Can the nutrient-rich soil patches created by leaf-cutting ants favor plant compensation for foliar damage? A test of the compensatory continuum hypothesis

Pirk, Gabriela Inés; Farji‐Brener, Alejandro G.

doi:10.1007/s11258-013-0231-9

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Our results suggest an indirect way in which leaf-cutting ants, through the production of organic waste, can benefit plants by promoting positive changes in its development and nutritional status (Pirk and Farji-Brener, 2013). In addition, the plants that access the NR of leaf-cutting ants can not only improve physical and nutritional performance but can also benefit reproductive performance (fitness), for example, with greater production of flowers, fruits and seeds, as well as increased germination rate (Santos et al, 2019).…”

Section: Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…For maintenance and expansion of the colonies, leaf-cutting ants continuously collect fragments of vegetation and transport them to their fungus chambers. The material resulting from fungal decomposition, including seeds, leaves and arthropod carcasses, is accumulated in piles within nests or outside them (Moutinho et al, 2003;Sousa-Souto et al, 2008;Poderoso et al, 2009;Pirk and Farji-Brener, 2013). These biological structures, popularly identified as nest refuse (NR) or nest waste, can form points in the landscape where the availability of nutrients is fast and constant (Sousa-Souto et al, 2008;Cerda et al, 2012, Farji-Brener andWerenkraut, 2015).…”

Section: Turnera Subulata Smith (Turneracea)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nest refuse of Acromyrmex balzani (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) increases the plant vigor in Turnera subulata (Turneraceae)

Santos

Sousa‐Souto

2023

Braz. J. Biol.

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Some studies report the positive effect of organic residues from ant nests on soil properties and on the structure of the adjacent plant community in field experiments, but there is a gap about the effect on individual species. The purpose of the present study was to compare the soil nutrient content and the development of Turnera subulata Smith, an ornamental species, in the presence of the nest refuse (basically composed of fragments of grass leaves and the symbiotic fungus) produced by the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex balzani (Emery, 1890) or in control soil through a greenhouse pot experiment. The experiment was carried out with two treatments: control soil and soil with 25% of nest refuse. The plants were kept in 1L pots for 90 days. We evaluated the parameters: plant height, stem diameter, root length, number of leaves, dry weight of the root, dry and fresh aboveground biomass. Additionally, the relative chlorophyll content and leaf nutrients were used as nutritional parameters. As a result, plants that grew in the soil with nest refuse showed significant higher values of all parameters evaluated when compared to the control treatment (p < 0.001). We conclude that this biofertilizer contributed to the production of more vigorous plants, being able to act on the local dynamics of nutrients in the ecosystems where A. balzani occurs. As it is relatively abundant and easy to collect, the refuse of A. balzani has the potential to be used as an alternative substrate in the production of shortlife cycle plants.

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Section: Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Turnera Subulata Smith (Turneracea)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nest refuse of Acromyrmex balzani (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) increases the plant vigor in Turnera subulata (Turneraceae)

Santos

Sousa‐Souto

2023

Braz. J. Biol.

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“…[10], or the compensatory continuum hypothesis [5], but rather provide a reason that variables, such as net assimilation rate and leaf area ratio, are related to compensatory responses, and why compensatory growth is not always positively related to resource level [11].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, a number of studies have shown greater compensatory growth and/or reproduction in plants growing at low rather than high nutrient availability [3]. Hypotheses, such as the "compensatory continuum hypothesis" [5] suggest that this occurs because plants growing in high resource conditions are more likely than plants growing in low resources conditions to be growing at or near their potential maximum relative growth rate (RGR), so any increase in RGR to compensate would be less at the high than that at low resource condition.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Compensatory Growth and Reproduction in Agricultural Weeds Using a Plant’s Growth Rate Trajectory: A Test with Defoliation of Abutilon theophrasti

