear-tined rototiller with the elevator set to till to a depth of 9 inches Level 3: 2 passes or however many required to produce about 50% bare ground Level 4: 3 passes or however many required to produce 100% bare ground. This requires 3 passes in some plots but 5 or 6 in others. In addition, all woody vegetation not destroyed by tilling is cut at the base. Rototilling is applied in late April. Each fertilization treatment receives each disturbance treatment, for a total of sixteen treatments. There are four replicates of each of the sixteen treatments. In addition, the four extreme ends (lowest N, lowest disturbance; highest N, lowest disturbance, etc. ) are replicated an additional ten times. Treatments are applied in a completely randomized design. Each of the 104 plots is 5m x 5m. Measurements taken at E052 will include: 1) species abundances, 2) community biomass allocation to leaves/roots/stems/flowers, 3) above and below ground net primary production and 4) rates of nitrogen mineralization. For a list of treatments, see the treatment layouts in file trmte52. The plots in E052 are enclosed by a fence to exclude mammalian herbivores. Galvanized welded-wire hardware cloth with 6mm x 6mm openings was buried to a depth of 50cm. Additional hardware cloth extends 60cm above the ground and poultry netting extends to 2m above the ground. In 1990, ten plots of each of four treatments (N1D1, N1D4, N4D1, N4D4, where N is the level of nitrogen added and D is the disturbance treatment) were randomly selected for the competition experiment. The above and belowground effects of neighbors on transplanted grass seedlings were measured using three
Soil pH: Interactive Effects of Fertility and Distribution on Plant Community Diversity and Structure
There are four levels of nitrogen, corresponding to treatments A, C, F and G in E001, applied at the same time as in that experiment. For a description of fertilizer added to E052, see file fertilization details. There are four levels of soil disturbance designated 1, 2, 3 and 4. Level 1: undisturbed Level 2: 1 pass with a 7 HP Honda rear-tined rototiller with the elevator set to till to a depth of 9 inches Level 3: 2 passes or however many required to produce about 50% bare ground Level 4: 3 passes or however many required to produce 100% bare ground. This requires 3 passes in some plots but 5 or 6 in others. In addition, all woody vegetation not destroyed by tilling is cut at the base. Rototilling is applied in late April. Each fertilization treatment receives each disturbance treatment, for a total of sixteen treatments. There are four replicates of each of the sixteen treatments. In addition, the four extreme ends (lowest N, lowest disturbance; highest N, lowest disturbance, etc. ) are replicated an additional ten times. Treatments are applied in a completely randomized design. Each of the 104 plots is 5m x 5m. Measurements taken at E052 will include: 1) species abundances, 2) community biomass allocation to leaves/roots/stems/flowers, 3) above and below ground net primary production and 4) rates of nitrogen mineralization. For a list of treatments, see the treatment layouts in file trmte52. The plots in E052 are enclosed by a fence to exclude mammalian herbivores. Galvanized welded-wire hardware cloth with 6mm x 6mm openings was buried to a depth of 50cm. Additional hardware cloth extends 60cm above the ground and poultry netting extends to 2m above the ground. In 1990, ten plots of each of four treatments (N1D1, N1D4, N4D1, N4D4, where N is the level of nitrogen added and D is the disturbance treatment) were randomly selected for the competition experiment. The above and belowground effects of neighbors on transplanted grass seedlings were measured using three
Plant aboveground biomass data: Interactive Effects of Fertility and Distribution on Plant Community Diversity and Structure
There are four levels of nitrogen, corresponding to treatments A, C, F and G in E001, applied at the same time as in that experiment. For a description of fertilizer added to E052, see file fertilization details. There are four levels of soil disturbance designated 1, 2, 3 and 4. Level 1: undisturbed Level 2: 1 pass with a 7 HP Honda rear-tined rototiller with the elevator set to till to a depth of 9 inches Level 3: 2 passes or however many required to produce about 50% bare ground Level 4: 3 passes or however many required to produce 100% bare ground. This requires 3 passes in some plots but 5 or 6 in others. In addition, all woody vegetation not destroyed by tilling is cut at the base. Rototilling is applied in late April. Each fertilization treatment receives each disturbance treatment, for a total of sixteen treatments. There are four replicates of each of the sixteen treatments. In addition, the four extreme ends (lowest N, lowest disturbance; highest N, lowest disturbance, etc. ) are replicated an additional ten times. Treatments are applied in a completely randomized design. Each of the 104 plots is 5m x 5m. Measurements taken at E052 will include: 1) species abundances, 2) community biomass allocation to leaves/roots/stems/flowers, 3) above and below ground net primary production and 4) rates of nitrogen mineralization. For a list of treatments, see the treatment layouts in file trmte52. The plots in E052 are enclosed by a fence to exclude mammalian herbivores. Galvanized welded-wire hardware cloth with 6mm x 6mm openings was buried to a depth of 50cm. Additional hardware cloth extends 60cm above the ground and poultry netting extends to 2m above the ground. In 1990, ten plots of each of four treatments (N1D1, N1D4, N4D1, N4D4, where N is the level of nitrogen added and D is the disturbance treatment) were randomly selected for the competition experiment. The above and belowground effects of neighbors on transplanted grass seedlings were measured using three
Soil nitrate and ammonium: Mechanisms of Grasshopper-Plant Interactions
This experiment is designed to examine the mechanisms of competition among grasshoppers, effects of grasshoppers on plant competition, and the effects of plant species and biomass on the ability of grasshoppers to coexist. The plots were set up within the E026 fenced exclosure. The plots are 60cm x 60cm. They are enclosed by a cage which is 1.2m high. The 240 plots were seeded with monocultures and pairwise combinations of two grasses, Schizachyrium scoparium, Poa pratensis, and a legume Lespedeza capitata. To each plant monoculture and species combination, two grasshopper species were added at high density according to four treatments: each grasshopper species by itself (2 treatments), both species together, and no grasshoppers (empty cage). Introduced grasshoppers were allowed to decline to an "equilibrium" density, as determined by counting all grasshoppers in cages every 5 days. After grasshoppers reached "equilibrium", vegetation was sampled by clipping a 50cm x 5cm strip. Soil samples were taken 5 times during the summer to determine the effect of grasshoppers on available soil nitrogen. For a list of treatments, see the treatment layouts in file trmte71.
Plant aboveground biomass data: Mechanisms of Grasshopper-Plant Interactions
This experiment is designed to examine the mechanisms of competition among grasshoppers, effects of grasshoppers on plant competition, and the effects of plant species and biomass on the ability of grasshoppers to coexist. The plots were set up within the E026 fenced exclosure. The plots are 60cm x 60cm. They are enclosed by a cage which is 1.2m high. The 240 plots were seeded with monocultures and pairwise combinations of two grasses, Schizachyrium scoparium, Poa pratensis, and a legume Lespedeza capitata. To each plant monoculture and species combination, two grasshopper species were added at high density according to four treatments: each grasshopper species by itself (2 treatments), both species together, and no grasshoppers (empty cage). Introduced grasshoppers were allowed to decline to an "equilibrium" density, as determined by counting all grasshoppers in cages every 5 days. After grasshoppers reached "equilibrium", vegetation was sampled by clipping a 50cm x 5cm strip. Soil samples were taken 5 times during the summer to determine the effect of grasshoppers on available soil nitrogen. For a list of treatments, see the treatment layouts in file trmte71.
Grasshopper cage data: Mechanisms of Grasshopper-Plant Interactions
This experiment is designed to examine the mechanisms of competition among grasshoppers, effects of grasshoppers on plant competition, and the effects of plant species and biomass on the ability of grasshoppers to coexist. The plots were set up within the E026 fenced exclosure. The plots are 60cm x 60cm. They are enclosed by a cage which is 1.2m high. The 240 plots were seeded with monocultures and pairwise combinations of two grasses, Schizachyrium scoparium, Poa pratensis, and a legume Lespedeza capitata. To each plant monoculture and species combination, two grasshopper species were added at high density according to four treatments: each grasshopper species by itself (2 treatments), both species together, and no grasshoppers (empty cage). Introduced grasshoppers were allowed to decline to an "equilibrium" density, as determined by counting all grasshoppers in cages every 5 days. After grasshoppers reached "equilibrium", vegetation was sampled by clipping a 50cm x 5cm strip. Soil samples were taken 5 times during the summer to determine the effect of grasshoppers on available soil nitrogen. For a list of treatments, see the treatment layouts in file trmte71.
