Phenolic biosynthesis, leaf damage, and insect herbivory in birch (Betula pendula)

Levels of leaf damage due to insect folivory have been investigated in forests of different latitudes all over the world, but most research has concentrated on a few common forest types. Most studies of insect herbivory were conducted in (sub)tropical rain forests (Barone 1998, Basset 1996, Coley 1983, Lowman 1985), or in temperate forests (Landsberg & Ohmart 1989, Lowman & Heatwole 1992). In contrast, little is known about insect folivory of woody plants in tropical savannas (Fowler & Duarte 1991, Marquis et al. 2001, Ribeiro 2003, Stanton 1975), and no such data are available for the West African savanna ecosystem (Andersen & Lonsdale 1990). Savannas cover about 40% of the land surface of Africa and 20% of the world (Scholes & Walker 1993), and savanna trees may host considerable numbers of insects, including many herbivores (Grant & Moran 1986, Mody et al. 2003). Therefore, insect herbivory can be considered a potentially important aspect of plant–animal interactions for vast areas of tropical ecosystems, where it has been studied remarkably rarely so far.

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Response of Five Miscanthus sinensis Cultivars to Grasshopper Herbivory: Implications for Monitoring of Invasive Grasses in Protected Areas

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants11010053 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 53

Author(s):

Alina Avanesyan ◽

William O. Lamp

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Biotic Resistance ◽

Insect Herbivory ◽

Seed Viability ◽

Leaf Damage ◽

Miscanthus Sinensis ◽

Plant Responses ◽

Plant Tolerance ◽

Invasive Potential ◽

Invasive Grasses

Introduced grasses can aggressively expand their range and invade native habitats, including protected areas. Miscanthus sinensis is an introduced ornamental grass with 100+ cultivars of various invasive potential. Previous studies have demonstrated that the invasive potential of M. sinensis cultivars may be linked to seed viability, and some of the physiological traits, such as growth rate. Little is known, however, about whether these traits are associated with response of M. sinensis to insect herbivory, and whether plant tolerance and resistance to herbivory vary among its cultivars; which, in turn, can contribute to the invasive potential of some of M. sinensis cultivars. To address this issue, in our study we explored the response of five cultivars of M. sinensis to herbivory by Melanoplus grasshoppers. We demonstrated that plant responses varied among the cultivars during a season; all the cultivars, but “Zebrinus”, demonstrated a significant increase in plant tolerance by the end of the growing season regardless of the amount of sustained leaf damage. Different patterns in plant responses from “solid green” and “striped/spotted” varieties were recorded, with the lowest plant resistance detected for “Autumn Anthem” in the cage experiment. Our results have important applications for monitoring low-risk invaders in protected areas, as well as for biotic resistance of native communities to invasive grasses.

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Levels of Leaf Damage by Phyllophages in Invasive Acer negundo and Native Betula pendula and Salix caprea

Russian Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1134/s1067413619060134 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (6) ◽

pp. 511-516

Author(s):

D. V. Veselkin ◽

N. B. Kuyantseva ◽

O. E. Chashchina ◽

A. G. Mumber ◽

G. A. Zamshina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Betula Pendula ◽

Leaf Damage ◽

Acer Negundo ◽

Salix Caprea

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Insect herbivory antagonizes leaf cooling responses to elevated temperature in tomato

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1913885117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (4) ◽

pp. 2211-2217 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Nathan E. Havko ◽

Michael R. Das ◽

Alan M. McClain ◽

George Kapali ◽

Thomas D. Sharkey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Elevated Temperature ◽

Heat Waves ◽

Global Climate ◽

Feeding Activity ◽

Stomatal Closure ◽

Insect Herbivory ◽

Leaf Damage ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Mechanical Wounding

