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1,187 results for “herbivores”
Raw data from: Differentiating siliceous particulate matter in the diets of mammalian herbivores
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>1. Silica is crucial to terrestrial plant life and geochemical cycling on Earth. It is also implicated in the evolution of mammalian teeth, but there is debate over which type of siliceous particle has exerted the strongest selective pressure on tooth morphology.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>2. </span><span>Debate revolves around the amorphous silica bodies (phytoliths) in plants and forms of siliceous grit––i.e., crystalline quartz (sand, soil, dust)––on plant surfaces. The problem is that conventional measures of silica often quantify both particle types simultaneously.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>3. </span><span>Here we describe a protocol that relies on heavy-liquid flotation to separate and quantify siliceous particulate matter in the diets of herbivores. The method is reproducible and well-suited to detecting species- or population-level differences in silica ingestion. In addition, we detected meaningful variation within the digestive tracts of cows, an outcome that supports the premise of ruminal fluid 'washing' of siliceous grit.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>4. </span><span>We used bootstrap resampling to estimate the sample sizes needed to compare species, populations, or individuals in space and time. We found that a minimum sample of 12 individuals is necessary if the species is a browser or as many as 55 if the species is a grazer, which are more variable. But a sample size of 20 is adequate for detecting statistical differences. We conclude by suggesting that our protocol for differentiating and quantifying silica holds promise for testing competing hypotheses on the evolution of dental traits.</span></p>
Ungulate herbivores as drivers of Aspen recruitment and understory composition throughout arid Montane landscapes
Herbivory by wild and domestic ungulates can influence tree recruitment and understory forest communities throughout the world. Herbivore-driven declines in tree recruitment have been observed for quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), a foundation species whose health and management is recognized as a critical priority throughout much of its range. Livestock fencing is commonly used to promote aspen regeneration, but its effectiveness is rarely assessed, especially across large spatial scales. Using a livestock-reduction experiment, we evaluated the effects of ungulate herbivory on aspen in the Great Basin and southern Cascades, an expansive and environmentally heterogeneous region where aspen faces the interacting threats of climate change, conifer encroachment, and herbivory. We found that livestock fencing only reduced the intensity of herbivore browsing on aspen when wild ungulate abundance was low, and did not increase stem densities of aspen recruits. Contrary to expectations, wild ungulate abundance was a strong driver of browsing intensity on juvenile aspen within fenced, but not unfenced aspen stands, and when the abundance of these herbivores was high, browsing intensity in fenced stands exceeded that in unfenced stands. The density of aspen recruits decreased with browsing intensity on juvenile aspen and with the density of both adult aspen and conifers, suggesting that both herbivory and intra- and interspecific competition are important drivers of recruitment. Fire history was also an important driver of recruitment, with stands that burned 10-20 years ago having the greatest density of aspen recruits. Finally, in the stand understory, we found that livestock fencing decreased forb cover, increased shrub species richness, and increased the cover of exotic annual grasses, a group dominated by Bromus tectorum. This latter finding suggests that livestock fencing may not be appropriate in areas where controlling the spread of this invader is a priority. In sum, our findings indicate that aspen recruitment is limited by browsing by both wild and domestic ungulates, is mediated by competition with neighboring trees and fire history, and will require management actions beyond livestock fencing, as this approach does not control browsing by wild ungulates.
