Plant population size and isolation affect herbivory of Silene latifolia by the specialist herbivore Hadena bicruris and parasitism of the herbivore by parasitoids

Elzinga, Jelmer A.; Turin, H.; Damme, Jos M. M. Van; Biere, Arjen

doi:10.1007/s00442-005-0096-2

Cited by 67 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…The intensity of fruit predation was negatively correlated with P. farinosa population size in 2001, but tended to be positively correlated with host population size in 2000. Studies with other systems have documented both negative (Elzinga et al 2005) and positive (Ehlers and Olesen 2003) correlations between population size and intensity of seed predation. In a study of 27 P. farinosa populations in Switzerland, seed predation decreased with increasing habitat area (Lienert and Fischer 2003).…”

Section: Patch Sizementioning

confidence: 93%

Spatial variability in seed predation in Primula farinosa: local population legacy versus patch selection

2009

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Spatio-temporal variation in seed predation may strongly influence both plant population dynamics and selection on plant traits. The intensity of seed predation may depend on a number of factors, but the relative importance of previous predator abundance ("local legacy"), spatial distribution of the host plant, environmental factors and plant characteristics has been explored in few species. We monitored seed predation in the perennial herb Primula farinosa, which is dimorphic for scape length, during 5 consecutive years, in a 10-km x 4-km area comprising 79 P. farinosa populations. A transplant experiment showed that the seed predator, the oligophagous tortricid moth Falseuncaria ruficiliana, was not dispersal limited at the spatial scale corresponding to typical distances between P. farinosa populations. Correlations between population characteristics and incidence and intensity of seed predation varied among years. The incidence of the seed predator was positively correlated with host population size and mean number of flowers, while intensity of seed predation in occupied patches was positively related to the frequency of the long-scaped morph in 2 years and negatively related to host population size in 1 year. In both scape morphs, predation tended to increase with increasing frequency of the long morph. There was no evidence of a local legacy; incidence and intensity of seed predation were not related to the abundance of the seed predator in the population in the previous year. Taken together, the results indicate that among-population variation in seed predation intensity is determined largely by patch selection and that the seed predator's preference for tall and many-flowered inflorescences may not only affect selection on plant traits within host plant populations, but also the overall intensity of seed predation.

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Section: Patch Sizementioning

confidence: 93%

Spatial variability in seed predation in Primula farinosa: local population legacy versus patch selection

2009

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“…We sampled small plant patches in all regions separated by over 1 km (see population distances in Supplementary Table 2) and compared their genetic diversity with larger and nearby plant patches. All these populations persisted over 6 years of monitoring Elzinga et al, 2005), which is longer than the reproductive life of single individuals (2-3 years). Contrary to our expectations, we found no evidence of reduced genetic diversity in the small populations compared with the nearby larger ones.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over 3 consecutive years (2001)(2002)(2003) we mapped all occurrences of S. latifolia in this region, defining as patches all groups of plants separated by X100 m, and estimating the number of flowering plants in each patch (Elzinga, 2005;Elzinga et al, 2005Elzinga et al, , 2007.…”

Section: Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-scale spatial genetic structure and gene dispersal in Silene latifolia

et al. 2010

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Plants are sessile organisms, often characterized by limited dispersal. Seeds and pollen are the critical stages for gene flow. Here we investigate spatial genetic structure, gene dispersal and the relative contribution of pollen vs seed in the movement of genes in a stable metapopulation of the white campion Silene latifolia within its native range. This shortlived perennial plant is dioecious, has gravity-dispersed seeds and moth-mediated pollination. Direct measures of pollen dispersal suggested that large populations receive more pollen than small isolated populations and that most gene flow occurs within tens of meters. However, these studies were performed in the newly colonized range (North America) where the specialist pollinator is absent. In the native range (Europe), gene dispersal could fall on a different spatial scale. We genotyped 258 individuals from large and small (15) subpopulations along a 60 km, elongated metapopulation in Europe using six highly variable microsatellite markers, two X-linked and four autosomal. We found substantial genetic differentiation among subpopulations (global F ST ¼ 0.11) and a general pattern of isolation by distance over the whole sampled area. Spatial autocorrelation revealed high relatedness among neighboring individuals over hundreds of meters. Estimates of gene dispersal revealed gene flow at the scale of tens of meters (5-30 m), similar to the newly colonized range. Contrary to expectations, estimates of dispersal based on X and autosomal markers showed very similar ranges, suggesting similar levels of pollen and seed dispersal. This may be explained by stochastic events of extensive seed dispersal in this area and limited pollen dispersal.

