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Moreira X, Abdala-Roberts L, Bruun HH, Covelo F, De Frenne P, Galmán A, Gaytán Á, Jaatinen R, Pulkkinen P, Ten Hoopen JPJG, Timmermans BGH, Tack AJM, Castagneyrol B. Latitudinal variation in seed predation correlates with latitudinal variation in seed defensive and nutritional traits in a widespread oak species. Ann Bot 2020; 125:881-890. [PMID: 31858135 PMCID: PMC7218813 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcz207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Classic theory on geographical gradients in plant-herbivore interactions assumes that herbivore pressure and plant defences increase towards warmer and more stable climates found at lower latitudes. However, the generality of these expectations has been recently called into question by conflicting empirical evidence. One possible explanation for this ambiguity is that most studies have reported on patterns of either herbivory or plant defences whereas few have measured both, thus preventing a full understanding of the implications of observed patterns for plant-herbivore interactions. In addition, studies have typically not measured climatic factors affecting plant-herbivore interactions, despite their expected influence on plant and herbivore traits. METHODS Here we tested for latitudinal variation in insect seed predation and seed traits putatively associated with insect attack across 36 Quercus robur populations distributed along a 20° latitudinal gradient. We then further investigated the associations between climatic factors, seed traits and seed predation to test for climate-based mechanisms of latitudinal variation in seed predation. KEY RESULTS We found strong but contrasting latitudinal clines in seed predation and seed traits, whereby seed predation increased whereas seed phenolics and phosphorus decreased towards lower latitudes. We also found a strong direct association between temperature and seed predation, with the latter increasing towards warmer climates. In addition, temperature was negatively associated with seed traits, with populations at warmer sites having lower levels of total phenolics and phosphorus. In turn, these negative associations between temperature and seed traits led to a positive indirect association between temperature and seed predation. CONCLUSIONS These results help unravel how plant-herbivore interactions play out along latitudinal gradients and expose the role of climate in driving these outcomes through its dual effects on plant defences and herbivores. Accordingly, this emphasizes the need to account for abiotic variation while testing concurrently for latitudinal variation in plant traits and herbivore pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xoaquín Moreira
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
| | - Luis Abdala-Roberts
- Departamento de Ecología Tropical, Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Itzimná, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - Hans Henrik Bruun
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Felisa Covelo
- Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - Andrea Galmán
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
| | - Álvaro Gaytán
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Raimo Jaatinen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Haapastensyrjä Breeding Station, Läyliäinen, Finland
| | - Pertti Pulkkinen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Haapastensyrjä Breeding Station, Läyliäinen, Finland
| | | | - Bart G H Timmermans
- Department of Agriculture, Louis Bolk Institute, LA Driebergen, the Netherlands
| | - Ayco J M Tack
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Galmán A, Abdala-Roberts L, Covelo F, Rasmann S, Moreira X. Parallel increases in insect herbivory and defenses with increasing elevation for both saplings and adult trees of oak (Quercus) species. Am J Bot 2019; 106:1558-1565. [PMID: 31724166 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Herbivory is predicted to increase toward warmer and more stable climates found at lower elevations, and this increase should select for higher plant defenses. Still, a number of recent studies have reported either no evidence of such gradients or reverse patterns. One source of inconsistency may be that plant ontogenetic variation is usually not accounted for and may influence levels of plant defenses and herbivory. METHODS We tested for elevational gradients in insect leaf herbivory and leaf traits putatively associated with herbivore resistance across eight oak (Quercus, Fagaceae) species and compared these patterns for saplings and adult trees. To this end, we surveyed insect leaf herbivory and leaf traits (phenolic compounds, toughness and nutrients) in naturally occurring populations of each oak species at low-, mid- or high-elevation sites throughout the Iberian Peninsula. RESULTS Leaf herbivory and chemical defenses (lignins) were unexpectedly higher at mid- and high-elevation sites than at low-elevation sites. In addition, leaf chemical defenses (lignins and condensed tannins) were higher for saplings than adult trees, whereas herbivory did not significantly differ between ontogenetic stages. Overall, elevational variation in herbivory and plant chemical defenses were consistent across ontogenetic stages (i.e., elevational gradients were not contingent upon tree ontogeny), and herbivory and leaf traits were not associated across elevations. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest disassociated patterns of elevational variation in herbivory and leaf traits, which, in turn, are independent of plant ontogenetic stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Galmán
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Apartado de correos 28, 36080, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
| | - Luis Abdala-Roberts
- Departamento de Ecología Tropical, Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Apartado Postal 4-116, Itzimná, 97000, Mérida, Yucatán, México
| | - Felisa Covelo
- Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera km. 1, 41013, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Sergio Rasmann
- Institute of Biology, Laboratory of Functional Ecology, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Xoaquín Moreira
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Apartado de correos 28, 36080, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
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Moreira X, Vázquez-González C, Encinas-Valero M, Covelo F, Castagneyrol B, Abdala-Roberts L. Greater phylogenetic distance from native oaks predicts escape from insect leaf herbivores by non-native oak saplings. Am J Bot 2019; 106:1202-1209. [PMID: 31449333 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Non-native plant species have been hypothesized to experience lower herbivory in novel environments as a function of their phylogenetic distance from native plant species. Although recent work has found support for this prediction, the plant traits responsible for such patterns have been largely overlooked. METHODS In a common garden experiment in northwestern Spain, we tested whether oak species (Quercus spp.) not native to this region that are phylogenetically more distantly related to native species exhibit less insect leaf herbivory. In addition, we also investigated plant traits potentially correlated with any such effect of phylogenetic distance. RESULTS As expected, phylogenetic distance from native species negatively predicted insect leaf herbivory on non-native oaks. In addition, we found that the leaf traits, namely phosphorus and condensed tannins, were significantly associated with herbivory, suggesting that they are associated with the effect of phylogenetic distance on leaf herbivory on non-native oak species. CONCLUSIONS This study contributes to a better understanding of how evolutionary relationships (relatedness) between native and non-native plant species determine the latter's success in novel environments via locally shared enemies, and encourages more work investigating the plant traits that mediate the effects of phylogenetic distance on enemy escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xoaquín Moreira
