Sources of Variation in Defensive Traits in Quercus Species: Insights Gained from Research Spanning Individuals to Communities and Local- to Broad-Scale Factors

Moreira, Xoaquín; Abdala‐Roberts, Luis

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-51034-3_3

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 111 publications

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“…Herbivory is strongly shaped by variation in the abiotic environment acting at different spatial scales (Karban 1992, Hunter 2016, Moreira and Abdala‐Roberts 2020). For instance, herbivory rates at broad spatial scales often correlate with macroclimatic factors such as mean annual temperature and precipitation, as shown repeatedly by studies on latitudinal gradients in species interactions (Schemske et al 2009, Anstett et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of experimental warming at the microhabitat scale on oak leaf traits and insect herbivory across a contrasting environmental gradient

Moreira,

Abdala‐Roberts,

Lago‐Núñez

et al. 2023

Oikos

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Forest microclimatic variation can result in substantial temperature differences at local scales with concomitant impacts on plant defences and herbivory. Such microclimatic effects, however, may differ across abiotically contrasting sites depending on background environmental differences. To test these cross‐scale effects shaping species ecological and evolutionary responses, we experimentally tested the effects of aboveground microhabitat warming on insect leaf herbivory and leaf defences (toughness, phenolic compounds) for saplings of sessile oak Quercus petraea across two abiotically contrasting sites spanning 9° latitude. We found higher levels of herbivory at the low‐latitude site, but leaf traits showed mixed patterns across sites. Toughness and condensed tannins were higher at the high‐latitude site, whereas hydrolysable tannins and hydroxycinnamic acids were higher at the low‐latitude site. At the microhabitat scale, experimental warming increased herbivory, but did not affect any of the measured leaf traits. Condensed tannins were negatively correlated with herbivory, suggesting that they drive variation in leaf damage at both scales. Moreover, the effects of microhabitat warming on herbivory and leaf traits were consistent across sites, i.e. effects at the microhabitat scale play out similarly despite variation in factors acting at broader scales. These findings together suggest that herbivory responds to both microhabitat (warming) and broad‐scale environmental factors, whereas leaf traits appear to respond more to environmental factors operating at broad scales (e.g. macroclimatic factors) than to warming at the microhabitat scale. In turn, leaf secondary chemistry (tannins) appears to drive both broad‐scale and microhabitat‐scale variation in herbivory. Further studies are needed using reciprocal transplants with more populations across a greater number of sites to tease apart plant plasticity from genetic differences contributing to leaf trait and associated herbivory responses across scales and, in doing so, better understand the potential for dynamics such as local adaptation and range expansion or contraction under shifting climatic regimes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of experimental warming at the microhabitat scale on oak leaf traits and insect herbivory across a contrasting environmental gradient

Moreira,

Abdala‐Roberts,

Lago‐Núñez

et al. 2023

Oikos

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“…Such provenance effects are partially the product of selective environmental adaptations (Turnbull & Griffin, 1985) and have been demonstrated for multiple functional traits in numerous tree species (Abdala‐Roberts et al, 2016; Arend et al, 2011; Cooper et al, 2019; Nabais et al, 2018). Trees may also exhibit considerable variation in trait expression within provenances, as a consequence of local genetic and environmental variation (Damestoy et al, 2019; Moreira & Abdala‐Roberts, 2020; Paaso et al, 2017). Such trait differences are the product of genotypic, developmental, and microenvironmental variation, and their interactions (Westerband et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic divergence along a climate gradient shapes chemical plasticity of a foundation tree species to both changing climate and herbivore damage