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“…Reduced population size and increased isolation between plant patches are predicted to differentially affect organisms at different trophic levels. In fragmented native S. latifolia populations, isolation and host population size indeed hardly affect the frequency of Hadena in flowers, but reduce the incidence of some of its parasitoid species (Elzinga et al, 2005).…”

Section: G Bernasconi Et Almentioning

confidence: 99%

Silene as a model system in ecology and evolution

et al. 2009

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The genus Silene, studied by Darwin, Mendel and other early scientists, is re-emerging as a system for studying interrelated questions in ecology, evolution and developmental biology. These questions include sex chromosome evolution, epigenetic control of sex expression, genomic conflict and speciation. Its well-studied interactions with the pathogen Microbotryum has made Silene a model for the evolution and dynamics of disease in natural systems, and its interactions with herbivores have increased our understanding of multi-trophic ecological processes and the evolution of invasiveness. Molecular tools are now providing new approaches to many of these classical yet unresolved problems, and new progress is being made through combining phylogenetic, genomic and molecular evolutionary studies with ecological and phenotypic data. The model role of a non-model organismThe genus Silene (Caryophyllaceae), with a tradition of genetical and ecological studies dating back to Mendel and Darwin, has remarkably many interesting features. First, the species in the genus vary widely in their breeding systems and ecology. Second, several members of this mainly holarctic genus can be easily bred, and have short life cycles, and are thus convenient for experimental and field studies. Genomic resources are now becoming increasingly available in Silene, making genetic, quantitative genetic and molecular studies possible. A strength of Silene as a model system, compared with many classical model organisms, is that researchers can rely on a large number of ecological studies encompassing biotic interactions with sexually transmitted fungi, pollinators and herbivores. It is the wealth of ecological and other earlier knowledge that makes the genus Silene important for studying many biological questions, including the suppression of recombination during sex chromosome evolution, sexually antagonistic selection in an organism that is not an animal, epigenetic processes in flower development, speciation and reproductive isolation, multi-trophic interactions, disease ecology and biological invasions.Thanks to the classical genetic and ecological work on Silene, new progress can now be made in studying some of these important unresolved questions in biology with the aid of modern molecular tools. That new model systems with accessible and well-studied ecology open fruitful avenues for investigation is illustrated also by Mimulus (Wu et al., 2008) and the ongoing efforts to develop genomic resources in an increasing number of different systems. In the following, we outline the unique features of the Silene system, and describe active research areas and future directions, highlighting new advances and work in progress. Evolution of sexual systemsPlants show remarkable diversity in their sexual and mating systems, ranging from hermaphroditism to dioecy, from self-incompatible hermaphroditism to hermaphroditism in which individuals possess a capacity to self-fertilize, but which often show complex mechanisms to promote outcrossing (Darwin, 18...

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Plant population size and isolation affect herbivory of Silene latifolia by the specialist herbivore Hadena bicruris and parasitism of the herbivore by parasitoids

Cited by 67 publications

References 63 publications

Spatial variability in seed predation in Primula farinosa: local population legacy versus patch selection

Spatial variability in seed predation in Primula farinosa: local population legacy versus patch selection

Fine-scale spatial genetic structure and gene dispersal in Silene latifolia

Silene as a model system in ecology and evolution

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