Relative Importance of Environmental Stress and Herbivory in Reducing Litter Fall in a Semiarid Woodland

Schuster, Thomas D.; Cobb, Neil S.; Whitham, Thomas G.; Hart, Stephen C.

doi:10.1007/s10021-004-0001-6

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Net root nutrient release was calculated by multiplying the net change in N or P content of roots after 1 and 2 years of decomposition in decomposition bags by the annual root production determined from ingrowth bags. This calculation has three major assumptions: (i) on an annual basis, root production equals root mortality so that fine root biomass is in steady state; (ii) live root litter chemistry is similar to root litter chemistry at senescence (Nambiar & Fife 1991); and (iii) large interannual variations in litterfall and root production are likely to have a larger impact on these calculations than interannual variation in tissue chemistry (see Schuster et al . 2005).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic‐based plant resistance and susceptibility traits to herbivory influence needle and root litter nutrient dynamics

et al. 2007

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Summary 1.It is generally assumed that the same factors drive the decomposition of both litter and roots and that nutrient release from litter and roots is synchronized. However, few studies have explicitly tested these assumptions, and no studies have examined whether plant genetics (i.e. plant susceptibility to herbivory) could affect these relationships. 2.Here we examine the effects of herbivore susceptibility and resistance on needle and fine root litter decomposition of piñon pine, Pinus edulis . The study population consists of individual trees that are either susceptible or resistant to herbivory by the piñon needle scale, Matsucoccus acalyptus , or the stem-boring moth, Dioryctria albovittella . Genetic analyses and long-term experimental removals and additions of these insects to individual trees have identified trees that are naturally resistant or susceptible to M. acalyptus and D. albovittella . In addition, these herbivores increase litter chemical quality and alter soil microclimate, both of which mediate decomposition in ecosystems. 3. The effects of herbivore susceptibility and resistance on needle litter mass and phosphorus (P) loss, when significant, are largely mediated by herbivore-induced changes to microclimate. But the effects of herbivore susceptibility and resistance on root litter nitrogen (N) and P retention, and needle litter N retention, are largely governed by herbivore-induced changes to litter chemical quality. Whether a particular tree was resistant or susceptible to herbivores exerted a large influence on net nutrient release, but the direction of herbivore influence varied temporally. 4. The controls on decomposition vary between herbivore-susceptible and herbivoreresistant phenotypes. This suggests that understanding decomposition and nutrient retention in some ecosystems may require considering the effects of herbivores on aboveand below-ground processes and how these effects may be governed by plant genetics. 5. Synthesis . Because so few studies have attempted to quantify genetic components of ecosystem processes, the integration of ecosystem ecology with population genetics has the potential to place ecosystem science within a genetic and evolutionary framework. Using field trials of known genetic composition, ecosystem scientists may use quantitative genetics techniques to explore ecosystem traits just as population geneticists have used these techniques to explore traditional traits such as resistance to insects.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic‐based plant resistance and susceptibility traits to herbivory influence needle and root litter nutrient dynamics

et al. 2007

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“…may play equally important roles. In semiarid woodlands for instance, Schuster et al (2005) reported an overall >20% decline in litter production under limited soil water and soil nutrient conditions and under the effects of insect herbivores. Liu et al (2004) presented a global analysis of litterfall controlling factors in coniferous and broadleaf forests in Eurasia and they concluded that annual mean temperature plays a more important role in litterfall patterns than precipitation.…”

Section: Total Litter Production By Stand Typementioning

confidence: 98%

Production and quality of senesced and green litterfall in a pine–oak forest in central-northwest Mexico

Pérez-Suárez

Arredondo

Huber-Sannwald

et al. 2009

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…We then ran an anova in jmp 7.0 (SAS Institute, Inc. 2007) on the total data set, with the predictions that inter‐note intervals would be greater for females than for males, and that those intervals would change throughout the course of the duet. We conducted a repeated measures anova (Schuster et al. 2004; Leader et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We then ran an anova in jmp 7.0 (SAS Institute, Inc. 2007) on the total data set, with the predictions that inter-note intervals would be greater for females than for males, and that those intervals would change throughout the course of the duet. We conducted a repeated measures anova (Schuster et al 2004;Leader et al 2005) with Sex and Site as main effects, Pair as a random effect nested within Sex and Site, Note Position nested within Sex and Site, and a Sex by Site interaction.…”

Section: Inter-note Intervalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Duets in Yellow‐Naped Amazons: Variation in Syntax, Note Composition and Phonology at Different Levels of Social Organization

Dahlin

Wright

2009

Ethology

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Complex vocal signals composed of multiple notes are used by many species. Such signals may vary in a number of features such as the rules that govern note order and timing (syntax), the relative number and types of different notes (note composition), and the acoustic structure of notes (phonology). Previous research examining male song in songbirds typically has shown greater conservation of syntax than phonology. Here we investigated whether these patterns of variation are also found in the duets of parrots. We examined geographic variation in the pair duets of yellow‐naped amazons, Amazona auropalliata, at five sites within one vocal dialect. We also examined variation at several levels of social organization, including within pairs, among pairs and among sites, to assess where variability was greatest. Variation was highest at the within‐pair level, although variation was also present at all other levels and for all of the duet factors. We hypothesize that variation at the among‐site level allows duets to indicate site membership, while variation at the within‐pair level allows pairs to change their duet to match their current social or physical environment. Syntax and phonology are also more conserved than note composition for all levels of social organization. This pattern may result because note composition is less important in duet function than syntax or phonology, or because development of syntax and phonology is more heavily influenced by genetic templates.

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Relative Importance of Environmental Stress and Herbivory in Reducing Litter Fall in a Semiarid Woodland

Cited by 9 publications

References 34 publications

Genetic‐based plant resistance and susceptibility traits to herbivory influence needle and root litter nutrient dynamics

Genetic‐based plant resistance and susceptibility traits to herbivory influence needle and root litter nutrient dynamics

Production and quality of senesced and green litterfall in a pine–oak forest in central-northwest Mexico

Duets in Yellow‐Naped Amazons: Variation in Syntax, Note Composition and Phonology at Different Levels of Social Organization

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