Bottom‐up multitrophic effects in resprouting plants

Kersch-Becker, Mônica F.; Lewinsohn, Thomas M.

doi:10.1890/11-0756.1

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Plants invested fewer stored resources in reproduction and more in defense following defoliation. Severe damage requires allocation of resources to replace lost leaf tissue [ 12 , 49 ]. Maintenance of leaf production in the face of defoliation apparently reduced reproduction in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ‘continuum of plant response to herbivory hypothesis’ predicts that the impact of herbivory may be detrimental, neutral, or beneficial for plant fitness depending on the plant's ability to replace tissue consumed by herbivores as influenced by the abiotic environment [ 10 , 11 ]. For example, plants may delay fruit production or produce fewer fruits following herbivore attack [ 12 , 13 ]. However, as a counterbalance, fertilization might positively affect the production of flowers, fruits and seeds [ 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trade-offs between growth, reproduction and defense in response to resource availability manipulations

et al. 2018

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The Brazilian Cerrado is one of the most endangered biomes in the world. We evaluated the sustainability of leaf harvest in one of the most important Cerrado tree species, Stryphnodendron adstringens. The bark of this tree is used as a source of medicinal tannin. Harvesting bark, however, often kills the tree. In a manipulative field experiment, we tested the hypothesis that harvesting leaves, which might serve as an alternative source of tannin, would be less detrimental for tree survival, growth, reproduction, and defense than harvesting bark. In a two-way crossed experimental design, we either clipped 100% of a plant’s leaves or applied NPK fertilizer to the soil. Our predictions of the experimental outcomes were based on plant resource and defense theory. Growth was determined by total leaf dry mass production, reproduction by inflorescence and fruit production traits, and defense by total phenolics, hydrolyzable tannins, and condensed tannins. Fertilization had a marginally positive effect on total leaf dry mass. Defoliation had no effect on subsequent leaf production, and most importantly, no plants died as a result of defoliation. We found high tannin amounts in leaves of S. adstringens produced both prior to and subsequent to clipping, further suggesting that leaves could serve as a sustainable alternative source of tannin. After clipping, plants invested more in tannin production and less in reproduction. Our results suggest that leaf harvest may be more sustainable than harvesting of bark in S. adstringens. We suggest the need for further investigation of the medicinal properties of leaf tannins to formulate a viable sustainable management plan for the exploitation of this plant species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trade-offs between growth, reproduction and defense in response to resource availability manipulations

et al. 2018

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“…Fire exerts an important pressure in many biomes worldwide (Pausas and Keeley 2009), acting as an environmental filter in plant communities (Verdú and Pausas 2007) and as a driving force for species evolution (Keeley et al 2011(Keeley et al , 2012He et al 2012). Most studies on fire effects in plant traits at a community scale have focused on changes related to shifts in species composition (e.g., Pausas et al 2004;Saura-Mas and Lloret 2007;Verdú and Pausas 2007;Pausas and Verdú 2008;Moretti and Legg 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of fire in structuring trait variability in Neotropical savannas

et al. 2012

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Intraspecific trait variability plays a fundamental role in community structure and dynamics; however, few studies have evaluated its relative importance to the overall response of communities to environmental pressures. Since fire is considered a key factor in Neotropical savannas, we investigated to what extent the functional effects of fire in a Brazilian savanna occurs via intra- or interspecific trait variability. We sampled 12 traits in communities subjected to three fire regimes in the last 12 years: annual, biennial, and protected. To evaluate fire's relative effects, we fitted a general linear mixed models with species as random and fire as fixed factors, using: (1) all species in the communities (i.e., considering intra- and interspecific variabilities); (2) 18 species common to all fire regimes (i.e., intraspecific variability only); and (3) all species with their overall average trait values (i.e., interspecific variability only). We assessed the relative role of intra- or interspecific variability by comparing the significance of each trait in the three analyses. We also compared the within and between fire variabilities with a variance component analysis. Five traits presented larger intraspecific than interspecific variability, and the main effect of fire occurred at the intraspecific level. These results confirm that it is important to consider intraspecific variability to fully understand fire-prone communities. Moreover, trait variability was larger within than among fire regimes. Thus, fire may act more as an external filter, preventing some of the species from the regional pool from colonizing the cerrado, than as an internal factor structuring the already filtered cerrado communities.

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“…Likewise, flooding and other disturbances can create bottom‐up, trophic cascades driven by increases in herbivorous insects feeding on the vigorously growing, more nutritious leaves of younger, regenerating plants (Nakamura et al. , Kersch‐Becker and Lewinsohn ). Flycatchers are generalist insectivores (Durst et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Willow flycatcher nests are associated with dense foliage at and below nest height (Sedgwick andKnopf 1992, Allison et al 2003), a patch structure more typical of young-and intermediate-aged riparian patches than older patches. Likewise, flooding and other disturbances can create bottom-up, trophic cascades driven by increases in herbivorous insects feeding on the vigorously growing, more nutritious leaves of younger, regenerating plants (Nakamura et al 2005, Kersch-Becker andLewinsohn 2012). Flycatchers are generalist insectivores (Durst et al 2008) and so could potentially exploit increases in overall insect abundance associated with early and intermediate stages of patch regeneration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patch age since disturbance drives patch dynamics for flycatchers breeding in both reservoir and riverine habitat

2018

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Species dependent upon early‐successional landscapes often occupy patches at different stages of recovery after disturbance. The demographic processes that drive patch dynamics in these systems have rarely been described but are important for developing effective conservation and management plans, especially when humans have modified the timing and intensity of disturbances that drive regeneration. In riparian systems, disturbance by floods historically initiated plant regeneration, but many rivers are now regulated and stream flows disrupted by dams and reservoirs. We studied the demography and patch dynamics of an endangered, neotropical migrant bird dependent on remnant riparian patches for breeding, the southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax trailli extimus), over 9 yr at both a riverine and reservoir site in central Arizona. We found that at both sites, number of territories/ha within patches increased for 2–4 yr after colonization and then declined, with several patches abandoned after 6–10 yr. Age of birds increased with patch age, with younger birds in colonizing patches and older, site‐faithful birds in older patches, while mean per capita reproductive success did not differ with patch age. Natal dispersal and breeding dispersal were primarily from intermediate‐aged patches into either young‐ or other intermediate‐aged patches. At both riverine and reservoir sites, both the number of patches and the number of territorial birds increased over time, with the percentage of territories shifting into younger and younger patches. The type of disturbance driving patch regeneration differed between riverine and reservoir sites (seasonal flooding vs. falling lake levels due to drought), but the demographic patterns did not, indicating that reservoirs can generate patch dynamics similar to those on rivers. Managing stream flows and reservoir levels to maintain disturbance cycles sufficient to generate riparian patches at different stages of regeneration through time would benefit succession‐dependent species like the endangered flycatcher we studied, whether those disturbances arise from natural flooding events along free‐flowing rivers or through changes in reservoir levels.

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Bottom‐up multitrophic effects in resprouting plants

Cited by 10 publications

References 36 publications

Trade-offs between growth, reproduction and defense in response to resource availability manipulations

Trade-offs between growth, reproduction and defense in response to resource availability manipulations

The role of fire in structuring trait variability in Neotropical savannas

Patch age since disturbance drives patch dynamics for flycatchers breeding in both reservoir and riverine habitat

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