Neighbouring tree effects on leaf herbivory: Insect specialisation matters more than host plant leaf traits

Jia, Shihong; Yang, Xiaochao; Castagneyrol, Bastien; Yang, Lishunan; Yin, Qiulong; He, Chunmei; Yang, Zhichun; Zhu, Yuzhao; Hao, Zhanqing

doi:10.1111/1365-2745.14228

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 112 publications

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“…Plant genera frequently occur at distinct successionary stages (as gap specialists, understory shrubs or canopy trees, for example) and share adaptations to these habitats. In some cases, diversity and identity of neighboring trees may even explain insect specialization better than leaf traits (Jia et al, 2023). Similar processes also act among congeneric plants (Sedio et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species swarms and their caterpillar colonisers: phylogeny and polyphenols determine host plant specificity in New Guinean Lepidoptera

Segar,

Re Jorge,

Nicholls

et al. 2024

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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The majority of multi-cellular terrestrial life is found in tropical forests and is either an invertebrate or a plant: for decades ecologists have sought to understand why. As global change erodes the list of extant species on our planet quantifying what species remain, along with their origins and ecology, contributes to our ability to preserve ecosystem functioning and resilience. Here we study three feeding guilds of caterpillars (Lepidoptera) and seek to understand the drivers of their diet breadth across four diverse tropical plant genera in Papua New Guinea. Host specificity is central to biodiversity estimates and the resilience of ecological networks. Specifically, we calculate distance-based host specificity in relation to plant phylogenetic relationships alongside chemical and mechanical traits of leaves. In terms of chemical defenses, we focus on the major polyphenol groups, a compound class shared across many plant species. We refine our data exploration using food webs and ordinations to pick out specific traits of relevance to insect host specificity. Our results showed that the degree of specialization for caterpillars took the following order: phylogenetic>polyphenol>mechanical, such that insect specificity was explained best by host phylogeny and polyphenol chemistry in our study system. Leaf mining insects had higher host specificity than those feeding externally. Of the traits studied hexahydroxydiphenoyl derivatives, galloyl derivatives, trichome density, quinic acid derivatives, myricetins and successional index explained the most variation in overall insect community structure. Our findings build on earlier studies of New Guinean rainforest communities and add a mechanistic explanation to previous findings that host genera are functional islands for insect herbivores. Further, we demonstrate that different plant genera combine different defensive traits that appear to drive associated insect diversity. Our approach integrates trait data and phylogeny to explore dimensions of specialization and we welcome metabolomic studies that will provide more detailed explanations for insect-herbivore host use. Finally, chemical diversity is directly linked to organismal diversity and by studying a range of insect herbivore guilds we make a connection between feeding ecology and specialization that will help to predict species interactions and, potentially, the persistence of ecological networks.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species swarms and their caterpillar colonisers: phylogeny and polyphenols determine host plant specificity in New Guinean Lepidoptera

Segar,

Re Jorge,

Nicholls

et al. 2024

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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“…Most studies of insect resistance in poplar hybrids and clones have focused on defoliators [12,13,17,27] because the foliage damage is visible and easy to quantify, and these insects can be controlled by spraying with an insecticide [9,11,28]. At the same time, phloem-boring or xylophagous insects at SRWC can, at high population densities, weaken trees in several ways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Possible Factors of Poplar Susceptibility to Large Poplar Borer Infestation

Meshkova,

Zhupinska,

Borysenko

et al. 2024

Forests

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Poplars (Populus spp.) are of significant ecological and economic importance. Long-term breeding efforts were aimed mainly at obtaining fast-growing and productive plants and less considered resistance to pests. This study aimed to identify patterns of susceptibility or resistance to Saperda carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) infestation among clones of Populus hybrids and pure species, focusing on the influence of their placement, seasonal development, stem diameter, height increment, and crossing combinations. Among 34 clones of poplar species and hybrids of Ukrainian and foreign selection, in 2019–2023 S. carcharias infested 14 clones every year. Six clones (‘Ivantiivska’, ‘Kytaiska × pyramidalna’, ‘Volosystoplidna’, ‘Novoberlinska-3’, ‘Robusta’, and ‘Lada’) were the most susceptible to the infestation by S. carcharias. The clones of all presented poplar sections and their crossing combinations, except the Tacamahaca and Leucoides cross, were infested. Greater height increment promoted the infestation by S. carcharias. Ambiguous results were obtained regarding the susceptibility of Populus hybrids compared to pure species to S. carcharias infestations. Considering infestation by S. carcharias and plant placement in the site, it can be concluded that the clones ‘Sakrau45-51’, ‘Deltopodibna’, ‘Rosijska’, ‘Slava Ukrayiny’, ‘Lubenska’, ‘Rohanska’, and ‘Nocturne’ are resistant to this pest. Selecting native species clones or creating mixed clone plantations could enhance the resilience of poplar plantations to pest threats.

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Neighbouring tree effects on leaf herbivory: Insect specialisation matters more than host plant leaf traits

Jia,

Yang,

Castagneyrol

et al. 2023

Journal of Ecology

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Insect herbivory plays a critical role in the regulation of plant populations and community structures. Although the strength of insect herbivory varies with neighbouring tree diversity and identity, it is not clear to what extent insect guilds and leaf traits of host plants mediate the relationships, particularly in diverse natural forests. In this study, we measured leaf herbivory by chewing and mining insect herbivores in 442 saplings of nine species of deciduous trees in a warm‐temperate montane forest. We censused neighbouring trees and measured five leaf traits known to influence herbivory (i.e. specific leaf area‐SLA, thickness, carbon: nitrogen ratio‐C:N ratio, sodium‐Na and silicon‐Si content) on a subset of saplings. Only herbivory by leaf‐mining insects was influenced by the identity and diversity of neighbouring trees. Specifically, the incidence of leaf‐miners decreased with the phylogenetic diversity of neighbouring trees and increased with conspecific adult density in the vicinity of focal trees. Furthermore, leaf mining herbivory was positively correlated with the amount of Si in the leaves of focal saplings, and leaf chewing herbivory decreased with increasing C:N ratio in the leaves. In contrast to our hypothesis, the leaf traits of focal saplings did not serve as a functional link between tree diversity and insect herbivory. Synthesis: Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering the specialisation of insect herbivores in understanding the impacts of the diversity and identity of neighbouring trees on the strength of insect herbivory.

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Neighbouring tree effects on leaf herbivory: Insect specialisation matters more than host plant leaf traits

Cited by 4 publications

References 112 publications

Species swarms and their caterpillar colonisers: phylogeny and polyphenols determine host plant specificity in New Guinean Lepidoptera

Species swarms and their caterpillar colonisers: phylogeny and polyphenols determine host plant specificity in New Guinean Lepidoptera

Possible Factors of Poplar Susceptibility to Large Poplar Borer Infestation

Neighbouring tree effects on leaf herbivory: Insect specialisation matters more than host plant leaf traits

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