1. |
- Puentes, Adriana, et al.
(författare)
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A Systematic Review on the Effects of Plant-Feeding by Omnivorous Arthropods: Time to Catch-Up With the Mirid-Tomato Bias?
- 2018
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-701X. ; 6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Zoophytophagous (omnivorous) predators provide valuable pest control services, and offer an advantage over strict carnivores as plant-feeding enables survival during prey shortage. This putative advantage can potentially be their downside, as plant-feeding may entail damage that negatively affects plant growth/yield (i.e., the cost arising from of omnivore plant-feeding). Yet, benefits conferred by predatory services are usually thought to counterbalance any impact of plant damage. In this systematic review, our goal was to determine how often levels of omnivore damage and its consequences for plants (costs) are considered or quantified. We provide a synthesis of publication trends and findings on omnivore plant-feeding levels, plant injury variables, actual (if quantified) and potential effects on growth/yield, the type of study (lab, greenhouse) and the plants/omnivores most often examined. Our search revealed that measures of omnivore plant-feeding are occasionally reported, but seldom are the direct consequences of such damage also considered. Omnivore plant-feeding were reported in 57% of studies (53 of 93 full-text examined); within these, the majority (>80%) indicated moderate to high levels of plant-feeding. However, only 22% of reports (15 of 69) quantified the effects of omnivore-inflicted damage on plant performance. Of these 15 reports, a greater number found negative consequences for plants compared to those showing no effect (8 vs. 4; 3 with both), with consequences for yield relative to growth being more often evaluated (6 vs. 2). Overall, fruit/leaf injuries relative to stem/flower-feeding were most often examined, and lab/greenhouse experiments predominated. Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) and the mirid Nesidiocoris tenuis were the most common species studied (34 and 14 reports, respectively). Our results indicate that costs to plants of omnivore-inflicted damage are often neglected. We argue that predatory benefits need to be simultaneously considered with plant-feeding effects to appropriately evaluate pest control services. Publication trends suggest that more studies are evaluating costs to plants, but a paradigm shift is still needed. Furthermore, we found that our understanding of plant-feeding and its effects is disproportionally based on studies examining tomato plants and its omnivorous biocontrol agents. To confirm the generality of findings thus far, other plant omnivore systems should be further considered.
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2. |
- Puentes, Adriana, et al.
(författare)
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Costs and benefits of omnivore-mediated plant protection: effects of plant-feeding on Salix growth more detrimental than expected
- 2017
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Ingår i: Oecologia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0029-8549 .- 1432-1939. ; 184, s. 485-496
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Predators can decrease herbivore damage to plants, and this is often assumed to be beneficial to plant growth/reproduction without actual quantification. Moreover, previous studies have been biased towards strict carnivores and neglected the role of omnivorous predators in prey-suppression. Here, we examined the costs (reduction in growth) and benefits (increase in growth) of enemy-mediated plant protection via the omnivorous (prey and plant-feeding) Orthotylus marginalis, relative to herbivory by a detrimental insect pest of Salix spp. plantations, the beetle Phratora vulgatissima. In a first experiment, we compared the cost of adult beetle versus omnivore nymph plant-feeding, and assessed the (non-) additive effects of the two types of damage. In a second experiment, we quantified the reduction in plant damage resulting from beetle-egg feeding by omnivorous nymphs and subsequent benefits to plants. We found that plant-feeding by omnivores negatively affected plant growth and this effect was similar to the cost imposed by beetle herbivory. Furthermore, simultaneous damage effects were additive and more detrimental than individual effects. While egg-predation by omnivore nymphs completely prevented beetle damage to plants, there was no difference in plant growth relative to only herbivore-damaged plants and growth was still reduced compared to control plants. Thus, despite herbivore suppression, there was no benefit to plant growth of omnivore-mediated plant protection and the negative effects of omnivore plant-feeding remained. These results are a first for an omnivorous enemy, and provide novel and timely insights on the underlying assumptions of tri-trophic associations and their use for biocontrol of insect pests.
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3. |
- Puentes, Adriana, et al.
