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565 results for “Herbivory”
Data from: Ontogenetic responses of four plant species to additive and interactive effects of land-use history, canopy structure and herbivory
The strength of interactions among species is often highly variable in space and time, and a major challenge in understanding context-dependent effects of herbivores lies in disentangling habitat-mediated from herbivore-mediated effects on plant performance. We conducted a landscape-scale experiment that manipulated light availability in woodlands with either a history of agricultural use or no history of agricultural use and coupled this with performance measurements of three life stages on four perennial herbaceous species exposed to varying levels of herbivory. We found that the context-dependent effects of herbivory on plant performance changed as plants grew: juvenile plant survival was reduced by herbivores in low-light habitats whereas biomass of adult plants was reduced by a more diverse insect fauna in high-light environments. A history of agricultural land use also had negative effects on seedling establishment and adult performance, independent of herbivory. Synthesis. This work experimentally separates the habitat-mediated effects on plant performance from the herbivore-mediated effects on plant performance and highlights how context-dependent interactions depend on plant ontogenetic stages.
Data from: Leaf trait variability between and within subalpine grassland species differs depending on site conditions and herbivory
Plant traits are commonly used to predict ecosystem-level processes, but the validity of such predictions is dependent on the assumption that trait variability between species is greater than trait variability within a speciesthe robustness assumption. Here, we compare leaf trait intraspecific and interspecific variability depending on: geographical differences between sites, and five years of experimental herbivore exclusion in two vegetation types of subalpine grasslands in Switzerland. Four-leaf traits were measured from eight herbaceous species common to all 18 sites. Intraspecific trait variability differed significantly depending on site and herbivory. However, the amount and structure of variability depended on the trait measured and whether considering leaf traits separately or multiple leaf traits simultaneously. Leaf phosphorus (P) concentration showed the highest intraspecific variability, while specific leaf area (SLA) showed the highest interspecific variability and displayed intraspecific variability only in response to herbivore exclusion. Species identity based on multiple traits was not predictable. We find intraspecific variability is an essential consideration when using plant functional traits as a common currency not just species mean traits. This is particularly true for leaf nutrient concentrations, which showed high intraspecific variability in response to site differences and herbivore exclusion; a finding which suggests that the robustness assumption does not always hold.
Data from: Insect herbivory on native and exotic aquatic plants: phosphorus and nitrogen drive insect growth and nutrient release
Eutrophication and globalisation facilitate the dominance of exotic plants in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Aquatic omnivores can provide biotic resistance to plant invasions, but little is known about whether obligate aquatic herbivores can do the same. Herbivores such as insects can decimate aquatic vegetation, but may not be able to consume exotic plants due to their more or less specialised nature of feeding. We experimentally tested the larval feeding of an aquatic insect, the moth Parapoynx stratiotata, on eleven submerged plant species, from either native or exotic origin. We also tested whether insect herbivory stimulates nutrient and organic matter release, thus affecting water quality. Larvae of P. stratiotata consumed seven out of eleven plant species, and their growth was related to plant nutrient content and stoichiometry. However, larvae had no preference for either native or exotic macrophytes, and their plant preference was not related to the measured plant traits, but was possibly driven by secondary metabolites. Through plant consumption, caterpillars induced brownification and phosphate release, and the intensity thereof varied among plant species, but not between native and exotic plants. In conclusion, P. stratiotata showed strong feeding preferences demonstrating that aquatic insects can directly and indirectly alter water quality and vegetation composition.