Database for meta-analysis of herbivore impacts on plant-soil feedbacks
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>We conducted a meta-analysis to test for an interaction between plant-soil feedbacks and herbivory, including effects on the magnitude and direction of feedbacks, herbivore consumption and herbivore growth.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><em><span> </span></em><span>We identified 197 studies to address herbivore impacts on plant-soil feedbacks and 189 studies to address plant-soil impacts on herbivores. We calculated Hedge's D values to assess three questions: 1) What is the plant-soil feedback value of plants exposed to herbivory or no herbivory? 2) What is the growth or biomass of herbivores feeding on plants exposed to home or away soils in plant-soil feedback studies? 3) How much plant tissue is consumed by herbivores on plants grown in home or away soils?</span></p> <p class="paragraph"><em> </em></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">We found an overall significant weak negative effect of herbivory on plant-soil feedbacks that varied by plant functional type. In legumes herbivory drove plant-soil feedbacks from positive to negative, but herbivory on forbs further decreased </span><span class="eop">negative feedbacks</span><span class="normaltextrun">.</span><span class="eop"> </span><span class="normaltextrun"> Herbivore consumption was generally greater on plants grown in away soils. However, herbivore consumption was greater in home soils conditioned by legumes but lower in home soils conditioned by forbs.</span></p> <p class="paragraph"><em> </em></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="eop">Therefore plant functional type determines the impact of conditioned soil on feedbacks, and herbivore consumption explains these results for legumes but not forbs. </span></p>
Sublethal effects of a rapidly spreading native alga on a key herbivore
<p>1. Multiple anthropogenic stressors are causing a global decline of foundation species including macrophytes often resulting in the expansion of functionally different more stressor-tolerant macrophytes. Previously subdominant species may experience further positive demographic feedbacks if they are exposed to weaker plant herbivore interactions, possibly via decreased palatability or being structurally different from the species they are replacing. However, the consequences of the spread of opportunistic macrophytes for the local distribution and life-history of herbivores is unknown.</p> <p>2. The green alga, Caulerpa filiformis, previously a subdominant macrophyte on low tidal-shallow subtidal rock shores is becoming locally more abundant and has spread into warmer waters across the coast of New South Wales, Australia. </p> <p>3. In this study, we measured 1) the distribution and abundance of a key consumer, the sea urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma, across a seascape at sites where C. filiformis has become dominant, 2) performed behavioral field experiments to test the role of habitat selection in determining the local distribution of H. erythrogramma and 3) consumer experiments to test differential palatability between previously dominant higher quality species like Ecklonia radiata and Sargassum sp and C. filiformis and the physiological consequences of consuming it. </p> <p>4. At all sites, urchin densities were positively correlated with distance away from C. filiformis beds, and they actively moved away from beds. Feeding experiments showed that, whilst urchins consumed C. filiformis, sometimes in equal amounts to higher quality algae, there were strong sublethal consequences associated with C. filiformis consumption, mainly on reproductive potential (gonad size). Specifically, the gonad size of urchins that fed on C. filiformis was equivalent to that in starved urchins. There was also a tendency for urchin mortality to be greater when fed C. filiformis.</p> <p>5. Overall, strong negative effects on herbivore life-history traits and potentially their survivorship may establish further positive-feedbacks on C. filiformis abundance that contribute to its spread and may mediate shifts from top-down to bottom-up control at locations where C. filiformis has become dominant.</p>
Bioturbation by endogeic earthworms facilitates entomopathogenic nematode movement toward herbivore-damaged maize roots
<p>Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) have been extensively studied as potential biological control agents against root-feeding crop pests. Maize roots under rootworm attack have been shown to release volatile organic compounds, such as (E)-β-caryophyllene (Eβc) that guide EPNs toward the damaging larvae. As yet, it is unknown how belowground ecosystems engineers, such as earthworms, affect the biological control capacity of EPNs by altering the root Eβc-mediated tritrophic interactions. We here asked whether and how, the presence of endogeic earthworms affects the ability of EPNs to find root-feeding larvae of the beetle Diabrotica balteata. First, we performed a field mesocosm experiment with two diverse cropping systems, and revealed that the presence of earthworms increased the EPN infection potential of larvae near maize roots. Subsequently, using climate-controlled, olfactometer-based bioassays, we confirmed that EPNs response to Eβc alone (released from dispensers) was two-fold higher in earthworm-worked soil than in earthworm-free soil. Together our results indicate that endogeic earthworms, through burrowing and casting activities, not only change soil properties in a way that improves soil fertility but may also enhance the biocontrol potential of EPNs against root feeding pests. For an ecologically-sound pest reduction in crop fields, we advocate agricultural practices that favour earthworm community structure and diversity.</p>