(författare)
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Direct effects of elevated temperature on a tri-trophic system: Salix, leaf beetles and predatory bugs
- 2015
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Ingår i: Arthropod-Plant Interactions. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1872-8855 .- 1872-8847. ; 9, s. 567-575
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The net effect of climatic change on biotic interactions will depend on how each interacting species is individually affected. Elevated temperatures are predicted to have differential effects on species across trophic levels, due to asymmetric sensitivity to temperature changes. In this study, we examined the direct effects of three temperature regimes (16, 20 and 24 A degrees C) that reflect present and, potentially, future climate conditions on the response of Salix spp. plants, an important bioenergy crop, and its most damaging herbivore (Phratora vulgatissima) and an efficient natural enemy (the omnivorous predator Orthotylus marginalis). We found that plant growth, herbivore oviposition and enemy egg-foraging rate correlated positively with temperature. In the event of elevated temperatures following global climatic changes, these species could potentially respond in tandem. Still, the strength of responses varied among species, with herbivore and natural enemy exhibiting a similar and steeper rate of response relative to plants. Additionally, the herbivore's response was influenced by plant quality with altered oviposition rates depending on whether it was fed the (previously determined) resistant Salix dasyclados or susceptible S. viminalis. This indicates that host plant chemistry has the potential to mediate differential responses to temperature. Together, our results suggest that indirect effects of elevated temperatures, leading to a disruption of trophic associations, may be less likely or less severe in this tri-trophic system.
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4. |
- Puentes, Adriana, et al.
(författare)
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Novel Avenues for Plant Protection: Plant Propagation by Somatic Embryogenesis Enhances Resistance to Insect Feeding
- 2018
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Plant Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-462X. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Somatic embryogenesis (SE), a clonal propagation method utilizing somatic cells, occurs under conditions that activate plant stress adaptation mechanisms such as production of protective secondary metabolites. Surprisingly, possible differences in susceptibility to insect pests between SE-generated and conventionally cultivated plants have not been previously explored. Here, we recorded frequencies and levels of bark-feeding damage by pine weevils (Hylobius abietis) in two large field trials, consisting of emblings (SE-propagated plants) and seedlings from 50 half-sib Norway spruce (Picea abies) families. We found that emblings were less frequently attacked by pine weevils, and when attacked, they were damaged to a lesser extent than seedlings. Moreover, we detected significant additive genetic variation in damage levels received by plants, indicating a heritable component to differences in resistance to insect herbivory among half-sib families. We present first-time evidence that emblings can be more resistant than seedlings to herbivorous insect damage, thus, SE appears to confer a previously unknown plant protection advantage. This finding indicates novel avenues to explore mechanisms underlying plant resistance and new approaches to develop non-toxic measures against insect pests.
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5. |
- Puentes, Adriana, et al.
(författare)
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Similarity in G matrix structure among natural populations of Arabidopsis lyrata
- 2016
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Ingår i: Evolution. - : Wiley. - 0014-3820 .- 1558-5646. ; 70:10, s. 2370-2386
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Understanding the stability of the G matrix in natural populations is fundamental for predicting evolutionary trajectories; yet, the extent of its spatial variation and how this impacts responses to selection remain open questions. With a nested paternal half-sib crossing design and plants grown in a field experiment, we examined differences in the genetic architecture of flowering time, floral display, and plant size among four Scandinavian populations of Arabidopsis lyrata. Using a multivariate Bayesian framework, we compared the size, shape, and orientation of G matrices and assessed their potential to facilitate or constrain trait evolution. Flowering time, floral display and rosette size varied among populations and significant additive genetic variation within populations indicated potential to evolve in response to selection. Yet, some characters, including flowering start and number of flowers, may not evolve independently because of genetic correlations. Using a multivariate framework, we found few differences in the genetic architecture of traits among populations. G matrices varied mostly in size rather than shape or orientation. Differences in multivariate responses to selection predicted from differences in G were small, suggesting overall matrix similarity and shared constraints to trait evolution among populations.