Soil nitrate and ammonium: Long-Term Grasshopper-Plant Interactions
This experiment, located out in garden area, is designed to set up permanent grasshopper populations on different combinations of two plant species: Andropogon gerardi and Solidago rigida. The experiment involves 150 plots with 10 different grasshopper treatments: (1) no grasshoppers (empty cage) (2) Arphia conspersa (AC) by itself (3) Pardalophora apiculata (PA) itself (4) AC and PA together (5) Melanoplus femur-rubrum (MF) by itself (6) Spharagemon capillare (SC) by itself (7) MF and SC together (8) AC, PA and MF together (9) AC, PA and SC together (10) AC, PA, MF and SC together. Two male-female adult pairs of each species will be introduced into each 1m2 cage in the summer of 1991 and additional grasshoppers will be added to ensure the initial viability of each grasshopper population. Vegetation will be sampled by clipping 60 x 5cm strips each August (only empty cages will be sampled in 1991). In addition, soil solution concentrations of ammonium and nitrate will be sampled from each plot in May 1991 and September of all ensuing years. Finally, counts of adults and nymphs in each cage will be made in June and August in 1992 and each year thereafter. For a list of treatments, see the treatment layouts in file trmte77.
Plant aboveground biomass data: Fire X Nitrogen: Interactive Effects in a Prairie-Like Grassland
This experiment was established on top of E002 in field B. In the spring of 1992, 3 randomly chosen replicates of each nutrient treatment of experiment E002 were chosen to be burned each spring. For a description of these plots, see E002. For a list of treatments, see the treatment layouts in file trmte98.
Plant aboveground biomass data: Interactive Effects of Deer, Fire and Nitrogen
In 2000 we began to examine impacts of three anthropogenic effects on successional grasslands in an area with rapid woody encroachment toward white pine forest. We established a factorial experiment that manipulates N (0 or 3 g m-2 yr-1), fire (none or every 2nd year), and deer (fenced or open to deer), with a total of 32 plots, each 20 x 20 m. We hypothesized that the response of this ecosystem to the combined effects of fire, N, and herbivory would depend on the ability of pine and other species to invade and the magnitude of their response to the different disturbance factors: warm-season grasses increase with and encourage fire, resist herbivores, and inhibit woody plant invasion (Davis et al. 1998, Inouye et al. 1994); cool-season plants are favored by N deposition (Tilman 1987) but are fire-intolerant and palatable to herbivores; legumes tolerate fire but decrease with herbivory and N deposition; and finally, woody plants are fire-intolerant and may be more susceptible to herbivory. We are measuring treatment effects on composition and diversity of plants and consumers (insects, small mammals, lizards) as well as plant and soil C and N.
Plant species inventory: Interactive Effects of Deer, Fire and Nitrogen
In 2000 we began to examine impacts of three anthropogenic effects on successional grasslands in an area with rapid woody encroachment toward white pine forest. We established a factorial experiment that manipulates N (0 or 3 g m-2 yr-1), fire (none or every 2nd year), and deer (fenced or open to deer), with a total of 32 plots, each 20 x 20 m. We hypothesized that the response of this ecosystem to the combined effects of fire, N, and herbivory would depend on the ability of pine and other species to invade and the magnitude of their response to the different disturbance factors: warm-season grasses increase with and encourage fire, resist herbivores, and inhibit woody plant invasion (Davis et al. 1998, Inouye et al. 1994); cool-season plants are favored by N deposition (Tilman 1987) but are fire-intolerant and palatable to herbivores; legumes tolerate fire but decrease with herbivory and N deposition; and finally, woody plants are fire-intolerant and may be more susceptible to herbivory. We are measuring treatment effects on composition and diversity of plants and consumers (insects, small mammals, lizards) as well as plant and soil C and N.
Plant species percent cover data: Interactive Effects of Deer, Fire and Nitrogen
In 2000 we began to examine impacts of three anthropogenic effects on successional grasslands in an area with rapid woody encroachment toward white pine forest. We established a factorial experiment that manipulates N (0 or 3 g m-2 yr-1), fire (none or every 2nd year), and deer (fenced or open to deer), with a total of 32 plots, each 20 x 20 m. We hypothesized that the response of this ecosystem to the combined effects of fire, N, and herbivory would depend on the ability of pine and other species to invade and the magnitude of their response to the different disturbance factors: warm-season grasses increase with and encourage fire, resist herbivores, and inhibit woody plant invasion (Davis et al. 1998, Inouye et al. 1994); cool-season plants are favored by N deposition (Tilman 1987) but are fire-intolerant and palatable to herbivores; legumes tolerate fire but decrease with herbivory and N deposition; and finally, woody plants are fire-intolerant and may be more susceptible to herbivory. We are measuring treatment effects on composition and diversity of plants and consumers (insects, small mammals, lizards) as well as plant and soil C and N.
