No tree an island: the plant–caterpillar food web of a secondary rain forest in New Guinea

Novotný, Vojtěch; Miller, Scott E.; Lepš, Jan; Basset, Yves; Bito, Darren; Janda, Milan; Hulcr, Jiří; Damas, Kipiro; Weiblen, George D.

doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00666.x

Cited by 66 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The av-erage herbivorous insect species collected from trees in a highly diverse New Guinea forest feeds on three or fewer plant species and has Ͼ90% of individuals concentrated on a single species (69). Moreover, many clades of phytophagous insects are models of phylogenetic conservatism, having largely retained association with the same plant taxa for many millions of years, with few evolutionary excursions to other taxa.…”

Section: Evolution Of Herbivoresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macroevolution and the biological diversity of plants and herbivores

Futuyma

Agrawal

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

533

467

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Terrestrial biodiversity is dominated by plants and the herbivores that consume them, and they are one of the major conduits of energy flow up to higher trophic levels. Here, we address the processes that have generated the spectacular diversity of flowering plants (>300,000 species) and insect herbivores (likely >1 million species). Long-standing macroevolutionary hypotheses have postulated that reciprocal evolution of adaptations and subsequent bursts of speciation have given rise to much of this biodiversity. We critically evaluate various predictions based on this coevolutionary theory. Phylogenetic reconstruction of ancestral states has revealed evidence for escalation in the potency or variety of plant lineages' chemical defenses; however, escalation of defense has been moderated by tradeoffs and alternative strategies (e.g., tolerance or defense by biotic agents). There is still surprisingly scant evidence that novel defense traits reduce herbivory and that such evolutionary novelty spurs diversification. Consistent with the coevolutionary hypothesis, there is some evidence that diversification of herbivores has lagged behind, but has nevertheless been temporally correlated with that of their host-plant clades, indicating colonization and radiation of insects on diversifying plants. However, there is still limited support for the role of host-plant shifts in insect diversification. Finally, a frontier area of research, and a general conclusion of our review, is that community ecology and the long-term evolutionary history of plant and insect diversification are inexorably intertwined.coevolution ͉ herbivory ͉ insect host range ͉ phylogenetic analyses ͉ plant defense theory

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Section: Evolution Of Herbivoresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macroevolution and the biological diversity of plants and herbivores

Futuyma

Agrawal

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

533

467

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“…Host specificity patterns of individuals in herbivore communities have received so little attention that even the simple but fundamental question of whether a herbivorous insect selected at random from tropical vegetation is likely to be a generalist or a specialist has yet to be answered (Novotny et al 2004b).…”

Section: Measuring Host Specificitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, the JanzenConnell hypothesis assumed that specialized insect herbivores or other pests reduce recruitment near conspecific plants, thus demographically favouring rare species and maintaining high plant diversity in tropical forests (Wright 2002). Finally, host specificity of insect herbivores is also central to the study of indirect effects between different plant species, mediated by their shared herbivores Novotny et al 2004b). Janzen (1983, p.167) characterized his review of tropical food webs as 'rich in extrapolation and conjecture, held in place by very few data points'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Host specificity of insect herbivores in tropical forests

2005

Self Cite

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Studies of host specificity in tropical insect herbivores are evolving from a focus on insect distribution data obtained by canopy fogging and other mass collecting methods, to a focus on obtaining data on insect rearing and experimentally verified feeding patterns. We review this transition and identify persisting methodological problems. Replicated quantitative surveys of plant-herbivore food webs, based on sampling efforts of an order of magnitude greater than is customary at present, may be cost-effectively achieved by small research teams supported by local assistants. Survey designs that separate historical and ecological determinants of host specificity by studying herbivores feeding on the same plant species exposed to different environmental or experimental conditions are rare. Further, we advocate the use of host-specificity measures based on plant phylogeny. Existing data suggest that a minority of species in herbivore communities feed on a single plant species when alternative congeneric hosts are available. Thus, host plant range limits tend to coincide with those of plant genera, rather than species or suprageneric taxa. Host specificity among tropical herbivore guilds decreases in the sequence: granivoresO leaf-minersOfructivoresOleaf-chewersZsap-suckersOxylophagesOroot-feeders, thus paralleling patterns observed in temperate forests. Differences in host specificity between temperate and tropical forests are difficult to assess since data on tropical herbivores originate from recent field studies, whereas their temperate counterparts derive from regional host species lists, assembled over many years. No major increase in host specificity from temperate to tropical communities is evident. This conclusion, together with the recent downward revisions of extremely high estimates of tropical species richness, suggest that tropical ecosystems may not be as biodiverse as previously thought.

