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9,671 results for “Leaf”
Data from: Interaction specificity between leaf-cutting ants and vertically transmitted Pseudonocardia bacteria
Background: The obligate mutualism between fungus-growing ants and microbial symbionts offers excellent opportunities to study the specificity and stability of multi-species interactions. In addition to cultivating fungus gardens, these ants have domesticated actinomycete bacteria to defend gardens against the fungal parasite Escovopsis and possibly other pathogens. Panamanian Acromyrmex echinatior leaf-cutting ants primarily associate with actinomycetes of the genus Pseudonocardia. Colonies are inoculated with one of two vertically transmitted phylotypes (Ps1 or Ps2), and maintain the same phylotype over their lifetime. We performed a cross-fostering experiment to test whether co-adaptations between ants and bacterial phylotypes have evolved, and how this affects bacterial growth and ant prophylactic behavior after infection with Escovopsis. Results: We show that Pseudonocardia readily colonized ants irrespective of their colony of origin, but that the Ps2 phylotype, which was previously shown to be better able to maintain its monocultural integrity after workers became foragers than Ps1, reached a higher final cover when grown on its native host than on alternative hosts. The frequencies of major grooming and weeding behaviors co-varied with symbiont/host combinations, showing that ant behavior also was affected when cuticular actinomycete phylotypes were swapped. Conclusion: These results show that the interactions between leaf-cutting ants and Pseudonocardia bear signatures of mutual co-adaptation within a single ant population.
Data from: Seed size and the evolution of leaf defences
1. Leaf defences vary widely among tree species, affecting rates of herbivory, survival and reproduction. 2. Two contrasting hypotheses account for variation in leaf defences among species. The first predicts that a slow life history, which is characteristic of larger seeded species adapted to resource-limited environments, is associated with well-defended leaves. The second, apparency theory, predicts that elevated leaf defences are necessitated for species that are more detectable to herbivores. 3. Here we use comparative methods and a global data set to test (i) the relationship between seed size and leaf defences and (ii) the relationship between clumping (spatial apparency) and leaf defences. 4. We found that seed size was positively related to leaf fracture toughness, but not phenolics or tannin concentration and that spatial aggregation was unrelated to leaf defences. 5. Synthesis. Our results suggest that larger seed size and increased leaf toughness are correlated as part of a trait syndrome associated with a slow, resource-limited life history, not clumped dispersion and increased spatial apparency.
Data from: Interspecific competition alters leaf stoichiometry in 20 grassland species
The extensive use of traits in ecological studies over the last few decades to predict community functions has revealed that plant traits are plastic and respond to various environmental factors. These plant traits are assumed to predict how plants compete and capture resources. Variation in stoichiometric ratios both within and across species reflects resource capture dynamics under competition. However, the impact of local plant diversity on species-specific stoichiometry remains poorly studied. Here, we analyze how spatial and temporal diversity in resource-acquisition traits affects leaf elemental stoichiometry of plants (i.e., the result of resource capture) and how flexible this stoichiometry is depending on the functional composition of the surrounding community. Therefore, we assessed inter- and intraspecific variations of leaf carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) (and their ratios) of 20 grassland species in a large trait-based plant diversity experiment located in Jena (Germany) by measuring leaf elemental concentrations at the species-level along a gradient in plant trait dissimilarity. Our results show that plants showed large intra- and interspecific variation in leaf stoichiometry, which was only partly explained by the functional group identity (grass or herb) of the species. Elemental concentrations (N, P, but not C) decreased with plant species richness, and species tended to become more deviant from their monoculture stoichiometry with increasing trait dissimilarity in the community. These responses differed among species, some consistently increased or decreased in P and N concentrations; for other species, the negative or positive change in P and N concentrations increased with increasing trait difference between the target species and the remaining community. The strength of this relationship was significantly associated to the relative position of the species along trait gradients related to resource acquisition. Trait-difference and trait-diversity thus were important predictors of how species' resource capture changed in competitive neighbourhoods.