Best

Zierden

Cooper

et al. 2022

Global Change Biology

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Climate change is threatening the persistence of many tree species via independent and interactive effects on abiotic and biotic conditions. In addition, changes in temperature, precipitation, and insect attacks can alter the traits of these trees, disrupting communities and ecosystems. For foundation species such as Populus, phytochemical traits are key mechanisms linking trees with their environment and are likely jointly determined by interactive effects of genetic divergence and variable environments throughout their geographic range. Using reciprocal Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii) common gardens along a steep climatic gradient, we explored how environment (garden climate and simulated herbivore damage) and genetics (tree provenance and genotype) affect both foliar chemical traits and the plasticity of these traits. We found that (1) Constitutive and plastic chemical responses to changes in garden climate and damage varied among defense compounds, structural compounds, and leaf nitrogen. (2) For both defense and structural compounds, plastic responses to different garden climates depended on the climate in which a population or genotype originated. Specifically, trees originating from cool provenances showed higher defense plasticity in response to climate changes than trees from warmer provenances. (3) Trees from cool provenances growing in cool garden conditions expressed the lowest constitutive defense levels but the strongest induced (plastic) defenses in response to damage. (4) The combination of hot garden conditions and simulated herbivory switched the strategy used by these genotypes, increasing constitutive defenses but erasing the capacity for induction after damage. Because Fremont cottonwood chemistry plays a major role in shaping riparian communities and ecosystems, the effects of changes in phytochemical traits can be wide reaching. As the southwestern US is confronted with warming temperatures and insect outbreaks, these results improve our capacity to predict ecosystem consequences of climate change and inform selection of tree genotypes for conservation and restoration purposes.

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“…continues when considering their breadth of interspecies relationships. Species have documented interactions with a wide array of herbivores, and as a result produce a diverse arsenal of defensive traits (Moreira & Abdala‐Roberts, 2020; Pearse & Hipp, 2012). This large variation in habitat preference and physiology, as well as the bulk of existing species, means that this genus likely contains species of varying degrees of specialization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specialists are thought to be more highly threatened by disturbance and anthropogenic effects, although this is at times disputed (Colles et al, 2009; Monks & Burrows, 2014). More notable, however, is that data related to these species are abundant, readily available, and diverse (Kaproth & Cavender‐Bares, 2016; Moreira & Abdala‐Roberts, 2020; Pearse & Hipp, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining plant ecological specialists and generalists: Building a framework for identification and classification

Kirsch

Kaproth

2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Specialization is a widespread but highly ambiguous and context‐dependent ecological concept. This quality makes comparisons across related studies difficult and makes associated terms such as “specialist” and “generalist” scientifically obscure. Here, we present a metric‐based framework to quantify specialization in 141 Quercus species using functional traits, biogeography, and species interactions. Rankings of specialization based on five metrics were used to answer questions about how specialization is used colloquially (i.e., individual species assessment by experts) and influenced by phylogenetics (Ancestral Character State Reconstruction, Automatic Shift Detection), biogeography (patterns of clustering by region and with climate), and species threat level (IUCN Red List). Metric‐based ranking can be representative of specialization in a consistent and practical manner, correlating with IUCN Red List data, and the mean scores of individual expert assessments. Specialization is shown to be highly correlated with precipitation seasonality and only moderately influenced by evolutionary history. Data‐deficient species were more likely to be highly specialized, and higher specialization was positively correlated with greater IUCN threat level. Frameworks for characterizing specialization and generalization can be done using metric ranking and can turn concepts that are often unclear into a definitive system. Metric‐based rankings of specialization can also be used to reveal interesting insights about a clade's evolutionary history and geographic distribution when paired with the related phylogenetic and geographic data. Metric‐based rankings can be applied to other systems and be a valuable tool for identifying species at risk and in need of conservation.

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Sources of Variation in Defensive Traits in Quercus Species: Insights Gained from Research Spanning Individuals to Communities and Local- to Broad-Scale Factors

Cited by 5 publications

References 111 publications

Effects of experimental warming at the microhabitat scale on oak leaf traits and insect herbivory across a contrasting environmental gradient

Effects of experimental warming at the microhabitat scale on oak leaf traits and insect herbivory across a contrasting environmental gradient

Genetic divergence along a climate gradient shapes chemical plasticity of a foundation tree species to both changing climate and herbivore damage

Defining plant ecological specialists and generalists: Building a framework for identification and classification

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