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“…Although they accumulate biomass, novel S. campanulata forests in the Hawaiian lowlands lack regeneration of native trees due to the extirpation of remnant native forest and native avian seed dispersers (Foster andRobinson 2007, Mascaro et al 2008). In Papua, various species of Lepidoptera larvae profit as herbivores on S. campanulata and other introduced tree species in novel forests, where these trophic webs have been described in detail (Novotny et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Puerto Rico, it is the most abundant tree species and dominates secondary forests in the moist regions Helmer 2004, Brandeis et al 2007). Novel S. campanulata forests have been studied in Hawaii (Mascaro et al 2008) and Papua, New Guinea (Novotny et al 2004). Although they accumulate biomass, novel S. campanulata forests in the Hawaiian lowlands lack regeneration of native trees due to the extirpation of remnant native forest and native avian seed dispersers (Foster andRobinson 2007, Mascaro et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flooding and profuse flowering result in high litterfall in novelSpathodea campanulataforests in northern Puerto Rico

Martínez

2011

Ecosphere

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Abstract. The African tulip tree, Spathodea campanulata, dominates many post-agricultural secondary forests in the moist tropics. Some consider these novel forests have no ecological value, yet they appear to restore ecosystem processes on degraded sites. This study describes the litterfall mass and seasonality, canopy phenology, and microclimate of S. campanulata forests on alluvial and karst substrates in northern Puerto Rico. These substrates have different water drainage properties and I hypothesized that (1) annual leaf fall mass and seasonality would differ between substrate types; because (2) leaf fall would be related to water availability and seasonality. I used analysis of variance to compare annual and biweekly litterfall mass across three sites on each substrate type, and multiple linear regression analysis to relate biweekly litterfall to environmental variables. Litterfall mass was high (13.8 MgÁha À1 Áyr À1, n ¼ 6, SE ¼ 0.60) yet its components did not differ by substrate type except for reproductive part mass which was higher on karst due to more S. campanulata flowers. Leaf fall had a bimodal seasonality and was negatively related to the number of dry days indicating it occurs when water is readily available or in excess as during floods. Observations show systematic leaf senescence in this deciduous species can be caused by water and nutrient demand from flowering. Litterfall mass and seasonality of novel S. campanulata forests is similar to that of native forests in Puerto Rico, yet flower fall appears to be higher than that of tropical forests worldwide. The environmental variables that affect litterfall seasonality and canopy phenology are similar to those in tropical forests in Puerto Rico and elsewhere. Litterfall seasonality and canopy phenology regulate understory microclimate, and influence the establishment and growth of juvenile trees and other organisms within S. campanulata forests. This study illustrates how forest ecosystem processes and properties restored by novel S. campanulata forests facilitate tree species establishment, growth, and turnover in deforested, abandoned, and degraded agricultural lands in Puerto Rico.

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No tree an island: the plant–caterpillar food web of a secondary rain forest in New Guinea

Cited by 66 publications

References 39 publications

Macroevolution and the biological diversity of plants and herbivores

Macroevolution and the biological diversity of plants and herbivores

Host specificity of insect herbivores in tropical forests

Flooding and profuse flowering result in high litterfall in novelSpathodea campanulataforests in northern Puerto Rico

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