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565 results for “Herbivory”
Adaptation to herbivory and detritivory drives the convergent evolution of large abdominal cavities in a diverse freshwater fish radiation (Otophysi: Characiformes)
<p>Convergent evolution is often interpreted as evidence of natural selection favoring an optimal phenotype during adaptation. Morphological convergence is frequently found among lineages that converge on diet, but most studies have focused on morphological traits that relate exclusively to food handling and processing. In vertebrates, there is a strong inverse relationship between intestine length and trophic level. However, little is known about whether adaptation to a low trophic level influences the evolution of abdominal cavities that can accommodate larger intestines. Here, I reconstruct the evolutionary history of trophic ecology and examine abdominal cavity shape across 157 species of the fish order Characiformes to determine whether adaptation to an herbivorous-detritivorous diet drives convergent evolution of large abdominal cavities. Herbivorous-detritivorous species evolved significantly larger abdominal cavities than other trophic groups and repeatedly converged on a similar abdominal cavity morphology. Other trophic groups evolved abdominal cavity morphologies either stochastically or by selective pressures from an untested ecological character. These findings demonstrate that the selective demands of a larger intestinal tract promote the repeated convergence of a large abdominal cavity within herbivorous-detritivorous characiform fishes, while allowing other lineages to evolve randomly or adapt in response to other selection pressures, contributing to the overall body shape diversity of the order.</p>
Data from: Impacts of urbanization on insect herbivory and plant defences in oak trees
Systematic comparisons of species interactions in urban vs. rural environments can improve our understanding of shifts in ecological processes due to urbanization. However, such studies are relatively uncommon and the mechanisms driving urbanization effects on species interactions (e.g., between plants and insect herbivores) remain elusive. Here we investigated the effects of urbanization on leaf herbivory by insect chewers and miners associated with the English oak (Quercus robur) by sampling trees in rural and urban areas throughout most of the latitudinal distribution of this species. In performing these comparisons, we also controlled for the size of the urban areas (18 cities) and gathered data on CO2 emissions. In addition, we assessed whether urbanization affected leaf chemical defences (phenolic compounds) and nutritional traits (phosphorus and nitrogen), and whether such changes correlated with herbivory levels. Urbanization significantly reduced leaf chewer damage but did not affect leaf miners. In addition, we found that leaves from urban locations had lower levels of chemical defences (condensed and hydrolysable tannins) and higher levels of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) compared to leaves in rural locations. The magnitude of urbanization effects on herbivory and leaf defences was not contingent upon city size. Importantly, while the effects of urbanization on chemical defences were associated with CO2 emissions, changes in leaf chewer damage were not associated with either leaf traits or CO2 levels. These results suggest that effects of urbanization on herbivory occur through mechanisms other than changes in the plant traits measured here. Overall, our simultaneous assessment of insect herbivory, plant traits, and abiotic correlates advances our understanding of the main drivers of urbanization effects on plant-herbivore interactions.
Data from: Herbicides and herbivory interact to drive plant community and crop-tree establishment
Land management practices often directly alter vegetation structure and composition, but the degree to which ecological processes such as herbivory interact with management to influence biodiversity is less well understood. We hypothesized that large herbivores compound the effects of intensive forest management on early-seral plant communities and plantation establishment (i.e., tree survival and growth), and the degree of such effects is dependent on the intensity of management practices. We established 225 m2 wild ungulate (deer and elk) exclosures, nested within a manipulated gradient of management intensity (no-herbicide Control, Light herbicide, Moderate herbicide and Intensive herbicide treatments), replicated at the scale of whole harvest units (10-19 ha). Vegetation structure, composition and crop-tree responses to herbivory varied across the gradient of herbicide application during the first two years of stand establishment, with herbivory effects most evident at intermediate herbicide treatments. In the Moderate herbicide treatment – which approximates treatments applied to > 2.5 million hectares in Pacific Northwest U.S.A. – foraging by deer and elk resulted in simplified, low-cover plant communities more closely resembling the Intensive herbicide treatment. Herbivory further suppressed the growth of competing vegetation in the Light herbicide treatment, improving crop-tree survival, and providing early evidence of an ecosystem service. By changing community composition and vegetation structure, intensive forest management alters foraging selectivity and subsequent plant-herbivore interactions; initial shifts in early-seral communities are likely to influence understory plant communities and tree growth in later stages of forest development.