Data from: Non-random patterns of genetic admixture expose the complex historical hybrid origin of unisexual leaf beetle species in the genus Calligrapha
Many unisexual animal lineages supposedly arose from hybridization. However, support for their putative hybrid origins mostly comes from indirect methodologies, which are rarely confirmatory. Here we provide compelling data indicating that tetraploid unisexual Calligrapha are true genetic mosaics obtained via analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and allelic variation and coalescence times for three single-copy nuclear genes (CPS, HARS, and Wg) in five of six unisexual Calligrapha and a representative sample of bisexual species. Nuclear allelic diversity in unisexuals consistently segregates in the gene pools of at least two but up to three divergent bisexual species, interpreted as putative parentals of interspecific hybridization crosses. Interestingly, their mtDNA diversity derives from an additional yet undiscovered older evolutionary lineage that is possibly the same for all independently originated unisexual species. One possibly extinct species transferred its mtDNA to several evolutionary lineages in a wave of hybridization events during the Pliocene, whereby descendant species retained a polymorphic mtDNA constitution. Recent hybridizations, in the Pleistocene and always involving females with the old introgressed mtDNA, seemingly occurred in the lineages leading to unisexual species, decoupling mtDNA introgression (and inferences derived from these data, such as timing and parentage) from subsequent acquisition of the new reproductive mode. These results illuminate an unexpected complexity in possible routes to animal unisexuality, with implications for the interpretation of ancient unisexuality. If the origin of unisexuality requires a mechanism where (1) hybridization is a necessary but insufficient condition and (2) multiple bouts of hybridization involving more than two divergent lineages are required, then the origins of several classical unisexual systems may have to be reassessed.
Data from: Phylogenetic structural equation modelling reveals no need for an 'origin' of the leaf economics spectrum
The leaf economics spectrum (LES) is a prominent ecophysiological paradigm that describes global variation in leaf physiology across plant ecological strategies using a handful of key traits. Nearly a decade ago, Shipley et al. (2006) used structural equation modelling to explore the causal functional relationships among LES traits that give rise to their strong global covariation. They concluded that an unmeasured trait drives LES covariation, sparking efforts to identify the latent physiological trait underlying the 'origin' of the LES. Here, we use newly developed phylogenetic structural equation modelling approaches to reassess these conclusions using both global LES data as well as data collected across scales in the genus Helianthus. For global LES data, accounting for phylogenetic non-independence indicates that no additional unmeasured traits are required to explain LES covariation. Across datasets in Helianthus, trait relationships are highly variable, indicating that global-scale models may poorly describe LES covariation at non-global scales.
Data from: Phylogeographic pattern of the plane leaf miner, Phyllonorycter platani (STAUDINGER, 1870) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) in Europe
Background: The plane leaf miner, Phyllonorycter platani is a widely distributed insect species on plane trees and has a well-documented colonisation history in Europe over the last century. However, phylogeographic data of the species are lacking. Results: We analysed 284 individuals from 38 populations across Europe, Asia, and North America. A 1242bp fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene and an 893bp fragment of the 28S rDNA has been Sanger sequenced. Twenty-four haplotypes were detected on the COI gene, and two alleles were identified on the 28S rDNA. We revealed two distinct clades for both markers reflecting the geographic origins, Asia and Europe. The genetic distance between the two main clades is 2.08% on the COI gene and 0.10% on the nuclear DNA. An overlapping zone of the two clades was found across Eastern Europe and the Anatolian Peninsula. We detected heterozygote individuals of the 28S rDNA gene in Moldavia, Ukraine and in the southern part of Turkey. These suggest that the two clades can hybridise. Furthermore, the presence of European type homozygote individuals has been confirmed in the southern part of Turkey as well. Conclusions: We have shown that both post-glacial recolonization and recent expansion events influenced the present genetic structure of P. platani. The genetic patterns revealed at least two refugia during the last ice age: one in the Balkan Peninsula and the other in the Caucasus region. Recent expansion was detected in some European and Central Asian populations. The two main clades (Europe/Asia) show definite genetic differences; however, several hybrid individuals were found in the overlapping zone as well (stretching over Eastern Europe and the Anatolian Peninsula). Discrepancies in mitochondrial and nuclear data indicate introgressions in the southern part of the Anatolian Peninsula.
