Tree Species Richness Promotes Invertebrate Herbivory on Congeneric Native and Exotic Tree Saplings in a Young Diversity Experiment

Wein, Annika; Bauhus, Jürgen; Bilodeau‐Gauthier, Simon; Scherer‐Lorenzen, Michael; Nock, Charles A.; Staab, Michael

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0168751

Cited by 37 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…E-mail: anna.knuff@nature.uni-freiburg.de Scherber et al, 2010). Other concepts, namely associational resistance and susceptibility, account for the plant community to predict herbivore pressure of a focal plant species (Barbosa et al, 2009;Wein et al, 2016). These patterns are determined by the degree of specialisation of the dominant herbivores (Root, 1973;Araújo, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant composition, not richness, drives occurrence of specialist herbivores

Knuff¹,

Staab²,

Frey

et al. 2019

Ecological Entomology

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1. How herbivore plant diversity relationships are shaped by the interplay of biotic and abiotic environmental variables is only partly understood. For instance, plant diversity is commonly assumed to determine abundance and richness of associated specialist herbivores. However, this relationship can be altered when environmental variables such as temperature covary with plant diversity. 2. Using gall‐inducing arthropods as focal organisms, biotic and abiotic environmental variables were tested for their relevance to specialist herbivores and their relationship to host plants. In particular, the hypothesis that abundance and richness of gall‐inducing arthropods increase with plant richness was addressed. Additionally, the study asked whether communities of gall‐inducing arthropods match the communities of their host plants. 3. Neither abundance nor species richness of gall‐inducing arthropods was correlated with plant richness or any other of the tested environmental variables. Instead, the number of gall species found per plant decreased with plant richness. This indicates that processes of associational resistance may explain the specialised plant herbivore relationship in our study. 4. Community composition of gall‐inducing arthropods matched host plant communities. In specialised plant herbivore relationships, the presence of obligate host plant species is a prerequisite for the occurrence of its herbivores. 5. It is concluded that the abiotic environment may only play an indirect role in shaping specialist herbivore communities. Instead, the occurrence of specialist herbivore communities might be best explained by plant species composition. Thus, plant species identity should be considered when aiming to understand the processes that shape diversity patterns of specialist herbivores.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant composition, not richness, drives occurrence of specialist herbivores

Knuff¹,

Staab²,

Frey

et al. 2019

Ecological Entomology

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“…For instance, defoliation of broadleaved trees generally decreases with the number of tree species in a stand (Guyot et al, 2016). For example, trees with generalist defoliators (e.g., birch) can suffer from higher damage when mixed with other tree species as a result of dietary mixing, which enhances the performance of the herbivores (Wein et al, 2016). For example, trees with generalist defoliators (e.g., birch) can suffer from higher damage when mixed with other tree species as a result of dietary mixing, which enhances the performance of the herbivores (Wein et al, 2016).…”

Section: Future Promises and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although it seems to occur less frequently than associational resistance, plant diversity may also promote focal plants' susceptibility to pests through associational susceptibility (Barbosa et al, 2009;Jactel et al, 2017). For example, trees with generalist defoliators (e.g., birch) can suffer from higher damage when mixed with other tree species as a result of dietary mixing, which enhances the performance of the herbivores (Wein et al, 2016). There is still much to be learned about factors affecting associational resistance and susceptibility.…”

Section: Future Promises and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promises and challenges in insect–plant interactions

Giron

Dubreuil

Bennett

et al. 2018

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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There is tremendous diversity of interactions between plants and other species. These relationships range from antagonism to mutualism. Interactions of plants with members of their ecological community can lead to a profound metabolic reconfiguration of the plants' physiology. This reconfiguration can favour beneficial organisms and deter antagonists like pathogens or herbivores. Determining the cellular and molecular dialogue between plants, microbes, and insects, and its ecological and evolutionary implications is important for understanding the options for each partner to adopt an adaptive response to its biotic environment. Moving forward, understanding how such ecological interactions are shaped by environmental change and how we potentially mitigate deleterious effects will be increasingly important. The development of integrative multidisciplinary approaches may provide new solutions to the major ecological and societal issues ahead of us. The rapid evolution of technology provides valuable tools and opens up novel ways to test hypotheses that were previously unanswerable, but requires that scientists master these tools, understand potential ethical problems flowing from their implementation, and train new generations of biologists with diverse technical skills. Here, we provide brief perspectives and discuss future promise and challenges for research on insect-plant interactions building on the 16th International Symposium on Insect-Plant interactions (SIP) meeting that was held in Tours, France (2-6 July 2017). Talks, posters, and discussions are distilled into key research areas in insect-plant interactions, highlighting the current state of the field and major challenges, and future directions for both applied and basic research.

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“…However, there are several examples of mixed forests being equally, or even more susceptible, to insect herbivores than pure stands (i.e. associational susceptibility) (Schuldt et al, 2010(Schuldt et al, , 2015Haase et al, 2015;Wein et al, 2016;Castagneyrol et al, 2018). Having addressed associational effects in forest ecosystems, researchers generally compare pure versus mixed stands for either herbivore abundance or herbivore damage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree species identity and forest composition affect the number of oak processionary moth captured in pheromone traps and the intensity of larval defoliation

Damestoy

Jactel

Belouard

et al. 2020

Agri and Forest Entomology

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Pure forests are often seen as being more prone to damage by specialist pest insects than mixed forests, and particularly mixed forests associating host and nonhost species. We addressed the effect of tree diversity on oak colonization and defoliation by a major specialist pest, the oak processionary moth (OPM) We quantified the number of male OPM moths captured and larval defoliation in pure stands of two oak host species (Quercus robur and Quercus petraea) and in mixed stands associating the two oak species or each oak species with another nonhost broadleaved species. We conducted two complementary studies to test the effect of host species and stand composition: (i) we used pheromone trapping to compare the number of males OPM captured throughout the distribution of oak hosts in France and (ii) we noted the presence of OPM nests and estimated defoliation in mature forests of north‐eastern France. Oak species and stand composition significantly influenced the number of male OPM captured and defoliation by OPM larvae. Quercus petraea was consistently more attractive to and more defoliated by OPM than Q. robur. Both oak trees were attacked more in pure stands than in mixed stands, in particular mixed stands associating oaks with another (nonhost) broadleaved species. The results of the present study support the view that mixed forests are more resistant to specialist pest insects than pure stands, and also indicate that this trend depends on forest composition. Our study provides new insights into OPM ecology and has potential implications for forest management, including the management of urban forests where OPM causes serious human health issues.

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Tree Species Richness Promotes Invertebrate Herbivory on Congeneric Native and Exotic Tree Saplings in a Young Diversity Experiment

Cited by 37 publications

References 70 publications

Plant composition, not richness, drives occurrence of specialist herbivores

Plant composition, not richness, drives occurrence of specialist herbivores

Promises and challenges in insect–plant interactions

Tree species identity and forest composition affect the number of oak processionary moth captured in pheromone traps and the intensity of larval defoliation

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