Vertebrate and invertebrate herbivory data
<p>Data are from a factorial experiment designed to test the effects of small mammals and above- and below-ground invertebrates on plant species richness and composition in native tallgrass prairie (Gibson et al. 1990, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00318268).</p>
Data from: Biotic-drivers of seedling establishment in Neotropical savannas: selective granivory and seedling herbivory by leaf-cutter ants as an ecological filter
Herbivory has been shown to have prominent top-down effects on vegetation in Paleotropical savannas, where consumers of early stages of life history act as demographic bottlenecks. Such impact has been largely ignored in Neotropical savannas, however, despite insect consumption being linked to reduced recruitment of woody species. We hypothesize that Atta leaf-cutter ants – the prevalent herbivores in the Neotropics – alter the establishment of woody plant seedlings in the Brazilian Cerrado by reducing seed availability and seedling survival. We also hypothesize that the demographic effects will be species-specific. To test these hypotheses, we experimentally (i) compared seed removal in areas with and without Atta foraging and (ii) compared the survivorship of seedlings exposed to or protected from Atta foraging. Both experiments were performed with the same common Cerrado species which allowed us to evaluate the potential net effects of consumers at the population and community levels. Overall seed removal rates in sites with Atta foraging were greater than those where ants were absent (59.2% and 39.2% of seeds removed, respectively). There were differences in removal for 10 of the 12 tested species, with per species removal 1.1- to 3.8-fold greater in areas with Atta foraging. On transplanted plants, 45% of seedlings exposed to Atta were attacked, resulting in a survival 7.6% lower than that of protected seedlings. Seedling survival was 11.8–31.5% lower in five species, with the largest differences in survival between treatments during the dry season. Taken together, these results support the hypothesis that consumers can lead to demographic bottlenecks in Neotropical savanna plant species, with effects varying among life-history stages and between species. Synthesis. Granivory by ants has been linked to reduced seedling recruitment of woody species in the Brazilian Cerrado. Our results show that leaf-cutter ants may largely limit early seedling establishment of woody species by reducing seed availability and seedling survival with differential species-specific effects. Atta ants may therefore be acting as an ecological filter, which coupled with potential selectivity in foraging on reproductive life-history stages, may ultimately influence the relative abundance of different species and hence the structure and composition of Cerrado vegetation.
Data from: Insect herbivory in novel Quercus ilex L. forests: the role of landscape attributes, forest composition and host traits
<p><b><i>Context</i></b> Understanding the intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of herbivory in novel expanding forests is essential to envisage their role for biodiversity conservation.</p> <p><b><i>Aims</i></b>: To analyze the effects of landscape attributes, forest composition, genetic relatedness, ontogeny and leaf traits on insect herbivory in novel <i>Q. ilex</i> forest stands.</p> <p><b><i>Methods: </i></b>In 15 forest patches, we examined effects of patch size and connectivity, forest composition, and tree height, specific leaf area (SLA) and nitrogen content on herbivory. In 3 forest patches, we assessed effects of tree genetic relatedness, ontogeny and spatial distribution.</p> <p><b><i>Results</i></b>: Herbivory was lower in pine-oak than in mixed-oak forests owing to the shorter tree height in the former with no effects of patch size or connectivity. Herbivory increased with SLA whereas nitrogen content had no effect. Within patches, herbivory differed among genetic clusters and was reduced in saplings growing near mature oaks and individuals near the forest edge. </p> <p><b><i>Conclusion </i></b>We illustrate the strong context and scale dependence of tree-herbivore interactions that renders predictions for dynamic systems such as novel oak forests extremely challenging. It implies, however, that the structural heterogeneity of such unmanaged forests allows their function as stepping stones for insect herbivore diversity in fragmented landscapes.</p>
Data from: Water availability drives urban tree growth responses to herbivory and warming
1. Urban forests provide important ecosystem services to city residents, including pollution removal and carbon storage. Climate change and urbanization pose multiple threats to these services. However, how these threats combine to affect urban trees, and thus how to mitigate their effects, remains largely untested because multi-factorial experiments on mature trees are impractical. 2. We used a unique urban warming experiment paired with a laboratory chamber experiment to determine how three of the most potentially damaging factors associated with global change for urban and rural trees—warming, drought, and insect herbivory—affect growth of Quercus phellos (willow oak), the most commonly-planted large shade tree in the southeastern US, which is known for its resilience to these potential stressors. 3. In a previous study, we found that the urban heat island effect was associated with reduced growth of Q. phellos and higher abundance of Parthenolecanium scale insects, key pests of oaks in cities. Here, we tested the hypothesis that tree water stress is the mechanism for these effects of warming. We found evidence that water stress is a major, interactive factor reducing urban tree growth, but found no evidence that water stress is associated with Parthenolecanium survival or abundance. Warming and Parthenolecanium only reduced growth in Q. phellos saplings that were simultaneously water stressed. 4. Synthesis and applications. Across many temperate cities worldwide, urban trees grow less than rural trees. Our results point to water stress as the most likely driver for this pattern. Importantly, we found that water stress both reduces tree growth on its own and exacerbates effects of warming and insect pests on tree growth. Therefore, management strategies targeted at increasing tree hydration in cities may reduce effects of these three key stressors that are expected to intensify with further urbanization and climate change.