Interactions between endophagous flowerhead herbivores and Asteraceae in five localities of rocky outcrop grasslands in the Espinhaço mountain range in the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil)
<p><span>This dataset includes 1131 interactions recorded in five localities of rocky outcrop grasslands in the Espinhaço mountain range in the state of Minas Gerais. These interactions form a network with 198 plant species in 15 tribes of the Asteraceae, and 99 herbivore species belonging to four families of Diptera and Lepidoptera, all of which have flowerhead-feeding larvae that were reared from samples of their host plants.</span></p>
Mechanisms of individual variation in large herbivore diets: Roles of spatial heterogeneity and state-dependent foraging
<p>Many populations of consumers consist of relatively specialized individuals that eat only a subset of the foods consumed by the population at large. Although the ecological significance of individual specialization is recognized, it is difficult to document and its underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Optimal foraging theory provides a useful framework for predicting how individuals might select different diets, positing that animals balance the 'opportunity cost' of stopping to eat an available food item against the cost of searching for something more nutritious; diet composition should be contingent on the distribution of food, and foragers should be more specialized when individuals have high energy reserves to spend searching for high-quality foods. We tested these predicted mechanisms of individual niche differences by quantifying environmental (resource heterogeneity) and organismal (nutritional condition) determinants of diet in a widespread browsing antelope (bushbuck, <em>Tragelaphus sylvaticus</em>) in an African floodplain-savanna ecosystem. We quantified individual diet breadth and composition using DNA metabarcoding of fecal samples collected repeatedly from 15 GPS-collared animals (6–14 samples per individual, median 12). Bushbuck diets were structured by spatial heterogeneity and constrained by individual conditions. We observed significant individual-level partitioning of food plants by bushbuck both within and between two adjacent habitat types (floodplain and woodland). Individuals with home ranges that were closer together and/or had similar vegetation structures (measured using LiDAR) ate more similar diets, supporting the prediction that heterogeneous resource distribution promotes individual differentiation. Individuals in good nutritional condition had significantly narrower diets (fewer plant taxa), searched their home ranges more intensively (intensity-of-use index), and had higher-quality diets (percent digestible protein) than those in poor condition, supporting the prediction that animals with greater endogenous reserves are more specialized because they can invest time in searching for nutritious foods. Our results support predictions from optimal foraging theory about the energetic basis of individual specialization and provide a potentially generalizable framework for understanding how individual niche width is governed by animal behavior and physiology in heterogeneous landscapes.</p>
Plant herbivore interactions: Combined effect of ground water level, root vole grazing and sedge silicification
<p>1. Accumulation of silica (Si) by plants can driven by (1) herbivore pressure (and therefore, plant-herbivore interactions) (2) geo-hydrological cycles or (3) a combination of (1) and (2), with (1-3) possibly affecting Si concentration with a 1-year delay.</p> <p>2. To identify the relative significance of (1-3) we analysed the concentration of Si in fibrous tussock sedge (<em>Carex appropinquata</em>), the population density of the root vole (Microtus oeconomus) and the ground water level, over 11 years.</p> <p>3. The largest influence of autumn Si concentration in leaves (Sileaf) was the level of the current year's ground water table, which was positive and accounted for 13.3% of its variance. The previous year's vole population density was weakly positively correlated with Sileaf and alone explained 9.5% of its variance.</p> <p>4. The only variable found to have a positive, significant effect on autumn Si concentration in rhizomes (Sirhiz) was the current year spring water level explaining as much as 60.9% of its variance.</p> <p>5. We conclude that the changes in Si concentration in fibrous tussock sedge are predominantly driven by hydrology, with vole population dynamics being secondary.</p> <p>6. Our results provide only partial support for the existence of plant-herbivore interactions, as we did not detect the significant effects of Si tussock concentration on the vole density dynamics. This was mainly due to low level of silification of sedges, which was insufficient to impinge herbivores.</p> <p>7. Future studies on plant-herbivore interactions should therefore aim at disentangling whether anti-herbivore protection is dependent on threshold values of herbivore population dynamics. Furthermore, studies on Si accumulation should focus on the effect of water-mediated Si availability.</p>
