Herbivore damage along a latitudinal gradient: relative impacts of different feeding guilds

Andrew, Nigel R.; Hughes, Lesley

doi:10.1111/j.0030-1299.2005.13457.x

Cited by 119 publications

(127 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…These results are consistent with those reported by ANDREW and HUGHES (2005), who found differences in leaf toughness but not in C : N of Acacia falcata along a latitudinal gradient in Australia. Similar results were reported by ARDÓN et al (2009) when comparing 15 tree species (8 tropical from La Selva, Costa Rica, and 7 temperate from Coweeta, USA), where chemical composition varied widely among sites, but only structural components (cellulose and hemicelluloses) were higher in the tropical species.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Leaf Quality of Some Tropical and Temperate Tree Species as Food Resource for Stream Shredders

Graça

Cressa

2010

International Review of Hydrobiology

102

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We tested the hypotheses that (1) plant defenses against consumers increase in the tropics, and that these differences in quality are perceived by detritivores; and (2) microbial conditioning of leaf litter is important for the feeding ecology of shredders from both geographical regions. We compared quality parameters of 8 tree species from Portugal and 8 from Venezuela. The tropical leaves were tougher, but did not differ from temperate leaves in terms of N, C : N, and polyphenols. In multiple-choice experiments, shredders from Portugal (Sericostoma vittatum and Chaetopteryx lusitanica) and from Venezuela (Nectopsyche argentata and Phylloicus priapulus) discriminated among conditioned leaves, preferentially consuming softer leaves. In another set of experiments, all shredders preferentially fed on conditioned rather than unconditioned leaves, grew faster when fed conditioned than unconditioned leaves and fed more on temperate than tropical leaves. We conclude that leaf litter from the tropics is a low-quality resource compared to leaves in temperate systems, because of differences in toughness, and that tropical shredders benefit from microbial colonization, as previously demonstrated for temperate systems. We suggest that leaf toughness could be one explanation for the reported paucity of shredders in some tropical streams.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Leaf Quality of Some Tropical and Temperate Tree Species as Food Resource for Stream Shredders

Graça

Cressa

2010

International Review of Hydrobiology

102

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“…With a higher per plant leaf turnover at lower latitudes, the observed estimates of herbivore damage would underestimate the actual amount of leaf area removed per unit time. However, recent studies have shown that when leaf longevity is taken in account when comparing herbivory rates between low and high latitudes, leaf damage is equal or more intense at higher latitudes (27)(28)(29). Finally, this pattern could be the result of reduced body size and, therefore, reduced lifetime leaf tissue consumption per herbivore, at lower latitudes (e.g., Bergmann's rule) (30,31).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbivore pressure increases toward the equator

Salazar

Marquis

2012

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

111

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Increases in species diversity and density from higher to lower latitudes are well documented. Nevertheless, the consequences of these changes in diversity for structuring ecological communities and influencing biotic evolution are largely unknown. It is widely believed that this increase in species diversity is associated with increased intensity of ecological interactions closer to the equator. For plant-herbivore interactions in particular, the predictions are that, at lower latitudes, plants will be attacked by more individual herbivores, more herbivore species, and more specialized herbivores and, therefore, will suffer greater damage. We used a large-scale latitudinal transect from Mexico to Bolivia to quantify changes in leaf damage, diversity, and abundance of lepidopteran larvae on two widely distributed host species of the genus Piper (Piperaceae). We show that both density and species richness of herbivores were highest at the equator and decreased with increasing latitude, both northward and southward. Contrary to expectation, however, this increase in herbivore diversity was attributable to the addition of generalist not specialist species. Finally, and again contrary to expectation, the increase in herbivore density with decreasing latitude did not produce a corresponding damage gradient. We propose that the lack of a latitudinal concordance between increases in herbivore density and diversity with decreasing latitude, and the resulting herbivore damage, supports the hypothesis of better plant antiherbivore defenses at lower latitudes. Furthermore, the changes in the relative abundance of generalist vs. specialist species suggest that the nature of the selective pressure is intrinsically different between higher and lower latitudes.herbivory | latitudinal gradient | Lepidoptera

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“…Some other studies have used a standardized methodology to focus on a single species, or pairs of species, across a range of latitude/temperatures. In a standardized broad scale study, Andrew and Hughes (2005) found no evidence of a gradient in folivory along latitude in Australia. Also in eastern Australia, Sinclair and Hughes (2008) did not find any evidence of a change in the prevalence of leaf miner damage with latitude (or with rainfall) in 36 plant species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Does insect folivory vary with latitude among temperate deciduous forests?

Zhang

Adams

Zhao

2010

Ecological Research

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There is a widespread belief that warmer climate forests suffer more folivory, as a proportion of leaf area, than cooler climate forests. However, there is a need for closely standardized studies to test this assumption. In this study, we estimated total folivory as percentage area damaged in freshly fallen, undecayed autumn leaves from the forest floor during the lifetime of deciduous tree leaves, using scanner-linked software. Over a period of 2 years, 154 samples were taken at 96 forested localities in eastern North America, spanning 17°of latitude. In terms of percentage area damage per leaf, the results in both years sampled suggest that there is significantly more damage in warmer, lower latitude areas of eastern North America. The decreasing folivory rate is higher in northern than in southern regions. The observations of a latitudinal trend may suggest that 'biotic' interaction is indeed more important in warmer temperate climates compared to cool temperate climates.

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Herbivore damage along a latitudinal gradient: relative impacts of different feeding guilds

Cited by 119 publications

References 40 publications

Leaf Quality of Some Tropical and Temperate Tree Species as Food Resource for Stream Shredders

Leaf Quality of Some Tropical and Temperate Tree Species as Food Resource for Stream Shredders

Herbivore pressure increases toward the equator

Does insect folivory vary with latitude among temperate deciduous forests?

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