Data from: Effect of pyric herbivory on source-sink dynamics in grassland birds
Grasslands world-wide provide a host of ecosystem services. In particular, these grasslands serve as biodiversity repositories for a myriad of imperilled animal species. One such group is grassland birds, which have experienced significant declines, predominantly caused by extensive loss and degradation of native grasslands. Rangeland management that promotes increasing and sustaining livestock production through reducing the inherent, disturbance-driven variability that historically occurred in grasslands is considered a major contributing factor to these declines. An alternative approach to this homogeneous management paradigm attempts to restore a shifting mosaic of disturbance patches across the landscape through the spatial and temporal interactions of fire and grazing (i.e. pyric herbivory). Application of pyric herbivory through patch-burn grazing increases overall habitat heterogeneity, likely a critically important factor in maintaining and enhancing grassland bird populations. We compared reproductive rates and estimates of fecundity of three grassland birds nesting in grasslands maintained by traditional and patch-burn grazing management paradigms in the Southern Great Plains of North America. Additionally, we used a sensitivity analysis approach to assess population stability (i.e. λ = 1) and source–sink population dynamics under the two management practices. Nest survival for dickcissels Spiza americana and grasshopper sparrows Ammodramus savannarum was higher in patch-burned grasslands than in traditionally managed grasslands, while nest survival for eastern meadowlarks Sturnella magna was higher in traditionally managed grasslands than in patch-burned grasslands. Dickcissels and grasshopper sparrows responded positively to patch burning with source habitats occurring over a wider range of survival rates under patch burning than traditional management, while no clear pattern emerged in source–sink dynamics of eastern meadowlarks. Synthesis and applications. Management strategies such as patch-burn grazing offer opportunities to restore landscape heterogeneity to benefit bird communities while maintaining livestock production goals. Applying patch-burn grazing to rangelands can increase productivity of grassland birds and could be effective for reversing the decline of grassland birds by providing source habitats more consistently than traditional rangeland management. Our results emphasize the utility of using sensitivity analyses to determine source–sink population dynamics when evaluating management practices. However, land managers should consider that source–sink models have shortcomings and designation of a habitat as a sink does not necessarily mean the habitat has low conservation value.
Multiple metrics of latitudinal patterns in insect pollination and herbivory for a tropical-temperate congener pair
<p>The biotic interactions hypothesis posits that biotic interactions are more important drivers of adaptation closer to the equator, evidenced by "stronger" contemporary interactions (e.g. greater interaction rates) and/or patterns of trait evolution consistent with a history of stronger interactions. Support for the hypothesis is mixed, but few studies span tropical and temperate regions while experimentally controlling for evolutionary history. Here, we integrate field observations and common garden experiments to quantify the relative importance of pollination and herbivory in a pair of tropical-temperate congeneric perennial herbs. <i>Phytolacca rivinoides</i> and <i>P. americana</i> are pioneer species native to the Neotropics and the eastern USA, respectively. We compared plant-pollinator and plant-herbivore interactions between three tropical populations of <i>P. rivinoides </i>from Costa Rica and three temperate populations of <i>P. americana</i> from its northern range edge in Michigan and Ohio. For some metrics of interaction importance, we also included three subtropical populations of <i>P. americana</i> from its southern range edge in Florida. This approach confounds species and region but allows us, uniquely, to measure complementary proxies of interaction importance across a tropical-temperate range in one system. To test the prediction that lower-latitude plants are more reliant on insect pollinators, we quantified floral display and reward, insect visitation rates, and self-pollination ability (autogamy). To test the prediction that lower-latitude plants experience more herbivore pressure, we quantified herbivory rates, herbivore abundance, and leaf palatability. We found evidence supporting the biotic interactions hypothesis for most comparisons between <i>P. rivinoides</i> and north-temperate <i>P. americana</i> (floral display, insect visitation, autogamy, herbivory, herbivore abundance, and young-leaf palatability). Results for subtropical <i>P. americana</i> populations, however, were typically not intermediate between <i>P. rivinoides</i> and north-temperate <i>P. americana</i>, as would be predicted by a linear latitudinal gradient in interaction importance. Subtropical young-leaf palatability was intermediate, but subtropical mature leaves were the least palatable, and pollination-related traits did not differ between temperate and subtropical regions. These nonlinear patterns of interaction importance suggest future work to relate interaction importance to climatic or biotic thresholds. In sum, we found that the biotic interactions hypothesis was more consistently supported at the larger spatial scale of our study.</p>