Data from: The ontogeny of plant defense and herbivory: characterizing general patterns using meta-analysis
Defense against herbivores often changes dramatically as plants develop. Hypotheses based on allocation theory and herbivore selection patterns predict that defense should either increase or decrease, respectively, across ontogeny, and previous research partly supports both predictions. Thus, it remains unclear which pattern is more common and what factors contribute to variability among studies. We conducted a meta-analysis of 116 published studies reporting ontogenetic patterns in plant defense traits and herbivory. Patterns varied depending on plant life form (woody, herbaceous, grass), type of herbivore (insect, mollusk, mammal), and type of defense trait (secondary chemistry, physical defense, tolerance). In woody plants, chemical defense increased during the seedling stage, followed by an increase in physical defenses during the vegetative juvenile stage. Mammalian herbivores showed a strong preference for mature compared to juvenile tissues in woody plants. Herbs experienced a significant increase in secondary chemistry across the entire ontogenetic trajectory, although the magnitude of increase was greatest during the seedling stage. Correspondingly, mollusks preferred young compared to older herbs. Future research investigating growth/defense trade-offs, allometry, herbivore selection patterns, and ecological costs, would shed light on the mechanisms driving the ontogenetic patterns observed.
Data from: Functional niche partitioning in Therizinosauria provides new insights into the evolution of theropod herbivory
Dietary specialization is generally considered to be a crucial factor in driving morphological evolution across extant and extinct vertebrates. The ability to adapt to a specific diet and to exploit ecological niches is thereby influenced by functional morphology and biomechanical properties. Differences in functional behaviour and efficiency can therefore allow dietary diversification and the coexistence of similarly adapted taxa. Therizinosauria, a group of secondarily herbivorous theropod dinosaurs, is characterized by a suite of morphological traits thought to be indicative of adaptations to an herbivorous diet. Digital reconstruction, theoretical modelling and computer simulations of the mandibles of therizinosaur dinosaurs provides evidence for functional niche partitioning in adaptation to herbivory. Different mandibular morphologies present in therizinosaurians were found to correspond to different dietary strategies permitting coexistence of taxa. Morphological traits indicative of an herbivorous diet, such as a downturned tip of the lower jaw and an expanded postdentary region, were identified as having stress mitigating effects. The more widely distributed occurrence of these purported herbivorous traits across different dinosaur clades suggests that these features also could have played an important role in the evolution and acquisition of herbivory in other groups.
Data from: Multifaceted disparity approach reveals dinosaur herbivory flourished before the end-Cretaceous mass extinction
Understanding temporal patterns in biodiversity is an enduring question in paleontology. Compared to studies of taxonomic diversity, long-term perspectives on ecological diversity are rare, particularly in terrestrial systems. Yet ecological diversity is critical for the maintenance of biodiversity, particularly during times of major perturbations. Here, we explore the ecological diversity of Cretaceous herbivorous dinosaurs leading up to the K-Pg extinction, using dental and jaw morphological disparity as a proxy. We test the hypothesis that a decline in ecological diversity could have facilitated their rapid extinction 66 mya. We apply three disparity metrics that together capture different aspects of morphospace occupation, and show how this approach is key to understanding patterns of morphological evolution. We find no evidence of declining disparity in herbivorous dinosaurs as a whole – suggesting that dinosaur ecological diversity remained high during the last 10 million years of their existence. Clades show different disparity trends through the Cretaceous, but none except sauropods exhibits a long-term decline. Herbivorous dinosaurs show two disparity peaks characterised by different processes; in the Early Cretaceous by expansion in morphospace and in the Campanian by morphospace packing. These trends were only revealed by using a combination of disparity metrics, demonstrating how this approach can offer novel insights into macroevolutionary processes underlying patterns of disparity and ecological diversity.