Data from: Latitudinal variation in plant chemical defences drives latitudinal patterns of leaf herbivory
A long-standing paradigm in ecology holds that herbivore pressure and thus plant defences increase towards lower latitudes. However, recent work has challenged this prediction where studies have found no relationship or opposite trends where herbivory or plant defences increase at higher latitudes. Here we tested for latitudinal variation in herbivory, chemical defences (phenolic compounds), and nutritional traits (phosphorus and nitrogen) in leaves of a long-lived tree species, the English oak Quercus robur. We further investigated the underlying climatic and soil factors associated with such variation. Across 38 populations of Q. robur distributed along an 18° latitudinal gradient, covering almost the entire latitudinal and climatic range of this species, we observed strong but divergent latitudinal gradients in leaf herbivory and leaf chemical defences and nutrients. As expected, there was a negative relationship between latitude and leaf herbivory where oak populations from lower latitudes exhibited higher levels of leaf herbivory. However, counter to predictions there was a positive relationship between leaf chemical defences and latitude where populations at higher latitudes were better defended. Similarly, leaf phosphorus and nitrogen increased with latitude. Path analysis indicated a significant (negative) effect of plant chemical defences (condensed tannins) on leaf herbivory, suggesting that the latitudinal gradient in leaf herbivory was driven by an inverse gradient in defensive investment. Leaf nutrients had no independent influence on herbivory. Further, we found significant indirect effects of precipitation and soil porosity on leaf herbivory, which were mediated by plant chemical defences. These findings suggest that abiotic factors shape latitudinal variation in plant defences and that these defences in turn underlie latitudinal variation in leaf herbivory. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of latitudinal variation in plant-herbivore interactions by determining the identity and modus operandi of abiotic factors concurrently shaping plant defences and herbivory.
Data from: Leaf litter diversity and structure of microbial decomposer communities modulate litter decomposition in aquatic systems
1. Leaf litter decomposition is a major ecosystem process that can link aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems by flows of nutrients. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning research hypothesizes that the global loss of species leads to impaired decomposition rates and thus to slower recycling of nutrients. Especially in aquatic systems an understanding of diversity effects on litter decomposition is still incomplete. 2. Here we conducted an experiment to test two main factors associated with global species loss that might influence leaf litter decomposition. Firstly, we tested whether mixing different leaf species alters litter decomposition rates compared to decomposition of these species in monoculture. Secondly, we tested the effect of the size structure of a lotic decomposer community on decomposition rates. 3. Overall, leaf litter identity strongly affected decomposition rates, and the observed decomposition rates matched measures of metabolic activity and microbial abundances. While we found some evidence of a positive leaf litter diversity effect on decomposition, this effect was not coherent across all litter combinations and the effect was generally additive and not synergistic. 4. Microbial communities, with a reduced functional and trophic complexity, showed a small but significant overall reduction in decomposition rates compared to communities with the naturally complete functional and trophic complexity, highlighting the importance of a complete microbial community on ecosystem functioning. 5. Our results suggest that top-down diversity effects of the decomposer community on litter decomposition in aquatic systems are of comparable importance as bottom-up diversity effects of primary producers.
Data from: C4 savanna grasses fail to maintain assimilation in drying soil under low CO2 compared with C3 trees despite lower leaf water demand
1) C4 photosynthesis evolved when grasses migrated out of contracting forests under a declining atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]a) and drying climate around 30 million years ago. C4 grasses are hypothesised to benefit from improved plant–water relations in open habitats like savannas, giving advantages over C3 plants under low [CO2]a. But experimental evidence in a low CO2 environment is limited and comparisons with C3 trees are needed to understand savanna vegetation patterns. 2) To test whether stomatal conductance (gS) and CO2 assimilation (A) are maintained in drier soil for C4 grasses than C3 trees, particularly under low [CO2]a, we investigated photosynthesis and plant–water relations of three C3 tree and three C4 grass species grown at 800, 400 or 200 ppm [CO2]a over moderate wetting–drying cycles. 3) C4 grasses had a lower soil–to–leaf water potential gradient than C3 trees, especially at 200 ppm [CO2]a, indicating reduced leaf water demand relative to supply. Yet the dependence of gS and A on predawn leaf water potential (a measure of soil water availability) was greater for the C4 grasses than trees, particularly under low [CO2]a. 4) Our findings establish that gS and A are not maintained in drier soil for C4 grasses compared with C3 trees, suggesting that this mechanism was not prevailing in the expansion of C4–dominated grasslands under low [CO2]a. This inherent susceptibility to sudden decreases in soil water availability justifies why C4 grasses have not evolved a resistant xylem allowing operation under drought, but instead shut down below a water potential threshold and rapidly recover. We point to this capacity to respond to transient water availability as a key overlooked driver of C4 grass success under low [CO2]a.
