Bottom-up and top-down effects in a pre-dispersal seed predation system: are non-predated seeds damaged?

Menezes, Luciana C. C. R.; Klein, Jeferson; Kestring, Débora; Rossi, Marcelo

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2009.11.004

Cited by 18 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…At the other extreme, moderate beetle densities (within ranges commonly observed in nature) reduce germination frequency (probably by killing the embryo), and reduce growth of seedlings, substantially reducing plant fitness. It should not be surprising therefore that previous studies have reported highly beneficial, moderate, and highly detrimental effects of seed beetles on the fates of host seeds (Arévalo et al, 2010;De Menezes et al, 2010;Ernst et al, 1989;Or and Ward, 2003;Takakura, 2002;Tomaz et al, 2007). Even congeneric Acacia species in Africa savannas showed opposite responses to attack by a single beetle species (Mucunguzi, 1995).…”

Section: Broader Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 82%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effects of seed beetles on the performance of desert legumes depend on host species, plant stage, and beetle density

Fox

Wallin

Bush

et al. 2012

Journal of Arid Environments

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Section: Broader Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Depletion of cotyledon reserves may slow plant growth and hence reduce the probability of establishment. Beetle damage may even negatively affect non-infested seeds developing in the same pods as infested ones, e.g., by mediating allocation of resource among seeds within the fruit (De Menezes et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of seed beetles on the performance of desert legumes depend on host species, plant stage, and beetle density

Fox

Wallin

Bush

et al. 2012

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…For the computation of Mantel tests, the geographical distances are in metres seven seeds had two eggs. Moreover, larval competition is expected to occur within those seeds with two A. schrankiae eggs (considering successful emergence of larvae) because it is known that M. bimucronata seeds can support the development of only one bruchine (see Appendix A in Menezes et al 2010). Although we show that some fruits received larger egg loads (from four to six eggs), competition at the fruit scale is unlikely because it has been shown that A. schrankiae larvae feed within a single seed until adult emergence (Silva et al 2007).…”

Section: Oviposition Patternmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oviposition pattern and within-season spatial and temporal variation of pre-dispersal seed predation in a population of Mimosa bimucronata trees

Rossi

Rodrigues

Ishino

et al. 2011

Arthropod-Plant Interactions

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Spatial and temporal variation of pre-dispersal seed predation was investigated in a population of Mimosa bimucronata trees located in the south-east region of Brazil. Three main hypotheses were addressed: (1) that the life stages of the seed predator Acanthoscelides schrankiae are synchronised with the reproductive stages of its host plant;(2) that seed predation levels vary spatially as a result of differences in fruiting phenology synchrony and fruit production among trees; and (3) that predation levels should be affected by the proximity of trees, showing a spatial structure. Also investigated was the oviposition pattern of A. schrankiae among seeds and fruits. Twenty spatially referenced trees were monitored throughout a year to examine tree phenology and egg laying and adult emergence. The bruchine's life stages were synchronised with the reproductive stages of M. bimucronata trees. Egg distribution among seeds and fruits was aggregated. Infestation rates of adult bruchines were not spatially related to fruiting phenology and there is evidence that seed predation is a spatially density-independent process, because the relationship between infestation rates and fruit production was not significant. Finally, it was observed that the distribution of adult bruchines was spatially structured, because similar levels of infestation were found among nearby trees.

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“…; Menezes et al. ). It is therefore surprising that there is a lack of studies that examine the degree of variation in bruchines’ body size and SSD in response to seed traits, considering a single host plant and bruchine species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The effect of seed traits on geographic variation in body size and sexual size dimorphism of the seed‐feeding beetle Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus

Haga

Rossi

2016

Ecology and Evolution

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Explaining large‐scale patterns of variation in body size has been considered a central question in ecology and evolutionary biology because several life‐history traits are directly linked to body size. For ectothermic organisms, little is known about what processes influence geographic variation in body size. Changes in body size and sexual size dimorphism (SSD) have been associated with environmental variables, particularly for Bruchinae insects, which feed exclusively on seeds during the larval stage. However, the effect of important seed traits on body size variation has rarely been investigated, and whether SSD varies substantially among populations within bruchine species is poorly known. Using the seed‐feeding beetle Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus infesting its host plant Leucaena leucocephala, we investigated whether specific seed traits (hardness, size, water content, carbon/nitrogen ratio, and phenolic content) were determinant in generating geographic variation in body size and SSD of A. macrophthalmus. We also examined the relationships between body size and SSD with latitude and altitude. The body size of both sexes combined was not related to latitude, altitude, and any of the physical and chemical seed traits. However, the female body size tended to vary more in size than the males, generating significant variation in SSD in relation to latitude and altitude. The females were the larger sex at higher latitudes and at lower altitudes, precisely where seed water content was greater. Therefore, our results suggest that water content was the most important seed trait, most severely affecting the females, promoting geographic variation in SSD of A. macrophthalmus.

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Bottom-up and top-down effects in a pre-dispersal seed predation system: are non-predated seeds damaged?

Cited by 18 publications

References 28 publications

Effects of seed beetles on the performance of desert legumes depend on host species, plant stage, and beetle density

Effects of seed beetles on the performance of desert legumes depend on host species, plant stage, and beetle density

Oviposition pattern and within-season spatial and temporal variation of pre-dispersal seed predation in a population of Mimosa bimucronata trees

The effect of seed traits on geographic variation in body size and sexual size dimorphism of the seed‐feeding beetle Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus

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