Data from: Pseudomonas syringae enhances herbivory by suppressing the reactive oxygen burst in Arabidopsis
Plant-herbivore interactions have evolved in the presence of plant-colonizing microbes. These microbes can have important third-party effects on herbivore ecology, as exemplified by drosophilid flies that evolved from ancestors feeding on plant-associated microbes. Leaf-mining flies in the genus Scaptomyza, which is nested within the paraphyletic genus Drosophila, show strong associations with bacteria in the genus Pseudomonas, including Pseudomonas syringae. Adult females are capable of vectoring these bacteria between plants and larvae show a preference for feeding on P. syringae-infected leaves. Here we show that Scaptomyza flava larvae can also vector P. syringae to and from feeding sites, and that they not only feed more, but also develop faster on plants previously infected with P. syringae. Our genetic and physiological data show that P. syringae enhances S. flava feeding on infected plants at least in part by suppressing anti-herbivore defenses mediated by reactive oxygen species.
Data from: Human disturbance promotes herbivory by leaf-cutting ants in the Caatinga dry forest
Anthropogenic disturbances are known to modify plant-animal interactions such as those involving the leaf-cutting ants, the most voracious and proliferating herbivore across human-modified landscapes in the Neotropics. Here we evaluate the effect of chronic anthropogenic disturbance (e.g. firewood collection, livestock grazing) and vegetation seasonality on foraging area, foliage availability in the foraging area, leaf consumption, and herbivory rate of the leaf-cutting ant Atta opaciceps in the semi-arid Caatinga, a mosaic of dry forest and scrub vegetation in northeast Brazil. Contrary to our initial expectation, the foraging area was not affected by either disturbance intensity or the interaction between season and disturbance intensity. However, leaf consumption and herbivory rate were higher in more disturbed areas. We also found a strong effect of seasonality, with higher leaf consumption and herbivory rate in the dry season. Our results suggest that the foraging ecology of leaf-cutting ants is modulated by human disturbance and seasonality as these two drivers affect the spectrum and the amount of resources available for these ants in the Caatinga. Despite the low productivity of Caatinga vegetation, the annual rates of biomass consumption by A. opaciceps are similar to those reported from other leaf-cutting ants in rainforests and savannas. This is made possible by maintaining high foraging activity even in the peak of the dry season and taking benefit from any resource available, including low-quality items. Such compensation highlights the adaptive capacity of LCA to persist or even proliferate in human-modified landscapes from dry to rainforests.
Data from: Tolerance to deer herbivory and resistance to insect herbivores in the common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)
The evolution of plant defence in response to herbivory will depend on the fitness effects of damage, availability of genetic variation, and potential ecological and genetic constraints on defence. Here we examine the potential for evolution of tolerance to deer herbivory in Oenothera biennis while simultaneously considering resistance to natural insect herbivores. We examined: i) the effects of deer damage on fitness; ii) the presence of genetic variation in tolerance and resistance; iii) selection on tolerance; iv) genetic correlations with resistance that could constrain evolution of tolerance; and v) plant traits that might predict defence. In a field experiment, we simulated deer damage occurring early and late in the season, recorded arthropod abundances, flowering phenology, and measured growth rate and lifetime reproduction. Our study showed that deer herbivory has a negative effect on fitness, with effects being more pronounced for late-season damage. Selection acted to increase tolerance to deer damage, yet there was low and non-significant genetic variation in this trait. In contrast, there was substantial genetic variation in resistance to insect herbivores. Resistance was genetically uncorrelated with tolerance, whereas positive genetic correlations in resistance to insect herbivores suggest there exists diffuse selection on resistance traits. In addition, growth rate and flowering time did not predict variation in tolerance, but flowering phenology was genetically correlated with resistance. Our results suggest that deer damage has the potential to exert selection because browsing reduces plant fitness, but limited standing genetic variation in tolerance is expected to constrain adaptive evolution in O. biennis.