Effects of individual traits vs. trait syndromes on assemblages of various herbivore guilds associated with central European Salix
<p><span>Data on studied willows, their traits, associated arthropod herbivore species, and script to perform analyses for the manuscript: "Effects of individual traits vs. trait syndromes on assemblages of various herbivore guilds associated with central European <em>Salix</em>".</span></p>
Supplementary File 4; Complete list of all wild herbivores, wild carnivores, wild primates and prosimians and wild rodents sampled in this study:
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Data from: Variation in immune response in the generalist herbivore fall webworm across four common host plants
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FIGURE 1 in Taxonomic notes on Australian herbivorous ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae: Epilachnini)
FIGURE 1. Cleta dawkinsi holotype (Li, 1993); A) habitus anterior; B) habitus lateral; C) tarsal claw; D) habitus dorsal; E) female genitalia, ventral; F) left elytron and coxite, original drawings from Li 1993; G) postcoxal abdominal line; H) protrochanter; I) prosternum and mesoventrite; J) holotype labels.
Inducibility of plant secondary metabolites predicts genetic variation in resistance against a key insect herbivore in maritime pine
<p>SNP dataset in maritime pine (<em>Pinus pinaster</em>) together with the population structure (<em>Q</em>) and kinship (<em>K</em>) matrices.</p>
Data from: The many dimensions of diet breadth: phytochemical, genetic, behavioral, and physiological perspectives on the interaction between a native herbivore and an exotic host
From the perspective of an herbivorous insect, conspecific host plants are not identical, and intraspecific variation in host nutritional quality or defensive capacity might mediate spatially variable outcomes in plant-insect interactions. Here we explore this possibility in the context of an ongoing host breadth expansion of a native butterfly (the Melissa blue, Lycaeides melissa) onto an exotic host plant (alfalfa, Medicago sativa). We examine variation among seven alfalfa populations that differed in terms of colonization by L. melissa; specifically, we examined variation in phytochemistry, foliar protein, and plant population genetic structure, as well as responses of caterpillars and adult butterflies to foliage from the same populations. Regional patterns of alfalfa colonization by L. melissa were well predicted by phytochemical variation, and colonized patches of alfalfa showed a similar level of inter-individual phytochemical diversity. However, phytochemical variation was a poor predictor of larval performance, despite the fact that survival and weight gain differed dramatically among caterpillars reared on plants from different alfalfa populations. Moreover, we observed a mismatch between alfalfa supporting the best larval performance and alfalfa favored by ovipositing females. Thus, the axes of plant variation that mediate interactions with L. melissa depend upon herbivore life history stage, which raises important issues for our understanding of adaptation to novel resources by an organism with a complex life history.
Data from: Realised niche changes in a native herbivore assemblage associated with the presence of livestock
Habitat partitioning is a common ecological mechanism to avoid competition among coexisting species, and the introduction of new species into existing assemblages can increase competitive pressures. However, situations of species in allopatry and sympatry only differing in species presence but not in environmental conditions are scarce. Thus, discerning whether niche segregation arises from competition or from different habitat preferences is usually unfeasible. Here, we analyse species' habitat niches in an assemblage of native and introduced herbivores in southern Patagonia. We test if niche overlap is higher between native and domestic herbivores than among natives as expected from the relatively short time of coexistence, and we evaluate the effect of intra- and interspecific competition on niche breadth. We use a probabilistic multidimensional approach and null models to evaluate overlap and changes in niche dimensions. Overlap among native species is low as expected for species coexisting in evolutionary time. In native-domestic species pairs, niche overlap was higher than among natives, although showing some niche segregation indicating niche differentiation in ecological time. Moreover, the presence of domestic species was associated with niche narrowing of both native and introduced species, revealing interspecific density-dependent effects on their habitat niche during resource shortage periods.