Data from: Land-use legacies and present fire regimes interact to mediate herbivory by altering the neighboring plant community
Past and present human activities, such as historic agriculture and fire suppression, are widespread and can create depauperate plant communities. Although many studies show that herbivory on focal plants depends on the density of herbivores or the composition of the surrounding plant community, it is unclear whether anthropogenic changes to plant communities alter herbivory. We tested the hypothesis that human activities that alter the plant community lead to subsequent changes in herbivory. At 20 sites distributed across 80 300 hectares, we conducted a field experiment that manipulated insect herbivore access (full exclosures and pseudo-exclosures) to four focal plant species in longleaf pine woodlands with different land-use histories (post-agricultural sites or non-agricultural sites) and degrees of fire frequency (frequent and infrequent). Plant cover, particularly herbaceous cover, was lower in post-agricultural and fire suppressed woodlands. Density of the dominant insect herbivore at our site (grasshoppers) was positively related to plant cover. Herbivore access reduced biomass of the palatable forb Solidago odora in frequently burned post-agricultural sites and in infrequently burned non-agricultural woodlands and increased mortality of another forb (Pityopsis graminifolia), but did not affect two other less palatable species (Schizachyrium scoparium and Tephrosia virginiana). Herbivory on S. odora exhibited a hump-shaped response to plant cover, with low herbivory at low and high levels of plant cover. Herbivore density had a weak negative effect on herbivory. These findings suggest that changes in plant cover related to past and present human activities can modify damage rates on focal S. odora plants by altering grasshopper foraging behavior rather than by altering local grasshopper density. The resulting changes in herbivory may have the potential to limit natural recovery or restoration efforts by reducing the establishment or performance of palatable plant species.
Data from: Olfactory and visual plant cues as drivers of selective herbivory
Food quality is an important consideration in the foraging strategy of all animals, including herbivores. Those that can detect and assess the nutritional value of plants from afar, using senses such as smell and sight, can forage more efficiently than those that must assess food quality by taste alone. Selective foraging not only affects herbivore fitness but can influence the structure and composition of plant communities, yet little is known about how olfactory and visual cues help herbivores to find preferred plants. We tested the ability of a free-ranging, generalist mammalian browser, the swamp wallaby Wallabia bicolor, to use olfactory and visual plant cues to find and/or browse differentially on Eucalyptus pilularis seedlings grown under different nutrient conditions. Low-nutrient seedlings differed from high-nutrient seedlings, having lighter coloured leaves, red stems and lower biomass and nitrogen content. In the absence of visual cues, wallabies used odour to differentiate vials containing cut seedlings. They visited and investigated patches with high-nutrient seedling odour most, followed by patches with low-nutrient seedling odour, and patches with no added odour least. However, when visual and olfactory cues of seedlings were present, wallabies reversed their foraging response and were more likely to browse low- than high-nutrient seedlings. This browsing difference, in turn, disappeared when long-range visual cues were reduced by pinning seedlings horizontal to the ground. We suggest that visual cues overrode the effects of olfactory cues on browsing patterns of intact seedlings. Our study shows that herbivores can respond to odours of higher nutrient plants but in ecologically realistic scenarios they use a variety of visual and olfactory cues, with a context-dependent outcome that is not always selection of high nutrient food. Our results demonstrate the importance of testing the sensory abilities of herbivores in realistic multi-sensory settings to understand their function in selective foraging.
