Indigestibility of C4 Bundle Sheath Cells by the Grasshopper, Melanoplus confusus1,2

Caswell, Hal; Reed, Frank C.

doi:10.1093/aesa/68.4.686

Cited by 29 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Thereafter it is evident that the least palatable species proved to be the most dominant in terms of cover. Four of these species are C 4 grasses, supporting studies by Caswell and Reed (1975, 1976) who found that Melanoplus confusus and other species of grasshoppers were capable of digesting C 3 grass material, but were unable to digest totally the thick‐walled bundle sheath cells of C 4 grasses. This is, perhaps, of some relevance when it is considered that the index of palatability successfully predicts relative abundance of the C 3 and C 4 monocots, but is unable to differentiate amongst the dicots.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Seedling resistance to herbivory as a predictor of relative abundance in a synthesised prairie community

Burt-Smith

Grime

Tilman

2003

Oikos

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In a laboratory experiment seedlings of 24 perennial herbaceous prairie species were offered to the omnivorous cricket Acheta domestica in an extended feeding trial. Leaf damage was monitored daily allowing an index of palatability to be calculated for each plant species.  The index of palatability successfully predicted relative abundance within the same set of species in an independently‐conducted study involving community assembly from seed in low‐fertility plots.  These results support the hypothesis that resistance to herbivory may be an important component of plant fitness in unproductive vegetation. However, the correlation between palatability and community composition may be interpreted as a positive association between traits that lead to high competitive ability and herbivory resistance.  There is a need to establish whether the success of the dominant grasses at Cedar Creek arises from their superior ability to capture nitrogen from low external concentrations or is, rather, due to their superior ability to minimise nitrogen loss to herbivores.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Seedling resistance to herbivory as a predictor of relative abundance in a synthesised prairie community

Burt-Smith

Grime

Tilman

2003

Oikos

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“…The C 4 plants not only differ fundamentally from C 3 plants in their photosynthetic pathways but also show marked physiological and anatomical differences (Hatch & Slack, 1970; Raven, Evert & Eichhorn, 1998). The observed avoidance of C 4 plants by some insects in terrestrial systems is suggested to be a consequence of lower nutritional quality (Caswell et al , 1973, Barbehenn & Bernays, 1992), lower nutrient availability (Caswell & Reed, 1975), and physical constraints because of C 4 plant anatomy (Schiers, Bruyn & Verhagen, 2001). In freshwater ecosystems, the chemical and physical characteristics of allochthonous inputs are also known to influence invertebrate palatability and consumption (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can C₄ plants contribute to aquatic food webs of subtropical streams?

Clapcott

Bunn

2003

Freshwater Biology

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Summary 1. Recent stable isotope studies have revealed that C4 plants play a minor role in aquatic food webs, despite their often widespread distribution and production. We compared the breakdown of C3 (Eucalyptus) and C4 (Saccharum and Urochloa) plant litter in a small rain forest stream and used laboratory feeding experiments to determine their potential contribution to the aquatic food web. 2. All species of litter broke down at a fast rate in the stream, although Urochloa was significantly faster than Eucalyptus and Saccharum. This was consistent with the observed higher total organic nitrogen of Urochloa compared with the other two species. 3. The breakdown of Urochloa and Saccharum was, however, not associated with shredding invertebrates, which were poorly represented in leaf packs compared with the native Eucalyptus. The composition of the invertebrate fauna in packs of Urochloa quickly diverged from that of the other two species. 4. Feeding experiments using a common shredding aquatic insect Anisocentropus kirramus showed a distinct preference for Eucalyptus over both C4 species. Anisocentropus was observed to ingest C4 plant litter, particularly in the absence of other choices, and faecal material collected was clearly of C4 origin, as determined by stable isotope analysis. However, the stable carbon isotope values of the larvae did not shift away from their C3 signature in any of the feeding trials. 5. These data suggest that shredders avoid the consumption of C4 plants, in favour of native C3 species that appear to be of lower food quality (based on C : N ratios). Lower rates of consumption and lack of assimilation of C4 carbon also suggest that shredders may have a limited ability to process this material, even in the absence of alternative litter sources. Large scale clearing of forest and vegetation for C4 crops such as sugarcane will undoubtedly have important consequences for stream ecosystem function.

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“…Note that egg and feeding puncture are made between the veins (darker areas running from left to right) Scale bars indicate 150 m. Photo by J. Scheirs. (Caswell et al 1973, Caswell and Reed 1975, 1976, Boutton et al 1980, Heidorn and Joern 1984. Another anatomical difference is a smaller interveinal distance in C 4 plants (Crookston and Moss 1974, Dengler et al 1994, Soros and Dengler 1998.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Test of the C 3 -C 4 Hypothesis with Two Grass Miners

Scheirs¹,

Bruyn²,

Verhagen³

2001

Ecology

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The C 3 -C 4 hypothesis states that plants possessing the C 4 photosynthetic pathway are a poorer food resource for herbivores than those possessing the C 3 pathway, and that this difference is reflected in a tendency for herbivores to avoid feeding on C 4 species. We tested this hypothesis by studying host preference of two oligophagous grass miners, Chromatomyia milii and C. nigra (Diptera: Agromyzidae). Multiple-choice experiments between four C 3 and four C 4 grasses, two-choice experiments between combinations of C 3 and C 4 grasses, and no-choice experiments demonstrated a clear feeding and oviposition preference for C 3 grasses by both miners. Feeding and oviposition were very rare to absent on all C 4 grasses. Nutritional-quality analyses showed that water, protein, amino acid, and lignin content did not differ between C 3 and C 4 grasses; only the soluble carbohydrate content proved to be significantly lower in C 4 grasses.We postulated and tested a new explanation for C 4 avoidance, the ''physical-constraint hypothesis,'' which states that physical constraints imposed by a smaller interveinal distance in C 4 grasses may cause C 4 avoidance. Interveinal distances of C 4 grasses were significantly smaller than those of C 3 grasses, and their ranges did not overlap. Several observations strongly suggested that interveinal distance influences feeding and oviposition patterns. Firstly, the ovipositor and eggs of both miners were too wide to fit between two adjacent veins of C 4 grasses. Secondly, feeding punctures initiated on C 4 grasses were smaller than on C 3 grasses, and feeding-puncture size was correlated with interveinal distance. Regression analysis showed that feeding and oviposition preference were positively related to interveinal distance but not to carbohydrate content. We conclude that our observations are consistent with the physical-constraint hypothesis rather than the nutritional-quality hypothesis.

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Indigestibility of C4 Bundle Sheath Cells by the Grasshopper, Melanoplus confusus1,2

Cited by 29 publications

References 0 publications

Seedling resistance to herbivory as a predictor of relative abundance in a synthesised prairie community

Seedling resistance to herbivory as a predictor of relative abundance in a synthesised prairie community

Can C₄ plants contribute to aquatic food webs of subtropical streams?

A Test of the C 3 -C 4 Hypothesis with Two Grass Miners

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Indigestibility of C4 Bundle Sheath Cells by the Grasshopper, Melanoplus confusus1,2

Cited by 29 publications

References 0 publications

Seedling resistance to herbivory as a predictor of relative abundance in a synthesised prairie community

Seedling resistance to herbivory as a predictor of relative abundance in a synthesised prairie community

Can C4 plants contribute to aquatic food webs of subtropical streams?

A Test of the C 3 -C 4 Hypothesis with Two Grass Miners

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Can C₄ plants contribute to aquatic food webs of subtropical streams?