Data from: Independent and interactive effects of plant genotype and environment on plant traits and insect herbivore performance: a meta-analysis with Salicaceae
1. Ecological research has increasingly highlighted the importance of intraspecific variation in shaping the structure and function of communities and ecosystems. Indeed, the effects of intraspecific variation can match or exceed those of interspecific variation. Previous reviews of intraspecific variation in plant traits across heterogeneous environments have focused primarily on mean phenotypic effects. We propose that a richer and fuller understanding of the ecological causes and consequences of intraspecific variation would be provided by partitioning trait variance into its subcomponents (genetic, environment, genotype by environment interaction). 2. We used a meta-analysis of 352 sets of genetic, environment, and genotype by environment (GxE) variation estimates from 72 studies of Salicaceae to compare these sources of variation across plant traits (growth, foliar nitrogen, defense compounds), insect herbivore performance metrics (e.g., survival, growth, fecundity), and environmental conditions (e.g., soil nutrients, water, defoliation). 3. Our findings revealed that variation in levels of defense compounds (both condensed tannins and salicinoids) and insect herbivore performance were primarily genetically determined, while variation in plant growth and foliar nitrogen were more environmentally determined. 4. Plasticity in plant growth, foliar nitrogen levels, and insect herbivore performance varied substantially across different sites (year x location), and nutrient, water, and carbon dioxide environments. Plasticity was lowest for chemical defense traits and all traits in contrasting ozone and defoliation environments. 5. Our quantitative review also revealed several gaps in the literature, including a need for surveying more mature plants (>2 years-old), a wider variety of insect herbivore species (e.g., leaf-modifiers, specialist insects), and underrepresented environmental treatments (e.g., competition, defoliation, disease, light, water). This work will help to assess how the patterns within this meta-analysis may or may not be confined within particular parameters (e.g., plant maturity). 6. Findings from this analysis further highlight the importance of and patterns within intraspecific variation in shaping the evolvability and plasticity of traits and in governing plant-insect interactions.
Data from: Spatial modeling improves understanding patterns of invasive species defoliation by a biocontrol herbivore
Spatial modeling has proven to be useful in understanding the drivers of plant populations in the field of ecology, but has yet to be applied to understanding variation in biocontrol impact. In this study, we employ multi-scale analysis (Moran's Eigenvector Maps) to better understand the variation in tree canopy exposed to defoliation by a biocontrol beetle (Diorhabda spp.). The control of the exotic tree Tamarix in riparian areas has long been a priority for land managers and ecologists in the American southwest. Diorhabda spp. was introduced as a bio-control agent beginning in 2001 and has since become an inseparable part of Tamarix-dominated river systems in the southwest. Between 2013 and 2016 tamarisk dieback was assessed at 79 sites across Grand County, Utah, arguably the epicenter of Diorhabda impact in the U.S. Canopy cover of Tamarix was between 73%-81% at these sites, with the percent that was live cover fluctuating by year with a minimum of 42%. Using a traditional general linear model, we found that readily and commonly measured environmental factors could explain only up to 26% of the variation in Tamarix live canopy each year, including that number of defoliations was correlated with an increase rather than a decrease in percent live canopy, suggesting compensatory growth. Spatial structure alone explained 22-40% of variation. We found fine scale spatial structure at less than 10 km and broad scale spatial structure from 10-30 km. Combining both traditional and novel spatial statistical methods we increased that percentage to 43-63%, depending on year. These results suggest that scientists and land managers must look beyond commonly measured environmental variables to explain non-random biocontrol impact in this system. In particular, this study points to the potential for biotic interactions and variation in flood cycles for further exploration of the identified spatial structure.