Wait¹

2016

JAST-A

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A plant's capacity to compensate for pest damage as a function of resource availability needs to be predictable in order to apply biocontrol agents effectively. In this research, it was hypothesized that a weedy plant species' capacity to compensate for defoliation is related to how resource availability affects a plant's growth trajectory. Growth rate trajectory is defined as the percent change in relative growth rate or the slope of a plant's relative growth rate. 90 Abutilon theophrasti, a common weed species, in cultivated fields of corn and soybean, grew in a greenhouse for 70 d under three nitrogen (N) fertilization treatments. "Unfertilized" plants were not fertilized, "bulk" fertilized plants received 0.6 g N on day 15 and "exponential" fertilized plants received a total of 0.6 g N supplied at an exponential rate of 10% per day with a starting concentration of 0.02 g N on day 15. On day 25, 15 plants in each N treatment had 75% of total leaf area removed. Biomass and reproductive compensation were determined after 50 d and 70 d of growth. Results showed that bulk plants had the greatest absolute growth, but also the greatest decline in growth rates and the least capacity for compensation. Unfertilized plants had the lowest absolute growth, but declines in growth rates were similar to bulk plants with only a slightly greater compensatory capacity. Exponential plants had intermediate absolute growth, but the least decline in growth rates and the greatest capacity for compensation. This experiment indicates that a plant's growth rate trajectory, and not high or low relative growth rates or N availability per se, can be used to predict a weedy plant's capacity to compensate for herbivory, and has implications for biocontrol of weedy species.

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“…Tolerant responses have been modeled in several studies. The "compensatory continuum hypothesis", which is a way to model tolerance, predicts high tolerance to herbivory under conditions with high nutrient availability (water and fertilizer) versus lower tolerance in stressed environments with low nutrient availability; therefore, plant compensatory capability depends on external factors (Pirk et al, 2013). For example, individuals of the plant Ipomopsis arizonica supplemented with nutrients and growing free of competition produced more fruits when grazed than ungrazed control plants (Maschinski et al, 1989).…”

Section: Plant Defense Strategies To the Attacks By Herbivores: Resis...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A review on the complexity of insect-plant interactions under varying levels of resources and host resistance: the case of Myzus persicae-Prunus persica

Verdugo¹,

Francis²,

Ramı́rez

2016

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Introduction. Insect-plant interactions are affected directly or indirectly by stress factors. The effect of environmental resource availability on insect-plant interactions is here reviewed. Subsequently, the analysis focuses on aphid-host plant interactions, particularly in the system composed by the green peach aphid Myzus persicae and its primary host plant Prunus persica. Literature. Plant defenses arise in two ways: resistance and tolerance, both are affected by abiotic factors. The information gathered from studies (n = 29) on plant-aphid interactions addressing the reduction in water availability on plant resistance, showed that in 41,4% of the studies, drought stress elicits lower resistance, while 34.5%, 20.1% and 3.4%, showed higher, no change and conditional effects on plant resistance, respectively. Conclusions. Water stress elicits mixed effects on plant resistance to aphids. However, the literature review also suggests that cultural practices play a role in the fate of the peach-aphid interactions, whereas the development of predictive models aimed to assist crop-pest management systems still requires more basic information. Aphid responses to plant defenses under stressed conditions are still largely unexplored.

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Can the nutrient-rich soil patches created by leaf-cutting ants favor plant compensation for foliar damage? A test of the compensatory continuum hypothesis

Abstract: Can the nutrient-rich soil patches created by leaf-cutting ants favor plant compensation for foliar damage? A test of the compensatory continuum hypothesis

Cited by 9 publications

References 44 publications

Nest refuse of Acromyrmex balzani (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) increases the plant vigor in Turnera subulata (Turneraceae)

Nest refuse of Acromyrmex balzani (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) increases the plant vigor in Turnera subulata (Turneraceae)

Predicting Compensatory Growth and Reproduction in Agricultural Weeds Using a Plant’s Growth Rate Trajectory: A Test with Defoliation of Abutilon theophrasti

A review on the complexity of insect-plant interactions under varying levels of resources and host resistance: the case of Myzus persicae-Prunus persica

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