Effects of herbivory and pathogen infection on plant-pollinator interactions
<p><span>Plant enemies can indirectly affect pollinators by modifying plant traits, but simultaneous tests of herbivore and pathogen effects are lacking, and the role of floral volatiles has seldom been mechanistically assessed.</span></p> <p><span>In this study, we tested for indirect effects of insect herbivores and pathogens on pollinator attraction via altered floral volatile emissions, and its consequences for plant fitness in <em>Brassica rapa</em>. Plants in the field were exposed to either no damage or damage by caterpillars (<em>Mamestra brassicae</em>), aphids (<em>Brevicoryne brassicae</em>), a leaf fungus (<em>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</em>), or a bacterium (<em>Xanthomonas campestris </em>pv. <em>campestris</em>). We recorded pollinator visits, and measured floral traits (flower number, volatiles) and plant fitness-correlates. </span><span>We additionally</span><span> performed a greenhouse experiment with artificial emitters to test for effects of target floral volatiles on pollinator attraction.</span></p> <p><span>In the field experiments, plants subjected to herbivory by the aphid <em>B. brassicae</em> (but not the other enemies) exhibited a marked reduction in the emission of two VOCs (nonanal and 2-butyl-1-octanol), experienced lower pollinator visits, and produced seeds of lower quality in terms of seed biomass and germination rate, while flower output itself was not affected. Artificial emitters with reduced amounts of these compounds were less attractive to pollinators under greenhouse conditions.</span></p> <p><span><em>Synthesis: </em>These results provide strong evidence for volatile-mediated indirect interactions between plant enemies and pollinators ultimately impacting plant fitness, and further point at enemy and compound specificity underlying such effects.</span></p>
Data for: The long-term impacts of deer herbivory in determining temperate forest stand and canopy structural complexity
<p>1. Ungulates place immense consumptive pressure on forest vegetation globally, leaving legacies of reduced biodiversity and simplified vegetative structure. However, what remains unresolved is whether browse-induced changes occurring early in succession ultimately manifest themselves in the developed forest canopy. Understanding the development and persistence of these legacies is critical as canopy structure is an important determinant of forest ecosystem functions like carbon sequestration and wildlife habitat.</p> <p>2. We measured how white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browse during stand initiation affected canopy structure, tree species richness, diversity, stem density, and basal area on Pennsylvania's Allegheny Plateau using a portable canopy LiDAR system. We capitalized on an historic deer enclosure experiment where forests were subjected to four deer densities (4, 8, 15, and 25 deer/km2) for ten years following stand initiation.</p> <p>3. Deer browsing impacts on the forest canopy are apparent nearly four decades since stand initiation. The highest deer density treatment experienced a significant reduction in tree species diversity, density, and basal area with stands becoming dominated by black cherry (Prunus serotina). Reductions in overstory diversity and tree density resulted in a more open canopy with low leaf area and high horizontal leaf variability. Canopies were tallest at the lowest and highest deer densities.</p> <p><i>4. Synthesis and Applications</i>: Using a portable canopy LiDAR system and a former deer enclosure experiment, we show that high deer browsing pressure during stand initiation can have a decades-long impact on stand and canopy structure. High deer densities led to stands with lower species diversity and tree density, which resulted in canopies that were taller and less dense. Managers should consider the lasting legacy of ungulate herbivory on canopy structure, as canopy structure influences several important management goals, such as forest carbon sequestration, maintenance of diverse understory communities, and creation of wildlife habitat.</p>
Data to accompany 'New evidence suggests no sex bias in herbivory or plant defence'
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Dioecious plants can exhibit sexual dimorphism across a suite of plant traits, including susceptibility to herbivory and secondary chemistry. One hypothesis is that, due to greater costs of reproduction in females, males should grow faster and invest less in defense, resulting in male-biased herbivory. Indeed, a series of papers and a prominent meta-analysis have established male-biased herbivory as a robust result. However, more recent reviews have raised questions about how general the pattern is, citing the low breadth of taxon sampling. The literature on this topic has not been formally quantified by meta-analysis in over 15 years. Here we report the results of a meta-analysis of studies that measured sex bias in either herbivory and/or secondary defense in 71 dioecious plant species. We added 58 observations of herbivory and 41 of secondary chemistry to the original. We control for non-independence of effects from the same study and taxonomic group to address critiques of earlier studies. For secondary chemistry, we found no support for any consistent difference between male and female plants. For herbivory, results are directionally similar to earlier reports, although not statistically significant once we accounted for taxonomic group and study. We also found that the magnitude and direction of the effect of plant sex on herbivory declines, with earlier studies reporting a stronger male-bias. We discuss our results in light of the 'decline effect' and consider whether the datasets exhibit signs of evidence of the type(s) of biases that can result in declining effect sizes over time.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Data from: Herbivory may mediate the effects of nutrients on the dominance of alien plants