Data from: Leafing patterns and leaf exchange strategies of a cerrado woody community
The deciduousness of tropical trees and communities depend on ecosystems characteristics such as plant species diversity, and strength of the dry season. Based on seven-years of phenological observations we provide the first long-term description of leafing patterns of a woody cerrado community, aiming to investigate: (1) the leaf exchange strategies considering the inter-annual variation on the degree of deciduousness of individuals and species and quantify the community deciduousness; (2) the relationship between inter-annual patterns of leaf fall and leaf flush according to the species` leaf exchange strategies and climate; (3) the onset of cerrado growing season and its relation to climate seasonality. To detect seasonality and leafing onset we applied circular statistics and to understand the relationships between environmental predictors and leaf exchange strategies, we used generalized additive models. From 106 species observed, we classified 69 as deciduous (26 species), semi-deciduous (25) or evergreen (18) and defined the studied cerrado as a semi-deciduous vegetation. Leaf phenology was markedly seasonal, and similar among years. Leaf fall peaked in the dry season, and leaf flush in the dry-to-wet transition. Leaf fall patterns related to temperature and leaf flush to day length and rainfall. Semi-deciduous and deciduous species were more constrained by climate then the evergreen ones. The cerrado growing season started in the dry-to-wet season transition. Inter-annual variations in rainfall and temperature affected the individuals' and, consequently, species' degree of deciduousness, highlighting individual and species variability, and suggesting that cerrado leafing patterns is likely susceptible to future climate change scenarios.
Data from: Leaf herbivory imposes fitness costs mediated by hummingbird and insect pollinators
Plant responses induced by herbivore damage can provide fitness benefits, but can also have important costs due to altered interactions with mutualist pollinators. We examined the effects of plant responses to herbivory in a hummingbird-pollinated distylous shrub, Palicourea angustifolia. Through a series of field experiments we investigated whether damage from foliar herbivores leads to a reduction in fruit set, influences floral visitation, or alters floral traits that may influence pollinator preference or pollinator efficiency. Foliar herbivory by a generalist grasshopper led to reduced fruit set in branches that were directly damaged as well as in adjacent undamaged branches on the same plant. Furthermore, herbivory resulted in reduced floral visitation from two common hummingbird species and two bee species. An investigation into the potential mechanisms behind reduced floral visitation in induced plants showed that foliar herbivore damage resulted in shorter styles and lower nectar volumes. This reduction in style length could reduce pollen deposition between different floral morphs that is required for optimal pollination in a distylous plant. We did not detect any differences in the volatile blends released by damaged and undamaged branches, suggesting that foliar herbivore-induced changes in floral morphology and rewards, and not volatile blends, are the primary mechanism mediating changes in visitation. Our results provide novel mechanisms for how plant responses induced by foliar herbivores can lead to ecological costs.
Data from: Differential gene expression in Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants after challenges with two fungal pathogens
Social insects in general and leaf-cutting ants in particular have increased selection pressures on their innate immune system due to their social lifestyle and monoclonality of the symbiotic fungal cultivar. As this symbiosis is obligate for both parties, prophylactic behavioural defences against infections are expected to increase either ant survival or fungus-garden survival, but also to possibly trade off when specific infections differ in potential danger. We examined the effectiveness of prophylactic behaviours and modulations of innate immune defences by a combination of inoculation bioassays and genome-wide transcriptomic studies (RNA-Seq), using an ant pathogen (Metarhizium brunneum) and a fungus-garden pathogen (Escovopsis weberi) and administering inoculations both directly and indirectly (via the symbiotic partner). Upon detection of pathogen conidia, ant workers responded by increasing both general activity and the frequency of specific defence behaviours (self-grooming, allo-grooming, garden-grooming) independent of the pathogen encountered. This trend was also evident in the patterns of gene expression change. Both direct and indirect (via fungus garden) inoculations with Metarhizium induced a general up-regulation of gene expression, including a number of well-known immune-related genes. In contrast, direct inoculation of the fungus garden by Escovopsis induced an overall down-regulation of ant gene expression, whereas indirect inoculation (via the ants) did not, suggesting that increased activity of ants to remove this fungus-garden pathogen is costly and involves trade-offs with the activation of other physiological pathways.
