Leaf traits-mediated effects of tree diversity on insect herbivory on Populus laurifolia in a riparian forest ecosystem

2022 ◽  
Vol 504 ◽  
pp. 119777
Author(s):  
Binli Wang ◽  
Chengming Tian ◽  
Yingmei Liang
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Li ◽  
Douglas Chesters ◽  
Ming‐Qiang Wang ◽  
Tesfaye Wubet ◽  
Andreas Schuldt ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Alex Stemmelen ◽  
Alain Paquette ◽  
Marie-Lise Benot ◽  
Yasmine Kadiri ◽  
Hervé Jactel ◽  
...  

AbstractInsect herbivory is an important component of forest ecosystems functioning and can affect tree growth and survival. Tree diversity is known to influence insect herbivory in natural forest, with most studies reporting a decrease in herbivory with increasing tree diversity. Urban ecosystems, on the other hand, differ in many ways from the forest ecosystem and the drivers of insect herbivory in cities are still debated.We monitored 48 urban trees from five species – three native and two exotic – in three parks of Montreal (Canada) for leaf insect herbivory and predator activity on artificial larvae, and linked herbivory with both predation and tree diversity in the vicinity of focal trees.Leaf insect herbivory decreased with increasing tree diversity and with increasing predator attack rate.Our findings indicate that tree diversity is a key determinant of multitrophic interactions between trees, herbivores and predators in urban environments and that managing tree diversity could contribute to pest control in cities.This article has been peer-reviewed and recommended by Peer Community in Ecologyhttps://doi.org/10.24072/pci.ecology.100061


2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Habermann ◽  
Anna C. G. Bressan

Shoot and root lengths, the number of leaves, biomass and leaf area were measured in Styrax ferrugineus Nees and Mart., Styrax camporum Pohl. and Styrax pohlii A. DC cultivated in rhizotrons. Additionally, young individuals of these species were planted in a cerrado sensu stricto (s. str.), at the edge and in the understorey of a cerradão, and in the understorey of a riparian forest. Six months after planting, the specific leaf area (SLA) and the CO2 assimilation rate were assessed on an area (Aarea) and mass (Amass) basis. S. ferrugineus exhibited greater root and lower shoot length in comparison to S. pohlii. The high shoot growth and concomitantly substantial root length of S. camporum may illustrate why this species is widely distributed in the cerrado sensu lato areas, whereas the deep roots of S. ferrugineus could account for its occurrence in the cerrado s. str. In the field, an irradiance-diminishing gradient enlarged the SLA of S. pohlii, which positively influenced its Amass, and which could partially explain its occurrence in shady habitats. However, a non-plastic trait, such as the high shoot length of S. pohlii, is more likely to be responsible for the success of this species in forest habitats.


2019 ◽  
Vol 572 ◽  
pp. 659-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongbo Ling ◽  
Hailiang Xu ◽  
Bin Guo ◽  
Xiaoya Deng ◽  
Pei Zhang ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betsabe Ruiz-Guerra ◽  
Erika Nieves-Silva ◽  
Roger Guevara

<p class="p1"><strong>Background.</strong> In arid environments plants face aridity and herbivory, therefore it has been proposed that both are convergent selective forces. However the drivers of insect herbivory in these ecosystems remain poorly understood.</p><p class="p1"><strong>Question.</strong> Does insect herbivory vary in two plant associations subject to different levels of aridity? To what extent differences in herbivory are determined either by foliar traits, or predation by birds?</p><p class="p1"><strong>Study species</strong>. Citharexylum tetramerum, Viguiera pinnatilobata, and Solanum tridynamum.</p><p class="p1"><strong>Study site</strong>. We compared two-plant associations: the mezquital with a closed canopy and wettest conditions and the tetechera a dry place with an open canopy at the Zapotitlán Valley, México. </p><p class="p1"><strong>Methods</strong>. We evaluated leaf traits (N, C, water content, leaf strength and trichomes), herbivore insects abundance and the effects on herbivory when some predators are excluded.</p><p class="p1"><strong>Results</strong>. Herbivory was higher in the drier site (tetechera) than in the more humid one (mezquital) in one year but not in the second one. In both plant associations herbivory increased when predators of herbivores were excluded. Plants in mezquital had more water and nitrogen content than plants in tetechera. The later had higher carbon concentration and carbon:nitrogen ratio, leaf strength and density of trichomes. Abundance of herbivore insects and insect predation were higher in the most arid site. </p><p class="p1"><strong>Conclusions</strong>. Our results show that insect herbivory increases in the most arid site and that predation by birds plays a role as a driver of herbivory, while resistance to aridity seems to be the main driver of leaf structural characteristics.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binli Wang ◽  
Chengming Tian ◽  
Yingmei Liang