Data from: Effects of early-season insect herbivory on subsequent pathogen infection and ant abundance on wild cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)
1. Plant induced defences play an important role in mediating interactions between insects and pathogens. Yet, the plant traits underlying these effects, the extended consequences for higher trophic levels (i.e. predators), and the implications for plant growth and reproduction have received little attention. 2. Here we asked whether simulated early insect leaf damage on wild cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) affected subsequent damage by insect leaf chewers and pathogenic fungi, as well as ant abundance. To address the mechanisms behind such effects, we measured plant defensive traits induced by early leaf damage to determine which inducible traits might determine the effects on plant-associates. We also evaluated whether early damage influenced plant growth and flower production, and if such effects were mediated by subsequent insect herbivory or pathogen infection. 3. We show that simulated early leaf damage reduced damage by subsequent leaf-chewing insects, increased plant fungal infections, but did not affect ant abundance. Leaf defensive traits (lignins and pubescence) were significantly induced by early damage and were negatively associated with insect herbivory and infection severity, but did not account for the effects of early leaf damage on either of these subsequent attackers. In addition, ant abundance was not associated with (or accounted for) subsequent herbivory or infection, suggesting they did not confer plant protection. Finally, early leaf damage negatively affected plant growth and flower production and analyses suggested that the effect on the latter was, at least partly, mediated by increased fungal infections. 4. Synthesis: Overall, these findings show that early herbivory determines the outcome of cotton interactions with subsequent attackers, and such effects have an impact on plant growth and flower output.
Data from: Locally and systemically induced glucosinolates follow optimal defence allocation theory upon root herbivory
1. Herbivore-induced defences in plants are considered a strategy to manage multiple interactions while saving resources. The optimal defence theory (ODT) is one of the most prominent theoretical frameworks to explain the defence allocation patterns within plants. It was recently shown that the ODT generally applies to constitutive glucosinolate (GSL) allocation in shoot and root organs. Previous studies showed that both root and shoot herbivore feeding may alter defence allocation over plant organs. For shoots, the effect depends on where the herbivores feed. It is as yet unknown whether similar principles apply to root-herbivore induced GSLs. 2. To analyse the effects of root localized herbivore feeding on GSL allocation, we conducted a pot experiment using Anomala cuprea grubs and four Brassicaceae; Brassica rapa, B. nigra, B. oleracea, and Sinapis alba. Individuals of these four plant species were grown in dedicated mesocosms. The grubs were confined either to the bottom soil, the middle section, or to the top soil. Plants grown in the same set-ups but without root herbivores served as controls. Glucosinolate levels of the leaf lamina, petiole, and stem as well as of the taproot, lateral roots, and fine roots were measured after eight days of herbivory. 3. Plant biomass reduction due to herbivory was the largest when herbivores were confined to the top soil. In the three Brassica species, taproot GSL levels increased upon herbivory independent of where the root herbivores were feeding. Glucosinolate levels in fine roots and shoots, on the other hand, hardly responded to root herbivory. Indole GSLs, which are more effective to pathogens than to herbivores, were more strongly induced than aliphatic and aromatic GSLs, especially in the taproots. Sinapis alba did not show remarkable increments in any GSL level upon herbivory. 4. These results show that locally and systemically induced defences in roots are consistent with the ODT: the taproot which is the most vulnerable and valuable to plant performance shows the highest increase in defence induction. The induced GSL profiles suggest that the response may not only target herbivores, but may also help to prevent secondary infection by microbial pathogens.
Data from: Exceptional avian herbivores: multiple transitions toward herbivory in the bird order Anseriformes and its correlation with body mass
Herbivory is rare among birds and is usually thought to have evolved predominately among large, flightless birds due to energetic constraints or an association with increased body mass. Nearly all members of the bird order Anseriformes, which includes ducks, geese, and swans, are flighted and many are predominately herbivorous. However, it is unknown whether herbivory represents a derived state for the order and how many times a predominately herbivorous diet may have evolved. Compiling data from over 200 published diet studies to create a continuous character for herbivory, models of trait evolution support at least five independent transitions toward a predominately herbivorous diet in Anseriformes. Although a nonphylogenetic correlation test recovers a significant positive correlation between herbivory and body mass, this correlation is not significant when accounting for phylogeny. These results indicate a lack of support for the hypothesis that a larger body mass confers an advantage in the digestion of low-quality diets but does not exclude the possibility that shifts to a more abundant food source have driven shifts toward herbivory in other bird lineages. The exceptional number of transitions toward a more herbivorous diet in Anseriformes and lack of correlation with body mass prompts a reinterpretation of the relatively infrequent origination of herbivory among flighted birds.