Data from: Plant interactions as biotic drivers of plasticity in leaf litter traits and decomposability of Quercus petraea
The importance of plant litter traits and decomposability for nutrient cycling processes and plant community dynamics through plant-litter-soil feedbacks has been largely emphasized. However, the role of biotic interactions as drivers of intraspecific variability in litter traits remains surprisingly little studied. In this study, we used a large-scale, multi-site network of long-term tree removal experiments manipulating the abundance of a foundation tree species, i.e. Quercus petraea, to assess how plant interactions control intraspecific variation in oak leaf litter traits and decomposability. We studied 19 plots across eight experimental sites covering a large gradient of oak abundance, stand age and local abiotic context. Oak leaf litter quality strongly declined with tree removal in early forest successional stage. Litter became poorer in nutrients such as N and Mg and richer in secondary metabolites such as lignin and condensed tannins. This in turn slowed its decomposition. Importantly, litter N loss switched from N release to N immobilization. Variance partitioning indicated that oak abundance explained as much variation in oak leaf litter traits as oak age and twice as much as soil inherent fertility. Confirmatory path analysis revealed that the decline of oak leaf litter quality induced by tree removal was most likely driven by a shift in understory plant species composition. Plasticity of oak leaf litter traits to the shortage of nutrient supply related to the development of understory plants competitors with higher nutrient capture and retention ability could potentially explain this response pattern. Our data also give consistent but weaker support that the decline of oak leaf litter quality could be driven by alleviated competition for light among canopy trees and subsequent enhanced crown exposure to light. Overall, our study provides evidence that biotic factors such as plant interactions are major drivers of plasticity in leaf litter traits and decomposability. This finding contributes to the emerging view that phenotypic plasticity is fundamentally related to biotic interactions for sessile organisms, especially for long-lived and large plant species such as trees. Taking this source of functional diversity into account could help us to better understand plant community dynamics and ecological processes in terrestrial ecosystems.
Data from: Ontogenetic changes in the phenotypic integration and modularity of leaf functional traits
1.Changes in resource availability, functional demands, hormonal regulation and developmental constraints can promote differences in the expression of leaf traits during plant development and foster changes in the targets of natural selection. As a consequence, the pattern and magnitude of covariation among traits, and therefore their phenotypic integration and modularity are equally expected to change throughout ontogeny. However, these changes have not been described yet. 2.We measured leaf economic, defensive and morphological traits in plants of Turnera velutina and estimated the magnitude and pattern of foliar integration and modularity for juvenile and reproductive individuals. In addition, we assessed the relationship between plant biomass and foliar integration within and among ontogenetic stages. 3.Both the pattern and magnitude of foliar integration changed across plant ontogeny. Foliar integration was lower in juvenile than in reproductive plants, and the pattern of phenotypic integration and modularity was different between ontogenetic stages: whereas leaves from juvenile plants showed two functional modules related to plant defence and leaf economy, traits from reproductive plants had greater interconnectivity and hence lower modularity. 4.The relationship between plant biomass and foliar integration was negative within each ontogenetic stage but positive between ontogenetic stages, suggesting that processes intrinsic to plant development influenced the magnitude of foliar integration to a greater extent than plant size. 5.Our findings indicate that plants can change the patterns of covariation among leaf traits during their development. Whereas a lower foliar integration in juvenile plants could allow for greater lability to explore a multi-trait phenotypic space, canalization of leaf attributes along ontogeny should promote greater phenotypic integration, constraining the number of multi-trait combinations that plants can express. Hence, we suggest that ontogenetic changes in foliar integration allow plants to deal with changing selective dynamics and physiological priorities along their development.