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Apdo. 28, 36080, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
| | | | | | - Felisa Covelo
- Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera km. 1, 41013, Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - Luis Abdala-Roberts
- Departamento de Ecología Tropical, Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Apartado Postal 4-116, Itzimná, 97000, Mérida, Yucatán, México
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Abdala-Roberts L, Quijano-Medina T, Moreira X, Vázquez-González C, Parra-Tabla V, Berny Mier Y Terán JC, Grandi L, Glauser G, Turlings TCJ, Benrey B. Bottom-up control of geographic variation in insect herbivory on wild cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) by plant defenses and climate. Am J Bot 2019; 106:1059-1067. [PMID: 31322738 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE The occurrence and amount of herbivory are shaped by bottom-up forces, primarily plant traits (e.g., defenses), and by abiotic factors. Addressing these concurrent effects in a spatial context has been useful in efforts to understand the mechanisms governing variation in plant-herbivore interactions. Still, few studies have evaluated the simultaneous influence of multiple sources of bottom-up variation on spatial variation in herbivory. METHODS We tested to what extent chemical (phenolics, production of terpenoid glands) and physical (pubescence) defensive plant traits and climatic factors are associated with variation in herbivory by leaf-chewing insects across populations of wild cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). RESULTS We found substantial population variation in cotton leaf defenses and insect leaf herbivory. Leaf pubescence, but not gossypol gland density or phenolic content, was significantly negatively associated with herbivory by leaf-chewing insects. In addition, there were direct effects of climate on defenses and herbivory, with leaf pubescence increasing toward drier conditions and leaf damage increasing toward wetter and cooler conditions. There was no evidence, however, of indirect effects (via plant defenses) of climate on herbivory. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that spatial variation in insect herbivory on wild G. hirsutum is predominantly driven by concurrent and independent influences of population variation in leaf pubescence and climatic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Abdala-Roberts
- Departamento de Ecología Tropical, Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Apartado Postal 4-116, Itzimná, 97000, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - Teresa Quijano-Medina
- Departamento de Ecología Tropical, Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Apartado Postal 4-116, Itzimná, 97000, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - Xoaquín Moreira
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Apdo. 28, 36080, Pontevedra, Spain
| | | | - Víctor Parra-Tabla
- Departamento de Ecología Tropical, Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Apartado Postal 4-116, Itzimná, 97000, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
| | | | - Luca Grandi
- Fundamental and Applied Research in Chemical Ecology (FARCE Lab), Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Gaétan Glauser
- Neuchâtel Platform of Analytical Chemistry, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile Argand 11, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Ted C J Turlings
- Fundamental and Applied Research in Chemical Ecology (FARCE Lab), Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Betty Benrey
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Entomology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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Moreira X, Abdala-Roberts L, Pérez-Ramos IM, Knops JMH, Pesendorfer MB, Koenig WD, Mooney KA. Weather cues associated with masting behavior dampen the negative autocorrelation between past and current reproduction in oaks. Am J Bot 2019; 106:51-60. [PMID: 30633821 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY The influence of weather conditions on masting and the ecological advantages of this reproductive behavior have been the subject of much interest. Weather conditions act as cues influencing reproduction of individual plants, and similar responses expressed across many individuals lead to population-level synchrony in reproductive output. In turn, synchrony leads to benefits from economies of scale such as enhanced pollination success and seed predator satiation. However, there may also be individual-level benefits from reproductive responses to weather cues, which may explain the origin of masting in the absence of economies of scale. In a previous study, we found support for a mechanism whereby individual responses to weather cues attenuate the negative autocorrelation between past and current annual seed production-a pattern typically attributed to resource limitation and reproductive tradeoffs among years. METHODS Here we provide a follow-up and more robust evaluation of this hypothesis in 12 species of oaks (Quercus spp.), testing for a negative autocorrelation (tradeoff) between past and current reproduction and whether responses to weather cues associated with masting reduce the strength of this negative autocorrelation. KEY RESULTS Our results showed a strong negative autocorrelation for 11 of the species, and that species-specific reproductive responses to weather cues dampened this negative autocorrelation in 10 of them. CONCLUSIONS This dampening effect presumably reflects a reduction in resource limitation or increased resource use associated with weather conditions, and suggests that responses to weather cues conferring these advantages should be selected for based on individual benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xoaquín Moreira
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Apdo. 28, 36080, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
| | - Luis Abdala-Roberts
- Departamento de Ecología Tropical, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Apartado Postal 4-116, Itzimna, 97000, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - Ignacio M Pérez-Ramos
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC), P.O. Box 1052, 41080, Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain
| | - Johannes M H Knops
- Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Mario B Pesendorfer
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York, 14850, USA
| | - Walter D Koenig
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York, 14850, USA
| | - Kailen A Mooney
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA, 92697
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