Data from: Biodiversity as a multidimensional construct: a review, framework and case study of herbivory's impact on plant biodiversity
Biodiversity is inherently multidimensional, encompassing taxonomic, functional, phylogenetic, genetic, landscape and many other elements of variability of life on the Earth. However, this fundamental principle of multidimensionality is rarely applied in research aimed at understanding biodiversity's value to ecosystem functions and the services they provide. This oversight means that our current understanding of the ecological and environmental consequences of biodiversity loss is limited primarily to what unidimensional studies have revealed. To address this issue, we review the literature, develop a conceptual framework for multidimensional biodiversity research based on this review and provide a case study to explore the framework. Our case study specifically examines how herbivory by whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) alters the multidimensional influence of biodiversity on understory plant cover at Black Rock Forest, New York. Using three biodiversity dimensions (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity) to explore our framework, we found that herbivory alters biodiversity's multidimensional influence on plant cover; an effect not observable through a unidimensional approach. Although our review, framework and case study illustrate the advantages of multidimensional over unidimensional approaches, they also illustrate the statistical and empirical challenges such work entails. Meeting these challenges, however, where data and resources permit, will be important if we are to better understand and manage the consequences we face as biodiversity continues to decline in the foreseeable future.
Data from: Adaptive and non-adaptive evolution of trait means and genetic trait correlations for herbivory resistance and performance in an invasive plant
The EICA-hypothesis predicts that invading plants adapt to their novel environment by evolving increased performance and reduced resistance in response to the release from natural enemies, and assumes a resource allocation tradeoff among both trait groups as mechanistic basis of this evolutionary change. Using the plant Silene latifolia as a study system, we tested these predictions by investigating whether 1) invasive populations evolved lower resistance and higher performance, 2) this evolutionary change is indeed adaptive, and 3) there is a negative genetic correlation among performance and resistance (i.e. a tradeoff) in native and introduced individuals. We sampled eight native and eight invasive populations and determined their population co-ancestry based on neutral SSR-markers. We performed controlled crossings to produce five sib-groups per population and exposed them to increased and reduced levels of enemy attack in a full-factorial experiment to estimate performance and resistance. With these data, we performed trait-by-trait comparisons between ranges with 'animal models' that account for population co-ancestry to quantify the amount of variance in traits explained by non-adaptive vs. adaptive evolution. Moreover, we tested for genetic correlations among performance and resistance traits within sib-groups. We found significant reductions in resistance and increases in performance in invasive versus native populations, which could largely be attributed to adaptive evolution. While we detected a non-significant trend towards negative genetic performance × resistance correlations in native populations, invasive populations exhibited both significant and non-significant positive correlations. In summary, these results do not support a shift of performance and resistance trait values along a tradeoff line in response to enemy release, as predicted EICA. They rather suggest that the independent evolution of both traits is not constrained by a tradeoff, and that various selective agents (including resource availability) interact in shaping both traits and in weakening negative genetic correlations in the invaded habitat.
Data from: Transgenes for insect resistance reduce herbivory and enhance fecundity in advanced generations of crop-weed hybrids of rice
Gene flow from transgenic crops allows novel traits to spread to sexually compatible weeds. Traits such as resistance to insects may enhance the fitness of weeds, but few studies have tested for these effects under natural field conditions. We created F2 and F3 crop-weed hybrid lineages of genetically engineered rice (Oryza sativa) using lines with two transgene constructs, cowpea trypsin inhibitor (CpTI) and a Bt transgene linked to CpTI (Bt/CpTI). Experiments conducted in Fuzhou, China, demonstrated that CpTI alone did not significantly affect fecundity, although it reduced herbivory. In contrast, under certain conditions Bt/CpTI conferred up to 79% less insect damage and 47% greater fecundity relative to non-transgenic controls, and a 44% increase in fecundity relative to the weedy parent. A small fitness cost was detected in F3 progeny with Bt/CpTI when grown under low insect pressure and direct competition with transgene-negative controls. We conclude that Bt/CpTI transgenes may introgress into co-occurring weedy rice populations and contribute to greater seed production when target insects are abundant. However, the net fitness benefits that are associated with Bt/CpTI could be ephemeral if insect pressure is lacking, for example, due to widespread planting of Bt cultivars that suppress target insect populations.