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6. |
- Puentes, Adriana
(författare)
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Tolerance to deer herbivory and resistance to insect herbivores in the common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Evolutionary Biology. - : Wiley. - 1010-061X .- 1420-9101. ; 29, s. 86-97
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The evolution of plant defence in response to herbivory will depend on the fitness effects of damage, availability of genetic variation and potential ecological and genetic constraints on defence. Here, we examine the potential for evolution of tolerance to deer herbivory in Oenothera biennis while simultaneously considering resistance to natural insect herbivores. We examined (i) the effects of deer damage on fitness, (ii) the presence of genetic variation in tolerance and resistance, (iii) selection on tolerance, (iv) genetic correlations with resistance that could constrain evolution of tolerance and (v) plant traits that might predict defence. In a field experiment, we simulated deer damage occurring early and late in the season, recorded arthropod abundances, flowering phenology and measured growth rate and lifetime reproduction. Our study showed that deer herbivory has a negative effect on fitness, with effects being more pronounced for late-season damage. Selection acted to increase tolerance to deer damage, yet there was low and nonsignificant genetic variation in this trait. In contrast, there was substantial genetic variation in resistance to insect herbivores. Resistance was genetically uncorrelated with tolerance, whereas positive genetic correlations in resistance to insect herbivores suggest there exists diffuse selection on resistance traits. In addition, growth rate and flowering time did not predict variation in tolerance, but flowering phenology was genetically correlated with resistance. Our results suggest that deer damage has the potential to exert selection because browsing reduces plant fitness, but limited standing genetic variation in tolerance is expected to constrain adaptive evolution in O.biennis.
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7. |
- Puentes, Adriana, et al.
(författare)
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Tri-trophic interactions: bridging species, communities and ecosystems
- 2019
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Ingår i: Ecology Letters. - : Wiley. - 1461-023X .- 1461-0248. ; 22, s. 2151-2167
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- A vast body of research demonstrates that many ecological and evolutionary processes can only be understood from a tri-trophic viewpoint, that is, one that moves beyond the pairwise interactions of neighbouring trophic levels to consider the emergent features of interactions among multiple trophic levels. Despite its unifying potential, tri-trophic research has been fragmented, following two distinct paths. One has focused on the population biology and evolutionary ecology of simple food chains of interacting species. The other has focused on bottom-up and top-down controls over the distribution of biomass across trophic levels and other ecosystem-level variables. Here, we propose pathways to bridge these two long-standing perspectives. We argue that an expanded theory of tri-trophic interactions (TTIs) can unify our understanding of biological processes across scales and levels of organisation, ranging from species evolution and pairwise interactions to community structure and ecosystem function. To do so requires addressing how community structure and ecosystem function arise as emergent properties of component TTIs, and, in turn, how species traits and TTIs are shaped by the ecosystem processes and the abiotic environment in which they are embedded. We conclude that novel insights will come from applying tri-trophic theory systematically across all levels of biological organisation.
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8. |
- Vicari, Mark, et al.
(författare)
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Unpacking multi-trophic herbivore-grass-endophyte interactions : feedbacks across different scales in vegetation responses to Soay sheep herbivory
- 2018
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Ingår i: The Science of Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-1042 .- 1432-1904. ; 105:11-12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Grazing can induce changes in both plant productivity and nutritional quality, which may subsequently influence herbivore carrying capacity. While research on Soay sheep (Ovis aries L.) dynamics on Hirta Island in the St. Kilda archipelago has elucidated the complexity of population drivers, including parasites, the role of herbivore-generated feedbacks as an intrinsic regulating factor remains unclear. The sheep lack large predators and every 3-9years undergo population crashes (overcompensatory mortality). We investigated the effects of grazing on (1) sward productivity and (2) quality (toxicity) of the primary forage species, red fescue (Festuca rubra L.), which is highly infected by an alkaloid-synthesizing fungal endophyte. Grazing had a negative impact on both forage quantity and quality. At higher sheep densities, impacts on sward growth were magnified, resulting in a nonlinear relationship with plant productivity. Simultaneously, endophyte hyphal load (and by inference, toxicity) peaked close to the time of a crash. A greenhouse experiment showed that alkaloid concentration in F. rubra increased in response to artificial defoliation. We conclude that at high sheep densities, grazing-mediated reductions in productivity, together with sustained alkaloid production, are likely to influence sheep dynamics. Future research should consider the interactive effects of forage toxicity, quantity, and nutritional content.
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