<p>1. Numerous studies have highlighted the role of nutrient availability and fluctuations therein for invasion success of alien plants. Others also highlighted the role of herbivores in invasion success. However, how herbivory and the level and fluctuations in nutrient availability interact in driving alien plant invasion into native communities remains largely unexplored.</p> <p>2. We grew eight invasive alien species as target species in pot-mesocosms with five different synthetic native communities in a three-factorial design with two levels of nutrient availability (low <i>vs</i> high), two levels of nutrient fluctuation (constant <i>vs</i> pulsed) and two levels of herbivory (with <i>vs</i> without).</p> <p>3. The relative biomass production of the alien target plants decreased in response to an increase in nutrient availability, and increased in response to the presence of herbivores. Furthermore, herbivory could interact with changes in nutrient availability and nutrient fluctuations to affect the dominance of the alien target species (a marginally significant interaction; 90% CIs: [0.005, 0.176]).</p> <p>4. Synthesis: Our multispecies experiment indicates that herbivory could mediate the interactive effect of nutrient enrichment and variability in nutrient supply on invasion of alien plants into native communities. Therefore, we recommend that studies testing the fluctuating resources hypothesis should also consider interactive effect of other trophic levels.</p>
Data for: More than what they eat: Uncoupled biophysical constraints underlie geographic patterns of herbivory
<p>Data used in Lynn et al. 2022 at Ecography. The first dataset contains data from published studies used for the main analyses of the paper. The second dataset is from Lynn and Fridley 2019 in Journal of Plant Ecology used for figure 3. The abstract from the paper is:</p> <p><span>Herbivory rates have classically been hypothesized to decrease from the tropics towards higher latitudes because the more benign abiotic conditions in tropical systems foster greater ecosystem complexity including greater intensity of biotic interactions. However, attempts to quantify latitudinal patterns of herbivory often fail to support this hypothesis. While biases have been offered as explanations for null results, here, we argue that framing the question of latitudinal variation in herbivory around nutrient and energetic constraints of insect herbivores and plants may provide mechanistic explanations of latitudinal herbivory patterns. As a case study, we focused on sodium as an uncoupled nutrient between herbivore and plant communities: sodium is a key limiting micronutrient for herbivore neural and muscular development while present at orders of magnitude lower concentrations in plants. We compared sodium deposition with latitude, mean annual temperature (MAT), and actual evapotranspiration (measure of primary productivity; AET) in their ability to predict consumed percentage leaf area from published datasets. Leaf percent herbivory increased with sodium deposition and MAT and decreased with latitude but was unrelated to AET. Sodium had comparable effect size and predictive ability to either MAT or latitude. Additionally, herbivory was highest in locales with both high sodium deposition and high MAT. Our hypothesis that geographic variation in herbivory is driven by an interaction of unrestrictive temperature environments (high MAT) and limiting nutrient supply to herbivores (high sodium deposition) was strongly supported. We propose that greater generality, predictability, and theoretical development on geographic variation in herbivory will arise from a refocus on the biophysical constraints (e.g., productivity, micronutrient availability, leaf mass consumed) that ultimately control consumer interactions rather than latitude <em>per se</em>. This refocus is likely to open new hypotheses for the evolution of defense syndromes across plant populations and communities based on the specific geography of limiting nutrients.</span></p>
Lagged effects of herbivory impact host-choice but not nymphal survivorship in an ant-protected treehopper