Data from: Tovomita (Clusiaceae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: taxonomy and utility of leaf venation characters at the species level
Tovomita comprises approximately 50 species that are mainly distributed in moist forests of the Neotropics. In Brazil there are 34 species, which occur in the Amazon region and along the Atlantic coast. We here describe and illustrate the Tovomita species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, as well as characterize the leaf morphology of these taxa. Leaves were cleared and their venation was analyzed to look for diagnostic characters related to architecture and the relationship between the secondary and intersecondary veins. Eleven species of Tovomita were recorded, which have distributions ranging from the state of Rio Grande do Norte to the state of Rio de Janeiro. An identification key, based on the analysis, and distribution maps are provided. Tovomita salimenae, a new and vulnerable species endemic to the state of Minas Gerais, is described and two synonyms and nine lectotypifications are proposed. This work also revealed that seven species have larger distributions than previously thought and two species are critically endangered (T. iaspidis and T. megantha). The most relevant characters used to identify the studied species were exudate color, venation pattern, and bud shape.
Data from: Nutrient scarcity strengthens soil fauna control over leaf litter decomposition in tropical rainforests
Soil fauna is a key control of the decomposition rate of leaf litter, yet its interactions with litter quality and the soil environment remain elusive. We conducted a litter decomposition experiment across different topographic levels within the landscape replicated in two rainforest sites providing natural gradients in soil fertility to test the hypothesis that low nutrient availability in litter and soil increases the strength of fauna control over litter decomposition. We crossed these data with a large dataset of 44 variables characterizing the biotic and abiotic microenvironment of each sampling point and found that microbe-driven Carbon (C) and Nitrogen (N) losses from leaf litter were 10.1 and 17.9 % lower, respectively, in the nutrient-poorest site but this among-site difference was equalized when meso- and macrofauna had access to the litterbags. Further, on average soil fauna enhanced the rate of litter decomposition by 22.6%, and this contribution consistently increased as nutrient availability in the microenvironment declined. Our results indicate that nutrient scarcity increases the importance of soil fauna on C and N cycling in tropical rainforests. Further, soil fauna is able to equalize differences in microbial decomposition potential thus buffering to a remarkable extent nutrient shortages at an ecosystem level.
Data from: Chromosome-level reference genome assembly and gene editing of the dead-leaf butterfly Kallima inachus
<p class="p">The leaf resemblance of <i><span>Kallima</span></i> (Nymphalidae) butterflies<i> </i>is an important ecological adaptive mechanism that increases survival. However, the genetic mechanism underlying ecological adaptation remains unclear owing to a dearth of genomic information. Herein, we revealed the karyotype (n = 31) of the dead-leaf butterfly <i><span>Kallima inach</span></i><i><span>us</span></i>, assembled its high-quality chromosome-level reference genome (568.92 Mb; contig N50: 19.20 Mb), and identified its Z and candidate W chromosomes. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report on these aspects of this species. In the assembled genome, 15,309 protein-coding genes and 49.86% repeat elements were annotated. Phylogenetic analysis showed that <i><span>K. inachus</span></i> diverged from <i><span>Melitaea cinxia </span></i>(no leaf resemblance), both of which are in Nymphalinae, around 40 million years ago. Demographic analysis indicated that the effective population size of <i><span>K. inach</span></i><i><span>us</span></i> decreased during the last interglacial period in the Pleistocene. The wings of adults with the pigmentary gene <i><span>ebony</span></i> knocked out using CRISPR/Cas9 showed phenotypes in which the orange dorsal region and entire ventral surface darkened, suggesting its vital role in the ecological adaption of dead-leaf butterflies. Our results provide important genome resources for investigating the genetic mechanism underlying protective resemblance in dead-leaf butterflies and insights into the molecular basis of protective coloration.</p>
Data from: Selection and genomic differentiation during ecological speciation: isolating the contributions of host association via a comparative genome scan of Neochlamisus bebbianae leaf beetles
This study uses a comparative genome scan to evaluate the contributions of host plant related divergent selection to genetic differentiation and ecological speciation in maple- and willow-associated populations of Neochlamisus bebbianae leaf beetles. For each of 15 pairwise population comparisons, we identified "outlier loci" whose strong differentiation putatively reflects divergent selection. Of 447 AFLP loci, 15% were outliers across multiple population comparisons, and low linkage disequilibrium indicated that these outliers derived from multiple regions of the genome. Outliers were further classified as "host-specific" if repeatedly observed in "different-host" population comparisons but never in "same-host" comparisons. Outliers exhibiting the opposite pattern were analogously classified as "host-independent." Host-specific outliers represented 5% of all loci and were more frequent than host-independent outliers, thus revealing a large role for host-adaptation in population genomic differentiation. Evidence that host-related selection can promote divergence despite gene flow was provided by population trees. These were structured by host-association when datasets included host-specific outliers, but not when based on neutral loci, which united sympatric populations. Lastly, three host-specific outliers were highly differentiated in all nine different-host comparisons. Because host-adaptation promotes reproductive isolation in these beetles, these loci provide promising candidate gene regions for future molecular studies of ecological speciation.