Plant aboveground biomass data: Herbivory by Nitrogen Interactive Effects on Community and Ecosystem Processes and Dynamics
E172 is an herbivory experiment established by Dave Tilman in fall 2004 by enclosing in deer fences three randomly selected plots from the six replicates of each control and each treatment in the N addition E001 experiment in field C. These plots still receive the nutrient treatments prescribed in the Experiment 001 protocols. From 1982-2004 a fence containing all of e001 plots in Field C was designed to exclude deer and all small mammals, including mice, voles and pocket gophers. This fence was removed in Fall of 2004 and individual plots designated for e172 were enclosed in deer fences. The purpose of E001 was to measure how adding nitrogen over a long time would affect the number of species, the type of species present, the amount of annual growth, and the change from year to year in the growth of each species in a plant community which is also relieved of grazing by large and small mammals. There are 8 different levels of nitrogen addition with other nutrients added to ensure that nitrogen remains the limiting nutrient, and a control which receives no nutrients. The plots are in a 6 by 9 grid and are 4 by 4 meters in size with 1 meter aisles between plots. Nitrogen fertilizer (NH4NO3) is applied twice per year, once in early May and once in late June.
Plant aboveground biomass carbon and nitrogen: Herbivory by Nitrogen Interactive Effects on Community and Ecosystem Processes and Dynamics
E172 is an herbivory experiment established by Dave Tilman in fall 2004 by enclosing in deer fences three randomly selected plots from the six replicates of each control and each treatment in the N addition E001 experiment in field C. These plots still receive the nutrient treatments prescribed in the Experiment 001 protocols. From 1982-2004 a fence containing all of e001 plots in Field C was designed to exclude deer and all small mammals, including mice, voles and pocket gophers. This fence was removed in Fall of 2004 and individual plots designated for e172 were enclosed in deer fences. The purpose of E001 was to measure how adding nitrogen over a long time would affect the number of species, the type of species present, the amount of annual growth, and the change from year to year in the growth of each species in a plant community which is also relieved of grazing by large and small mammals. There are 8 different levels of nitrogen addition with other nutrients added to ensure that nitrogen remains the limiting nutrient, and a control which receives no nutrients. The plots are in a 6 by 9 grid and are 4 by 4 meters in size with 1 meter aisles between plots. Nitrogen fertilizer (NH4NO3) is applied twice per year, once in early May and once in late June.
e052 Field B Microplot Arthropod Sweepnet Sampling:Interactive Effects of Fertility and Distribution on Plant Community Diversity and Structure
There are four levels of nitrogen, corresponding to treatments A, C, F and G in E001, applied at the same time as in that experiment. For a description of fertilizer added to E052, see file fertilization details. There are four levels of soil disturbance designated 1, 2, 3 and 4. Level 1: undisturbed Level 2: 1 pass with a 7 HP Honda rear-tined rototiller with the elevator set to till to a depth of 9 inches Level 3: 2 passes or however many required to produce about 50% bare ground Level 4: 3 passes or however many required to produce 100% bare ground. This requires 3 passes in some plots but 5 or 6 in others. In addition, all woody vegetation not destroyed by tilling is cut at the base. Rototilling is applied in late April. Each fertilization treatment receives each disturbance treatment, for a total of sixteen treatments. There are four replicates of each of the sixteen treatments. In addition, the four extreme ends (lowest N, lowest disturbance; highest N, lowest disturbance, etc. ) are replicated an additional ten times. Treatments are applied in a completely randomized design. Each of the 104 plots is 5m x 5m. Measurements taken at E052 will include: 1) species abundances, 2) community biomass allocation to leaves/roots/stems/flowers, 3) above and below ground net primary production and 4) rates of nitrogen mineralization. For a list of treatments, see the treatment layouts in file trmte52. The plots in E052 are enclosed by a fence to exclude mammalian herbivores. Galvanized welded-wire hardware cloth with 6mm x 6mm openings was buried to a depth of 50cm. Additional hardware cloth extends 60cm above the ground and poultry netting extends to 2m above the ground. In 1990, ten plots of each of four treatments (N1D1, N1D4, N4D1, N4D4, where N is the level of nitrogen added and D is the disturbance treatment) were randomly selected for the competition experiment. The above and belowground effects of neighbors on transplanted grass seedlings were measured using three