<p>Theoretical studies have shown that in protection mutualism, modification of top-down control by protectors may be destabilizing. Central to this prediction are the assumptions that 1) protection mutualism increases the abundance of protected partners, 2) this increased abundance generates a lagged effect on partner resources, and 3) spatial dynamics can be ignored. Although a number of studies have confirmed that protection mutualism can increase the abundance of protected herbivores, the evidence for a negative effect of protected herbivores on plant quality is mixed, and we are unaware of any studies that have explored the effect of protected herbivores on plant quality across growing seasons. Here, we use the protection mutualism between ants and the treehopper <em>Publilia concava</em> to evaluate the assumption that treehopper herbivory has a lagged effect on plant quality. We also evaluated whether ant-protection exacerbated the negative effect of treehoppers on their host plants. We used a two-way factorial design that manipulated ant and treehopper presence on goldenrod host plants in one year, and assessed oviposition and survivorship on those same plants in the subsequent year. Treehopper herbivory was associated with a decrease in the probability of oviposition and female treehoppers laid significantly fewer egg masses on plants that had been fed on the previous year, regardless of ant-tending. In contrast, a prior history of herbivory had no impact on future treehopper performance as measured by nymph survival. Ant tending increased treehopper abundance and exacerbated the risk of plant mortality but otherwise did not significantly modify the negative effect of treehopper herbivory on plant quality or future treehopper performance. Although the increase in treehopper abundance associated with ant-tending and the lagged oviposition response of treehoppers is consistent with the core assumptions of a model showing that mutualism can be destabilizing, the avoidance of previously occupied plants for oviposition is not. These results highlight the importance of future modeling studies that explore spatiotemporal dynamics in protection mutualism, and long-term field studies that track the effect of mutualism across years.</p>
Data from: Plant-litter-soil feedbacks in common grass species are slightly negative and only marginally modified by litter exposed to insect herbivory
<p>Purpose Insect herbivory affects plant growth, nutrient and secondary metabolite concentrations and litter quality. Changes to litter quality due to insect herbivory can alter decomposition, with knock on effects for plant growth mediated through the plantlitter- soil feedback pathway. </p> <p>Methods Using a multi-phase glasshouse experiment, we tested how changes in shoot and root litter quality of fast- and slow-growing grass caused by insect herbivores affect the performance of response plants in the soil in which the litter decomposed. </p> <p>Results We found that insect herbivory resulted in marginal changes to litter quality and did not affect growth when plants were grown with fast- versus slow-growing litter. Overall, presence of litter resulted in reduced root and shoot growth and this effect was significantly more negative in shoots versus roots. However, this effect was minimal, with a loss of c. 1.4% and 3.1% dry weight biomass in roots versus shoots, respectively. Further, shoot litter exposed to insect herbivory interacted with response plant identity to affect root growth.</p> <p>Conclusions Our results suggest that whether litter originates from plant tissues exposed to insect herbivory or not and its interaction with fast- versus slow-growing grasses is of little importance, but species-specific responses to herbivory-conditioned litter can occur. Taken collectively, the overall role of the plant-litter-soil feedbackpathway, as well as its interaction with insect herbivory, is unlikely to affect broader ecosystem processes in this system.</p>
Data from: Rapid flower closure of Drosera tokaiensis deters caterpillar herbivory
<p>Certain plants exhibit rapid movement in response to mechanical stimulation; however, the ecological functions of this behaviour are largely unknown. Here, we show that the rapid flower closure of <em>Drosera tokaiensis</em> (Droseraceae) in response to mechanical stimulation functions as a physical defence against a specialist herbivore <em>Buckleria paludum</em> (Pterophoridae) caterpillar. Following feeding damage on fruits, flowers, flower stalks, and buds by <em>B. paludum</em>, <em>D. tokaiensis</em> closed its flowers nine times faster than during natural circadian closure. The extent of damage to ovules was significantly reduced when the flowers were able to close compared with the condition in which closure was physically inhibited by application of a resin. Nonetheless, flower closure had no effect on the feeding damage to stamens and pistils and promoted further damage to petals. Given that feeding on petals, stamens, and pistils had no significant effect on the number of mature seeds, rapid flower closure leading to the protection of ovules had an overall positive effect on the reproductive success of <em>D. tokaiensis</em>. Our study showed rapid plant movement as a novel case of induced physical defence against herbivory.</p>
Data for article "Why do red/purple young leaves suffer less insect herbivory: tests of the warning signal hypothesis and the undermining of insect camouflage hypothesis"
<p>This data is associated with the manuscript titled “Why do red/purple young leaves suffer less insect herbivory: tests of the warning signal hypothesis and the undermining of insect camouflage hypothesis”.</p> <p>https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-022-09924-x</p>
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Allen Brain Atlas
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Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
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