Weighing Defensive and Nutritive Roles of Ant Mutualists Across a Tropical Altitudinal Gradient

Rodríguez-Castañeda, Genoveva; Tepe, Eric J.; Gentry, Grant; Dyer, Lee A.

doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2010.00700.x

Cited by 18 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…For example, studies in both tropical and temperate mountains have found increasing elevation to be associated with lower insect herbivore attack by parasitoids (Preszler andBoecklen 1996, Maunsell et al 2015), predatory arthropods (Koptur 1985, Rodríguez-Castañeda et al 2011, Rasmann et al 2014c, Sam et al 2015, Roslin et al 2017, and insectivorous birds (Sam et al 2015) (Fig. 1A).…”

Section: Tritrophic Interactions Influence Plant-insect Herbivore Elementioning

confidence: 98%

Elevational gradients in plant defences and insect herbivory: recent advances in the field and prospects for future research

et al. 2018

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Classic research on elevational gradients in plant-herbivore interactions holds that insect herbivore pressure is stronger under warmer, less seasonal climates characteristic of low elevations, and that this in turn selects for increased defence in low-(relative to high-) elevation plants. However, recent work has questioned this paradigm, arguing that it overly simplifies the ecological complexity in which plant-insect herbivore interactions are embedded along elevational gradients. Numerous biotic and abiotic factors vary with elevation, and their simultaneous influences are the focus of current work on elevational gradients in insect herbivory and plant defences. The present review 1) synthesizes current knowledge on elevational gradients in plant-insect herbivore interactions; 2) critically analyses research gaps and highlights recent advances that contribute to filling these gaps; and 3) outlines new research opportunities to uncover underlying mechanisms and build towards a unified theory on elevational gradients. We conclude that the next generation of studies should embrace community complexity -including multi-trophic dynamics and the multivariate nature of plant defence -and to do so by combining observational data, manipulative experiments and emerging analytical tools.

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Section: Tritrophic Interactions Influence Plant-insect Herbivore Elementioning

confidence: 98%

Elevational gradients in plant defences and insect herbivory: recent advances in the field and prospects for future research

et al. 2018

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“…; Rodriguez‐Castaneda et al . ). For instance, ants are frequently involved in plant indirect defences (Beattie ), as they are the dominant insect predators in many different ecosystems (Holldobler & Wilson ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In parallel, the need to attract a predator partner should decrease with increasing elevation (Rodriguez‐Castaneda et al . ). On the other hand, as high‐elevation plants might suffer from a reduction in metabolic activity and growth due to poorer soil quality and colder temperatures, we might predict an increase in low‐cost inducible defences at high elevation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Differential allocation and deployment of direct and indirect defences by Vicia sepium along elevation gradients

et al. 2014

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Summary1. Dissecting drivers of plant defence investment remains central for understanding the assemblage of communities across different habitats. There is increasing evidence that direct defence strategies against herbivores, including secondary metabolites production, differ along ecological gradients in response to variation in biotic and abiotic conditions. In contrast, intraspecific variation in indirect defences remains unexplored. 2. Here, we investigated variation in herbivory rate, resistance to herbivores and indirect defences in ant-attracting Vicia species along the elevation gradient of the Alps. Specifically, we compared volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ant attraction in high-and low-elevation ecotypes. 3. Consistent with adaptation to the lower herbivory conditions that we detected at higher elevations in the field, high-elevation plants were visited by fewer ants and were more susceptible to herbivore attack. In parallel, constitutive volatile organic compound production and subsequent ant attraction were lower in the high-elevation ecotypes. 4. We observed an elevation-driven trade-off between constitutive and inducible production of VOCs and ant attraction along the environmental cline. At higher elevations, inducible defences increased, while constitutive defence decreased, suggesting that the high-elevation ecotypes compensate for lower indirect constitutive defences only after herbivore attack. 5. Synthesis. Overall, direct and indirect defences of plants vary along elevation gradients. Our findings show that plant allocation to defences are subject to trade-offs depending on local conditions, and point to a feedback mechanism linking local herbivore pressure, predator abundance and the defence investment of plants.

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“…viridiflava (Dognin) (Fig. 4B–H; Rodríguez-Castañeda 2009, Dyer et al 2013: www.caterpillars.org ). Seven of these species were recognizable from adult characters as distinct species, whereas additional cryptic species were recognized from a combination of molecular data and larval characteristics (Wilson et al 2012).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Piper kelleyi, a hotspot of ecological interactions and a new species from Ecuador and Peru

Tepe¹,

Rodríguez-Castañeda²,

Glassmire³

et al. 2014

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We describe Piper kelleyi sp. nov., a new species from the eastern Andes of Ecuador and Peru, named in honor of Dr. Walter Almond Kelley. Piper kelleyi is a member of the Macrostachys clade of the genus Piper and supports a rich community of generalist and specialist herbivores, their predators and parasitoids, as well as commensalistic earwigs, and mutualistic ants. This new species was recognized as part of an ecological study of phytochemically mediated relationships between plants, herbivores, predators, and parasitoids. Compared to over 100 other Piper species surveyed, Piper kelleyi supports the largest community of specialist herbivores and parasitoids observed to date.

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Weighing Defensive and Nutritive Roles of Ant Mutualists Across a Tropical Altitudinal Gradient

Cited by 18 publications

References 51 publications

Elevational gradients in plant defences and insect herbivory: recent advances in the field and prospects for future research

Elevational gradients in plant defences and insect herbivory: recent advances in the field and prospects for future research

Differential allocation and deployment of direct and indirect defences by Vicia sepium along elevation gradients

Piper kelleyi, a hotspot of ecological interactions and a new species from Ecuador and Peru

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