As global climate change brings elevated average temperatures and more frequent and extreme weather events, pressure from biotic stresses will become increasingly compounded by harsh abiotic stress conditions. The plant hormone jasmonate (JA) promotes resilience to many environmental stresses, including attack by arthropod herbivores whose feeding activity is often stimulated by rising temperatures. How wound-induced JA signaling affects plant adaptive responses to elevated temperature (ET), however, remains largely unknown. In this study, we used the commercially important crop plant Solanum lycopersicum (cultivated tomato) to investigate the interaction between simulated heat waves and wound-inducible JA responses. We provide evidence that the heat shock protein HSP90 enhances wound responses at ET by increasing the accumulation of the JA receptor, COI1. Wound-induced JA responses directly interfered with short-term adaptation to ET by blocking leaf hyponasty and evaporative cooling. Specifically, leaf damage inflicted by insect herbivory or mechanical wounding at ET resulted in COI1-dependent stomatal closure, leading to increased leaf temperature, lower photosynthetic carbon assimilation rate, and growth inhibition. Pharmacological inhibition of HSP90 reversed these effects to recapitulate the phenotype of a JA-insensitive mutant lacking the COI1 receptor. As climate change is predicted to compound biotic stress with larger and more voracious arthropod pest populations, our results suggest that antagonistic responses resulting from a combination of insect herbivory and moderate heat stress may exacerbate crop losses.

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Understanding the ecology of host plant–insect herbivore interactions in the fossil record through bipartite networks

Paleobiology ◽

10.1017/pab.2021.20 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-22

Author(s):

Anshuman Swain ◽

S. Augusta Maccracken ◽

William F. Fagan ◽

Conrad C. Labandeira

Keyword(s):

Fossil Record ◽

Local Community ◽

Insect Herbivory ◽

Leaf Damage ◽

Fossil Flora ◽

Bipartite Network ◽

Bipartite Networks ◽

Plant Insect Interactions ◽

Central Texas ◽

Insect Interactions

Abstract Plant–insect associations have been a significant component of terrestrial ecology for more than 400 Myr. Exploring these interactions in the fossil record through novel perspectives provides a window into understanding evolutionary and ecological forces that shaped these interactions. For the past several decades, researchers have documented, described, and categorized fossil evidence of these interactions. Drawing on powerful tools from network science, we propose here a bipartite network representation of fossilized plants and their herbivore-induced leaf damage to understand late Paleozoic plant–insect interactions at the local community level. We focus on four assemblages from north-central Texas, but the methods used in this work are general and can be applied to any well-preserved fossil flora. Network analysis can address key questions in the evolution of insect herbivory that often would be difficult to summarize using standard herbivory metrics.

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BVOC Emissions From a Subarctic Ecosystem, as Controlled by Insect Herbivore Pressure and Temperature

Ecosystems ◽

10.1007/s10021-021-00690-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rajendra P. Ghimire ◽

Tarja Silfver ◽

Kristiina Myller ◽

Elina Oksanen ◽

Jarmo K. Holopainen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Warming ◽

Insect Herbivory ◽

Late Summer ◽

Leaf Damage ◽

Mountain Birch ◽

Insect Herbivore ◽

Emission Rates ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Herbivore Pressure

Abstract The biogenic volatile organic compounds, BVOCs have a central role in ecosystem–atmosphere interactions. High-latitude ecosystems are facing increasing temperatures and insect herbivore pressure, which may affect their BVOC emission rates, but evidence and predictions of changes remain scattered. We studied the long-term effects of + 3 °C warming and reduced insect herbivory (achieved through insecticide sprayings) on mid- and late summer BVOC emissions from field layer vegetation, supplemented with birch saplings, and the underlying soil in Subarctic mountain birch forest in Finland in 2017–2018. Reduced insect herbivory decreased leaf damage by 58–67% and total ecosystem BVOC emissions by 44–72%. Of the BVOC groups, total sesquiterpenes had 70–80% lower emissions with reduced herbivory, and in 2017 the decrease was greater in warmed plots (89% decrease) than in ambient plots (34% decrease). While non-standardized total BVOC, monoterpene, sesquiterpene and GLV emissions showed instant positive responses to increasing chamber air temperature in midsummer samplings, the long-term warming treatment effects on standardized emissions mainly appeared as changes in the compound structure of BVOC blends and varied with compounds and sampling times. Our results suggest that the effects of climate warming on the total quantity of BVOC emissions will in Subarctic ecosystems be, over and above the instant temperature effects, mediated through changes in insect herbivore pressure rather than plant growth. If insect herbivore numbers will increase as predicted under climate warming, our results forecast herbivory-induced increases in the quantity of Subarctic BVOC emissions. Graphic Abstract

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High richness of insect herbivory from the early Miocene Hindon Maar crater, Otago, New Zealand