Abstract Background Plant pathogens are regarded as crucial agents shaping the dynamics of natural forest communities. Marssonina leaf spot of poplar is induced by an endemic pathogenic fungus Drepanopeziza populi, causing increased damage to riparian poplar stands in recent years. However, such endemic fungal diseases have received little attention at the landscape scale, despite the key role of landscape heterogeneity in the development and spread of emerging forest diseases. Moreover, most studies have insufficiently captured multiple ecological factors driving the infestation of an endemic pathogen acting at the landscape, community, and individual scales. Methods We measured pathogen load, disease prevalence, and disease severity of Marssonina leaf spot in poplars in riparian forests. We explored the direct and indirect effects of multiple ecological factors on pathogen infestation using a path analysis. Specifically, we first assessed the effects of landscape and community factors on leaf traits including leaf area, specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC), and then examined the role of these factors in shaping disease dynamics. Results Path analysis showed that landscape features had no direct impact on leaf traits and pathogen infestation, but directly affected tree community composition. Landscapes with higher forest cover resulted in higher host density and tree diversity. Host density was the most important factor of pathogen load, with higher host density resulting in more symptomatic leaves. Tree diversity had direct effects on disease prevalence, with poplars growing in mixed forest stands far less affected by pathogens than in pure stands. Moreover, disease prevalence was positively related to pathogen load. Tree diversity strongly reduced SLA, but increased LDMC. Higher SLA was found to increase pathogen load and disease severity, but higher LDMC was found to reduce both of them. Conclusions Our results show that the effects of landscape and tree community on Marssonina leaf spot disease are mediated by leaf traits. Disentangling the effects of biotic and abiotic factors affecting pathogen infestation contributes to reduce the overall impact of this disease, which can provide policy makers with sustainable management of endemic plant diseases in natural forests.


2021 ◽  
Vol 346 ◽  
pp. 65-78
Author(s):  
Daniel CORNELIS ◽  
Elena KAN ◽  
Valéry GOND ◽  
Jean-Daniel CESARO ◽  
Régis PELTIER

In 2011, the Government of Uzbekistan established the Lower Amu Darya State Biosphere Reserve (LABR). This reserve aims to conserve the Tugay, an endangered riparian forest ecosystem straddling the main rivers of Central Asia’s drylands, which is under extreme anthropogenic pressure. The LABR has reintroduced Bukhara red deer (Cervus hanglu bactrianus), a subspecies endemic to Asia whose numbers declined severely over the 20th century. The LABR development project aims to provide operational support to the Uzbek authorities for their application to join the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation) requested CIRAD to provide a science-based estimate of the deer population in the LABR, using an internationally recognized method, and to issue recommendations to ensure ecologically and socio-economically sustainable management. The survey of the Bukhara red deer population began in October 2019. The study area covered 88 km2. The survey design consisted of 12 parallel straight lines 1400 m apart; the total transect length was 65 km. During the count, 127 observations of individuals or herds were made and a total of 336 individuals were observed. The data were analysed using DISTANCE 7.3 software. The encounter rates were 1.95 obs./km and 5.17 animals/km. The estimated density was 24 deer/km2 and the estimated total population was 2,112 deer [1,320 - 3,344, 95% CI]. The proportion of dead, dying or severely affected trees was roughly estimated at 10%, and the proportion of trees affected but with a good chance of survival at 15%. In the southern core area of the LABR, a very high proportion of seedlings and suckers was being eaten and the forest is no longer regenerating. Maintaining a population of 24 deer/km2 in the southern core area of LABR clearly seems incompatible with either the conservation of the Tugay forest ecosystem or the peaceful coexistence of deer with human populations adjacent to the LABR. Options to mitigate deer pressure include translocation to the northern core area of the LABR or other areas, and regulation of the deer population. The density is too high to ensure effective preservation of the species locally, although the deer population is under severe pressure in Asia as a whole.


2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 726-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haike Ruhnke ◽  
Martin Schädler ◽  
Stefan Klotz ◽  
Diethart Matthies ◽  
Roland Brandl

2019 ◽  
Vol 433 ◽  
pp. 645-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine B. Schmitt ◽  
Daniel Kisangau ◽  
Kennedy W. Matheka

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