Data from: The role of habitat filtering in the leaf economics spectrum and plant susceptibility to pathogen infection
The leaf economics spectrum (LES) describes global covariation in the traits of plant leaves. The LES is thought to arise from biophysical constraints and habitat filtering (ecological selection against unfit trait combinations along environmental gradients). However, the role of habitat filtering in generating the LES has not been tested experimentally. If the process of habitat filtering plays a role in generating the LES, the LES could weaken in communities that have yet to be filtered by the current environment, for example after abiotic environmental change. LES traits are commonly used to predict community and ecosystem processes, and if the LES weakens in unfiltered communities, LES-based models may no longer apply. In the glasshouse, we experimentally simulated three stages of habitat filtering in response to abiotic change: from unfiltered, to semi-filtered, to completely filtered communities. In each stage, we quantified the strength of the LES and assessed the accuracy of trait-based models of an important ecological process, pathogen infection. The strength of the LES increased with the completeness of habitat filtering, as did the accuracy of trait-based models of plant susceptibility to pathogen infection. Synthesis. Our results suggest that habitat filtering plays a fundamental role in strengthening the trait correlations of the LES and that trait-based models may be less accurate when communities have not been filtered by the current environment, for example, following rapid environmental change.
Data from: Vertical canopy gradient shaping the stratification of leaf-chewer-parasitoid interactions in a temperate forest
Knowledge about herbivores and their parasitoids in forest canopies remains limited, despite their diversity and ecological importance. Thus, it is important to understand the factors that shape the herbivore–parasitoid community structure, particularly the effect of vertical gradient. We investigated a quantitative community dataset of exposed and semiconcealed leaf‐chewing larvae and their parasitoids along a vertical canopy gradient in a temperate forest. We sampled target insects using an elevated work platform in a 0.2 ha broadleaf deciduous forest plot in the Czech Republic. We analyzed the effect of vertical position among three canopy levels (first [lowest], second [middle], and third [highest]) and tree species on community descriptors (density, diversity, and parasitism rate) and food web structure. We also analyzed vertical patterns in density and parasitism rate between exposed and semiconcealed hosts, and the vertical preference of the most abundant parasitoid taxa in relation to their host specificity. Tree species was an important determinant of all community descriptors and food web structure. Insect density and diversity varied with the vertical gradient, but was only significant for hosts. Both host guilds were most abundant in the second level, but only the density of exposed hosts declined in the third level. Parasitism rate decreased from the first to third level. The overall parasitism rate did not differ between guilds, but semiconcealed hosts suffered lower parasitism in the third level. Less host‐specific taxa (Ichneumonidae, Braconidae) operated more frequently lower in the canopy, whereas more host‐specific Tachinidae followed their host distribution. The most host‐specific Chalcidoidea preferred the third level. Vertical stratification of insect density, diversity, and parasitism rate was most pronounced in the tallest tree species. Therefore, our study contradicts the general paradigm of weak arthropod stratification in temperate forest canopies. However, in the network structure, vertical variation might be superseded by variation among tree species.
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Allen Brain Atlas
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Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
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