Incidence of leaf mining in different vegetation types across rainfall, canopy cover and latitudinal gradients

Abstract

Leaf miners are insects whose larval stages live between layers of leaf epidermis, feeding on mesophyll and lower epidermis to create mine-like cavities. Little is known about the ecology or distribution of leaf miners in Australia. We investigated the incidence of leaf miners in relation to aridity, vegetation types, host plant taxonomy, leaf traits, canopy cover and latitude. We surveyed leaf miners at 15 sites in NSW, eastern Australia, situated along a rainfall gradient from 300 to 1700 mm per annum and a latitudinal gradient of 28°S to 33°S, within four vegetation types (mallee, heath, woodland and rainforest). Leaf mining was recorded from 36 plant species, 89% of which had no previous record of mining.The proportion of mined plant species at each site varied, but there was no significant difference between vegetation types. Leaf mining presence was positively correlated with both total leaf length and leaf thickness. No significant correlations were found between the proportion of mined species at a site and rainfall, latitude or foliar projected cover. We conclude that leaf mining is a widespread type of insect herbivory whose distribution patterns are more likely to be influenced by biotic than abiotic factors.

Are dominant plant species more susceptible to leaf‐mining insects? A case study at Saihanwula Nature Reserve, China

“…In general, biotic factors play much important roles than abiotic ones in leaf‐mining distribution patterns (Sinclair & Hughes, 2008a). Plant phylogeny, which is highly related to plant chemistry, may have large influences on the species–area relationship of leafminers (Claridge & Wilson, 1982; Godfray, 1984).…”

“…High incidences and abundances of leafminers on dominant plants have been demonstrated at global, regional, and community levels (Dai et al., 2017). For example, the highest reported abundance and richness values of leaf‐mining insects are found for members of Fagaceae and Myrtaceae (i.e., the most dominant plant families in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, respectively) (Bairstow, Clarke, McGeoch, & Andrew, 2010; Claridge & Wilson, 1982; Dai, Xu, & Cai, 2014; Dai, Xu, & Ding, 2013; Faeth & Mopper, 1981; Ishida, Hattori, & Kimura, 2004; Kollár & Hrubík, 2009; Lopez‐Vaamonde, Godfray, & Cook, 2003; Nakamura, Hattori, Ishida, Sato, & Kimura, 2008; Opler & Davis, 1981; Sato, 1991; Sinclair & Hughes, 2008a,b). The variation in leafminer species richness among different host plants might be described by the species–area (i.e., leafminer species to host plant area) or species–apparency (i.e., leafminer species to host plant apparency) relationship (Dai et al., 2017; MacArthur & Wilson, 1967; Opler, 1974).…”

Leaf miner and plant galler species richness on Acacia: relative importance of plant traits and climate

“…Leaf miners are herbivorous insects that live within and feed upon internal plant tissue, but do not induce the host to create additional plant tissue (Connor and Taverner 1997;Sinclair and Hughes 2008). Leaf miners generally have narrow host preferences, with the majority being restricted to one or two plant species (Fernandes et al 2004;Hespenheide 1991;Lopez-Vaamonde et al 2003;Memmott et al 1994).…”

“…Insect leaf-mining communities have higher species richness in more moist environments, which may be attributed to more suitable leaf types compared to more arid ones (softer larger leaves compared to thicker more sclerophyllous leaves) (Andrew and Hughes 2005b;Fernandes et al 2004;Sinclair and Hughes 2008). Also leaf mines do not protect the resident insect from desiccation in hot, arid habitats, since leaf miners excavate just below the lamina, leaving only a thin layer of cells to cover the inhabitant (Connor and Taverner 1997).…”

“…For example, leaf thickness may be strongly influenced by climatic factors, with harsher habitats showing increased thickness, especially in Acacia (Cunningham et al 1999). This impacts on mining richness, as adults preferentially select the thinnest, largest leaves for oviposition (Faeth et al 1981b;Sinclair and Hughes 2008). Aside from the well-noted impact of desiccation in the determination of mining insect distributions, a number of other elements have also been considered.…”