Data from: Anthropogenic disturbance and rainfall variation threaten the stability of plant‐ant interactions in the Brazilian Caatinga
Climate change is projected to exacerbate the effects of anthropogenic disturbance, with negative impacts on ecosystem stability and functioning. We evaluate the additive and combined effects of chronic anthropogenic disturbance (CAD) and rainfall variation on the temporal stability of mutualistic EFN‐bearing plant‐ant networks in a Caatinga dry forest. We evaluated whether changes in the stability of these interactions are driven by changes in the stability of the communities of partners involved and/or in ant behavior. We sampled EFN‐bearing plant‐ant networks in sixteen 20m×20m plots distributed across CAD and rainfall gradients. The stability of EFN‐bearing plant and attendant‐ant communities were measured as the inverse of temporal differences in their community structure and composition. We also computed the stability of EFN‐bearing plant‐ant networks by measuring the inverse of temporal differences in network specialization metrics. We found that, in general, the structure and composition of plant and ant interacting communities were similarly stable along both environmental gradients. Only CAD and its interaction with rainfall affected the temporal stability of EFN‐bearing plant diversity, which declined as CAD increased, with a more pronounced relationship in wetter areas. However, variation in levels of CAD and, to a lesser extent, rainfall greatly modulated the stability of EFN‐bearing plant‐ant network specialization. CAD reduced the stability of network generality (specialization at the ant level), an effect that was much stronger in wetter areas. Meanwhile, the stability in network vulnerability (specialization at the plant level) decreased with the increase of CAD and the decrease of rainfall levels. Finally, there was a trend of decreasing stability in specialization of the overall network with increasing CAD. Our results suggest that changes in the structure of interaction networks are mainly driven by a switch in ant behavior rather than by changes in the structure and composition of plant and ant communities between years.
Data from: Experimental reduction of plant abundance changes interaction frequency of a tri-trophic micro-food web: contrasting responses of generalists and specialists
1. Species abundance is vulnerable to climate change and anthropogenic impact. Although numerous studies have examined the food web response to species loss, their response (e.g. in network topology and interaction frequency) to changes in species abundance has received little attention. 2. We experimentally reduced the abundance (by ca. 60%) of one host plant species (Saussurea nigrescens) in a tri-trophic micro-food web consisting of two common Asteraceae species (S. nigrescens and Anaphalis flavescens), their pre-dispersal seed predators (tephritid flies), and the parasitoid wasps that feed on these seed predators. 3. The neutral process hypothesis posits that network topology and interaction frequency are determined by the relative abundances of the participating species. Accordingly, we hypothesized that interaction frequency (indicated by the rate of flies infesting plants and of parasitoid wasps parasitizing flies) would decrease with decreasing abundance of host plant abundance. 4. Consistent with the neutral process hypothesis, abundance reduction significantly decreased the rate of generalist flies infesting the manipulated plant host species, but increased the rate on unmanipulated plant species. In contrast, abundance reduction significantly increased the rate of specialist flies infesting the manipulated species, but it had no demonstrable effect on the specialists on the unmanipulated plant host. 5. Moreover, abundance reduction significantly increased the rate of parasitoid wasps (as a species group) parasitizing flies in the manipulated species but decreased the rate of the unmanipulated species. These results were not attributable to neutral processes, but can be explained only by adaptive foraging theory. In addition, experimental manipulation did not shift the qualitative presence/absence of the linkages in the micro-food web, and the change in the abundance of both fly and wasp species was smaller than the abundance changes of the manipulated plant species. 6. These observations are interpreted to indicate that both neutral process and/or adaptive foraging likely contributed to food web stability in responses to changes in species abundance. Because species abundance is vulnerable to abiotic and biotic environmental changes, we suggest more research should be conducted to understand how food webs respond to climate change and anthropogenic disturbance.