Data from: Strong interactive effects of warming and insect herbivory on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics at Subarctic tree line
<p>Warming will likely stimulate Arctic primary production, but also soil C and N mineralization, and it remains uncertain whether the Arctic will become a sink or a source for CO<sub>2</sub>. Increasing insect herbivory may also dampen the positive response of plant production and soil C input to warming. We conducted an open-air warming experiment with Subarctic field layer vegetation in North Finland to explore the effects of warming (+3°C) and reduced insect herbivory (67% reduction in leaf damage using an insecticide) on soil C and N dynamics. We found that plant root growth, soil C and N concentrations, microbial biomass C, microbial activity, and soil NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> availability were increased by both warming and reduced herbivory when applied alone, but not when combined. Soil NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> availability increased by warming only and in-situ soil respiration by reduced herbivory only. Our results suggest that increasing C input from vegetation under climate warming increases soil C concentration, but also stimulates soil C turnover. On the other hand, it appears that insect herbivores can significantly reduce plant growth. If their abundance increases with warming as predicted, they may curtail the positive effect of warming on soil C concentration. Moreover, our results suggest that temperature and herbivory effects on root growth and soil variables interact strongly, which probably arises from a combination of N demand increasing under lower herbivory and soil mineral N supply increasing under higher temperature. This may further complicate the effects of rising temperatures on Subarctic soil C dynamics.</p>
A meta‐analysis of insularity effects on herbivory and plant defences
<p><b>Aim:</b> Plants on islands are often subjected to lower levels of herbivory relative to those at mainland sites. As a consequence, island plants are predicted to exhibit lower levels of physical and chemical defences, which renders them more susceptible to introduced herbivores. Yet, instances of high pressure by superabundant herbivores native to islands have been reported in many insular systems, which presumably would result in heightened plant defences. To date, no quantitative review has been conducted to determine how common these contrasting patterns are and their implications for the evolution of plant defences.</p> <p><b>Location: </b>Islands worldwide</p> <p><b>Taxon:</b> Plants, insects, mammals</p> <p><b>Methods: </b>We conducted a meta-analysis of insularity effects on herbivory and plant defences by including studies that conducted island-mainland comparisons of the same plant species in both environments (90% of cases), or insular endemics vs. mainland congeners (10% of cases). We tested for differences between mammalian and invertebrate herbivory as well as between plant chemical and physical defences by specifying comparisons based on the type of herbivore included in the study.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Mammalian herbivory was significantly higher on islands than on mainlands. In contrast, no significant effect was observed on invertebrate herbivory. In addition, we found no significant difference in either plant physical or chemical defences between insular and mainland plants, though physical defences tended to be higher for plants on islands.</p> <p><b>Main conclusions:</b> All analysed mammal studies focused on species introduced to islands, suggesting greater susceptibility of insular plants to exotic mammals, whereas the lack of effects in the case of invertebrate herbivory suggests no difference in susceptibility to molluscs and insects between insular and mainland plants. Interestingly, plant trait patterns suggest a trend for increased physical defences by insular plants, possibly due to heightened pressure by exotic mammalian herbivores on islands, whereas chemical defences appear uncorrelated to differences in herbivory. These findings call for further experimental and observational studies measuring defences and herbivory for multiple sympatric plant species occurring at both mainland and island sites within a system, or comparing insular endemics to congeneric mainland species.</p>
Data for: Contrasting response of native and non-native plants to disturbance and herbivory in mountain environments
<p><b>Aim</b>: Climate warming and increasing human disturbance are expected to promote non-native plant invasions in mountain ecosystems. Although biological invasions are also expected to be modulated by biotic interactions, it is still not clear how invertebrate herbivores can affect plant invasion dynamics. Using a large manipulative experiment, we aimed at testing: 1) the effect of soil disturbance and elevation on native and non-native plant communities, and 2) the effect of plant-herbivore interactions, nitrogen deposition, and elevation in driving plant establishment after soil disturbance.</p> <p><b>Location</b>: European Alps, NE Italy</p> <p><b>Taxon</b>: Vascular plants</p> <p><b>Methods</b>: We selected remote, uninvaded dry semi-natural grasslands along the core elevational range of non-native plants in the European Alps (0-1330 m) and manipulated soil disturbance, nitrogen deposition, and invertebrate herbivory. Then, we followed the natural establishment under real field conditions of both native and non-native plants over one growing season. We used generalized mixed-effects models to test the effects of the experimental treatments.</p> <p><b>Results</b>: Native and non-native species showed contrasting responses to soil disturbance and elevation. Low elevations and disturbance promoted non-native success, while affecting native species diversity negatively. Two-thirds of the experimental sites acquired novel non-natives after disturbance. Most of the observed non-natives were not present in the surrounding vegetation as mature plants, indicating that propagules were able to reach even remote natural areas. While current N deposition levels did not affect plant establishment, we found that after disturbance invertebrate herbivory might play an important role in facilitating non-native invasions by reducing native cover.</p> <p><b>Main conclusions</b>: Our findings show that highly resistant ecosystems such as continuous grasslands can be easily invaded once the resident vegetation has been removed, and that natural herbivory pressure from invertebrates might amplify the negative effects of disturbance on resident native species irrespective of elevation. Together, these results indicate increasing risks of future plant invasions on mountains under global change.</p>
Do experimental drought stress and species' drought sensitivity influence herbivory in tropical tree seedlings?