Data from: High resistance towards herbivore-induced habitat change in a high arctic arthropod community
Mammal herbivores may exert strong impacts on plant communities, and are often key drivers of vegetation composition and diversity. We tested whether such mammal-induced changes to a high Arctic plant community are reflected in the structure of other trophic levels. Specifically, we tested whether substantial vegetation changes following the experimental exclusion of muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) altered the composition of the arthropod community and the predator-prey interactions therein. Overall, we found no impact of muskox-exclusion on the arthropod community: the diversity and abundance of both arthropod predators (spiders) and of their prey were unaffected by muskox presence, and so was the qualitative and quantitative structure of predator-prey interactions. Hence, high Arctic arthropod communities seem highly resistant towards even large biotic changes in their habitat, which we attribute to the high connectance in the food web.
Data from: DNA metabarcoding illuminates dietary niche partitioning by African large herbivores
Niche partitioning facilitates species coexistence in a world of limited resources, thereby enriching biodiversity. For decades, biologists have sought to understand how diverse assemblages of large mammalian herbivores (LMH) partition food resources. Several complementary mechanisms have been identified, including differential consumption of grasses versus nongrasses and spatiotemporal stratification in use of different parts of the same plant. However, the extent to which LMH partition food-plant species is largely unknown because comprehensive species-level identification is prohibitively difficult with traditional methods. We used DNA metabarcoding to quantify diet breadth, composition, and overlap for seven abundant LMH species (six wild, one domestic) in semiarid African savanna. These species ranged from almost-exclusive grazers to almost-exclusive browsers: Grass consumption inferred from mean sequence relative read abundance (RRA) ranged from >99% (plains zebra) to <1% (dik-dik). Grass RRA was highly correlated with isotopic estimates of % grass consumption, indicating that RRA conveys reliable quantitative information about consumption. Dietary overlap was greatest between species that were similar in body size and proportional grass consumption. Nonetheless, diet composition differed between all species—even pairs of grazers matched in size, digestive physiology, and location—and dietary similarity was sometimes greater across grazing and browsing guilds than within them. Such taxonomically fine-grained diet partitioning suggests that coarse trophic categorizations may generate misleading conclusions about competition and coexistence in LMH assemblages, and that LMH diversity may be more tightly linked to plant diversity than is currently recognized.
Data from: Seeing is believing? comparing plant-herbivore networks constructed by field co-occurrence and DNA barcoding methods for gaining insights into network structures
Plant-herbivore interaction networks provide information about community organization. Two methods are currently used to document pairwise interactions among plants and insect herbivores. One is the traditional method that collects plant-herbivore interaction data by field observation of insect occurrence on host plants. The other is the increasing application of newly developed molecular techniques based on DNA barcodes to the analysis of gut contents. The second method is more appealing because it documents realized interactions. To construct complete networks, each technique of network construction is urgent to be assessed. We addressed this question by comparing the effectiveness and reliability of the two methods in constructing plant-Lepidoptera larval network in a 50 ha subtropical forest in China. Our results showed that the accuracy of diet identification by observation method increased with the number of observed insect occurrences on food plants. In contrast, the molecular method using three plant DNA markers were able to identify food residues for 35.6% larvae and correctly resolved 77.3% plant (diet) species. Network analysis showed molecular networks had three-fold more unique host plant species but fewer links than the traditional networks had. The molecular method detected plants that were not sampled by the traditional method, e.g., bamboos, bryophytes and lianas in the diets of insect herbivores. The two networks also possessed significantly different structural properties. Our study indicates the traditional observation of co-occurrence is inadequate, while molecular method can provide higher species resolution of ecological interactions.
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