Uncovering structural features that underlie coexistence in an invaded woody plant community with interaction networks at multiple life stages
<p>Understanding the patterns of competitive and facilitative interactions within and among species in plant communities is a central goal of plant ecology, because these patterns determine species coexistence and community dynamics. Network theory provides tools that allow these patterns to be quantified, and can provide greater understanding of important community properties, including community stability, than can documenting pairwise species interactions.</p> <p>I characterized the interactions of multiple, co-occurring invasive and native species in an old field woody plant community to build plant interaction networks at two different life stages. With the goal of identifying structural features that may operate to maintain species coexistence, I characterized the architecture of these networks at multiple scales: the entire network, the substructures that compose the network, and species' roles within substructures.</p> <p>I found that species-level pairwise interactions alone did not provide an accurate or sufficiently detailed picture of community structure. Rather, using a network approach, I identified substructures that have the potential to promote and hinder species coexistence in interactions among seedlings. Characterizing the nuances of network substructures was illuminating, as the size of the substructures and the pattern of interaction intensities within substructures influence the expected effects on species coexistence. Including interactions at multiple life stages was also important; the seedling species that benefited most from the nested structure of facilitative interactions with adults occupied subordinate roles in substructures with other seedlings. This role reversal at different life stages is a potential factor promoting coexistence in the community. Last, the network framework was useful for comparing species' roles between native and invasive members of the community, and the three invasive species in this system had different, life-stage dependent strategies in interactions with co-occurring plants.</p> <p><em>Synthesis</em>. The interplay of network architecture and substructures within plant communities and among plants at different life stages is important for understanding species coexistence. In the plant community characterized in this study, there were several features that may promote coexistence, and these features were not observable in interactions within a single life stage or when considering pairwise interactions independently.</p>
Data from: Do plant-microbe interactions support the Stress Gradient Hypothesis?
<p>The Stress Gradient Hypothesis (SGH), which predicts increasing ratios of facilitative:competitive interactions with increasing stress, has long been a guiding framework for conceptualizing plant-plant interactions. Recently, there has been a growing recognition of the roles of microbes in mitigating or exacerbating environmental stress for their plant hosts. As such, we might predict based on the SGH that beneficial microbial effects on plant performance should be positively associated with stress. We hypothesized that support for the SGH would also vary depending on the host plant's habitat specialization such that species that specialize in high stress habitats and thus likely coevolved with the resident microbes would exhibit stronger support for the SGH than non-specialist plant species. We further hypothesized that support for the SGH would vary with germination frequency, since boosting germination of low-frequency germinators is one effective means by which microbes can benefit plant species performance. Here, we explore whether plant-microbial interactions support the SGH, using 12 plant species native to the Florida rosemary scrub. We conducted factorial experiments that manipulated the presence of microbes in nine soils collected along an elevational stress gradient, and recorded germination frequency and biomass. Microbes increased the germination frequency of four species, all of which had relatively low germination rates. Furthermore, we found support for the SGH in nearly half of the species examined, with soil microbes facilitating germination with increasing stress for five of the 12 species tested, and none of the species exhibiting the opposite trend. Support for the SGH was not predicted by either the plant hosts' habitat specialization or germination frequency. In contrast to germination, biomass results showed little support for the SGH, with four of 12 species refuting and one species supporting SGH predictions. Taken together, our study documents that interactions between the soil microbial community and plant species along a stress gradient can support the SGH, but emphasizes that these effects are life history stage-dependent. This work also identifies a common mechanism (germination facilitation) by which microbes can benefit plant species in stressful habitats.</p>
Raw data: The timing and asymmetry of plant-pathogen-insect interactions
<p>Insects and pathogens frequently exploit the same host plant and can potentially impact each other's performance. However, studies on plant-pathogen-insect interactions have mainly focused on a fixed temporal setting or on a single interaction partner. In this study, we assessed the impact of time of attacker arrival on the outcome and symmetry of interactions between aphids (<i>Tuberculatus annulatus</i>), powdery mildew (<i>Erysiphe alphitoides</i>) and caterpillars (<i>Phalera bucephala</i>) feeding on pedunculate oak, <i>Quercus robur, </i>and explored how single vs. multiple attackers affect oak performance. We used a multifactorial greenhouse experiment in which oak seedlings were infected with either zero, one, two or three attackers, with the order of attacker arrival differing among treatments. The performances of all involved organisms were monitored throughout the experiment. Overall, attackers had a weak and inconsistent impact on plant performance. Interactions between attackers, when present, were asymmetric. For example, aphids performed worse, but powdery mildew performed better, when co-occurring. Order of arrival strongly affected the outcome of interactions, and early attackers modified the strength and direction of interactions between later arriving attackers. Our study shows that interactions between plant-attackers can be asymmetric, time-dependent and species-specific. This is likely to shape the ecology and evolution of plant-pathogen-insect interactions. </p>
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