<p>In tropical forests, drought and herbivory represent two potent stresses on seedlings. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of severe droughts in many tropical forests, which may influence seedling vulnerability to herbivores if drought stress affects seedling palatability. Furthermore, contrasting selective pressures in wetter vs drier forests could mean that species well-adapted to herbivores are less drought resistant and vice versa. In this study, we measured seedling performance and herbivory in a common garden experiment where seedlings of 15 tree species were subjected to irrigation or rainfall exclusion treatments across two dry seasons in Panama. Water-manipulation had no effects on foliar herbivory during the experiment for all species combined and for 14 of the 15 focal species when analyzed separately. There was large variation among species in herbivore damage, but no relationship between the sensitivity of species to drought and the amount of herbivory they experienced. Altogether, our findings suggest that increasing drought stress is unlikely to directly alter tropical tree seedling susceptibility to herbivore attack in this forest. Additional studies are needed to determine whether drought alters tropical plant-herbivore interactions via other mechanisms, such as through changes in herbivorous insect communities and/or increases in fitness costs of herbivory.</p>
Ecological resilience of physical plant–soil feedback to chronic deer herbivory: slow, partial but functional recovery
<p>Ecological resilience to ungulate overbrowsing is an important issue in forest ecosystem. After chronic herbivory, the recovery rate of understory vegetation and its related functions can be slow even with decreasing grazing intensity; thus, detecting elasticity during alternative successional trajectories is fundamental to understanding state perturbations. In this context, we focused on physical plant–soil feedback (functional interactions between plant growths and soil physical conditions), and evaluated elasticity and recovery processes according to deer density. The effects of 40-year chronic herbivory by sika deer (average density 14.7 individuals km<sup>-2</sup>) on the recovery of understory plant communities and associated improvements in soil physical properties in headwater catchments were assessed. Using 8 years of catchment-wide exclusion (fenced) and reduction (only culled; average 4.3 individuals km<sup>-2</sup>) treatments, plot sampling was conducted in 2010 (before treatment) and 2018 (after treatment). The recovery of vegetation and soil physical properties were evaluated, and functional plant–soil relationships and spatial variability were assessed to detect recovery processes during alternative successional trajectory. Woody species increased only under the exclusion treatment and the average soil bulk density was lower than that under reduction treatments. Soil bulk density was negatively correlated with root biomass in the fenced catchment, and root biomass was positively associated with woody species richness. Reduced soil bulk density (~0.5 g cm<sup>-3</sup>) was observed with greater root biomass and woody species richness on upper hillslopes in the deer-excluded catchment where plant coverage was minimal. Successional failure under the reduction treatment suggested slow recovery with a depressed threshold according to deer density, indicating a clockwise hysteretic response to deer density. Unlike plant coverage during the earlier period of overbrowsing, woody species root development led the recovery of functional physical plant–soil feedback; however, this was probably limited by the higher soil erosion rate in riparian areas and an underdeveloped herb layer. Our results highlight an alternative recovery trajectory of physical plant–soil feedback driven by an alternative plant element (woody roots) to degradation trajectory with decreasing plant cover. However, riparian erosion and herb layer would still suppress recovery. Therefore, recovery might be slower at landscape scale.</p>
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
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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