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.2985 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. e2985 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Anna Lena Möller ◽

Uwe Kaulfuss ◽

Daphne E. Lee ◽

Torsten Wappler

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Insect Herbivory ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Leaf Damage ◽

Early Miocene ◽

Functional Feeding Groups ◽

Insect Damage ◽

Southern Beech ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Damage Types

Plants and insects are key components of terrestrial ecosystems and insect herbivory is the most important type of interaction in these ecosystems. This study presents the first analysis of associations between plants and insects for the early Miocene Hindon Maar fossil lagerstätte, Otago, New Zealand. A total of 584 fossil angiosperm leaves representing 24 morphotypes were examined to determine the presence or absence of insect damage types. Of these leaves, 73% show signs of insect damage; they comprise 821 occurrences of damage from 87 damage types representing all eight functional feeding groups. In comparison to other fossil localities, the Hindon leaves display a high abundance of insect damage and a high diversity of damage types. Leaves ofNothofagus(southern beech), the dominant angiosperm in the fossil assemblage, exhibit a similar leaf damage pattern to leaves from the nearby mid to late Miocene Dunedin Volcano Group sites but display a more diverse spectrum and much higher percentage of herbivory damage than a comparable dataset of leaves from Palaeocene and Eocene sites in the Antarctic Peninsula.

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Genotypic variation in growth and resistance to insect herbivory in silver birch ( Betula pendula ) seedlings

Oecologia ◽

10.1007/s00442-003-1384-3 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 137 (4) ◽

pp. 572-577 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Kaarina Prittinen ◽

Jyrki Pusenius ◽

Katja Koivunoro ◽

Heikki Roininen

Keyword(s):

Betula Pendula ◽

Genotypic Variation ◽

Insect Herbivory ◽

Silver Birch

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Strong Interactive Effects of Warming and Insect Herbivory on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics at Subarctic Tree Line

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change ◽

10.3389/ffgc.2021.773223 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

Author(s):

Nele Meyer ◽

Tarja Silfver ◽

Kristiina Karhu ◽

Kristiina Myller ◽

Outi-Maaria Sietiö ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Root Growth ◽

Insect Herbivory ◽

Leaf Damage ◽

Plant Production ◽

The Arctic ◽

Microbial Biomass C ◽

Soil C ◽

Soil C And N ◽

C And N ◽

C Input

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 CO2. 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 NH4+ availability were increased by both warming and reduced herbivory when applied alone, but not when combined. Soil NO3– 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.

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Bookkeeping of insect herbivory trends in herbarium specimens of purple loosestrife ( Lythrum salicaria )

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2017.0398 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 374 (1763) ◽

pp. 20170398 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Caroline Beaulieu ◽

Claude Lavoie ◽

Raphaël Proulx

Keyword(s):

Invasive Plant ◽

Insect Herbivory ◽

Lythrum Salicaria ◽

Leaf Damage ◽

Purple Loosestrife ◽

Herbarium Specimens ◽

Feeding Damage ◽

Voucher Specimens ◽

Insect Interactions ◽

Biodiversity Changes

The potential use of herbarium specimens to detect herbivory trends is enormous but largely untapped. The objective of this study was to reconstruct the long-term herbivory pressure on the Eurasian invasive plant, purple loosestrife ( Lythrum salicaria ), by evaluating leaf damage over 1323 specimens from southern Québec (Canada). The hypothesis tested is that that the prevalence of herbivory damage on purple loosestrife is low during the invasion phase and increases throughout the saturation phase. Historical trends suggest a gradual increase in hole feeding and margin feeding damage from 1883 to around 1940, followed by a period of relative stability. The percentage of specimens with window feeding damage did not begin to increase until the end of the twentieth century, from 3% (2–6%) in 1990 to 45% (14–81%) in 2015. Temporal changes in the frequency of window feeding damage support the hypothesis of an increasing herbivory pressure by recently introduced insects. This study shows that leaf damage made by insects introduced for the biocontrol of purple loosestrife, such as coleopterans of the Neogalerucella genus, can be assessed from voucher specimens. Herbaria are a rich source in information that can be used to answer questions related to plant-insect interactions in the context of biological invasions and biodiversity changes. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Biological collections for understanding biodiversity in the Anthropocene’.

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