| 1. |
- Bernhardsson, Carolina, et al.
(author)
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Geographic structure in metabolome and herbivore community co-occurs with genetic structure in plant defence genes
- 2013
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In: Ecology Letters. - Hoboken : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1461-023X .- 1461-0248. ; 16:6, s. 791-798
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Plantherbivore interactions vary across the landscape and have been hypothesised to promote local adaption in plants to the prevailing herbivore regime. Herbivores that feed on European aspen (Populus tremula) change across regional scales and selection on host defence genes may thus change at comparable scales. We have previously observed strong population differentiation in a set of inducible defence genes in Swedish P. tremula. Here, we study the geographic patterns of abundance and diversity of herbivorous insects, the untargeted metabolome of the foliage and genetic variation in a set of wound-induced genes and show that the geographic structure co-occurs in all three data sets. In response to this structure, we observe local maladaptation of herbivores, with fewer herbivores on local trees than on trees originated from more distant localities. Finally, we also identify 28 significant associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms SNPs from defence genes and a number of the herbivore traits and metabolic profiles.
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| 2. |
- Bernhardsson, Carolina, et al.
(author)
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Population differentiation in arthropod community structure and phenotypic association with inducible defense genes in European Aspen (Populus tremula L., salicaceae)
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Plant-herbivore interactions are known to vary across a landscape due to both variation in abiotic and biotic factors. Such spatial variation tends to promoting local adaption of plants to the prevailing herbivore regime. Here we use data from a common garden to look for patterns across populations in the abundance and diversity of herbivorous insects. We also screen for variation in the untargeted metabolome of the foliage of a subset of the same trees. We also search for phenotypic associations between genetic variation in a number of wound-induced genes and phenotypic variation in herbivore abundance, diversity and in metabolomes. We observe significant genetic variation in a number of herbivore-related traits but low correlations between traits. We do observe substantial genetic structure in both herbivore community structure and in metabolic profiles and this structure is aligned with genetic structure we have previously documented for a set of defense genes. We also identify a number of significant associations between SNPs from wound-induced defense genes and a number of the herbivore traits and metabolic profiles. However, these associations are likely not causal, but are rather caused by the underlying population structure we observe. These results highlight to the importance of historical processes and the need to better understand both the current-day geographic distribution of different herbivore species as well as the post-glacial colonization history of both plants and herbivores.
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| 3. |
- Robinson, Kathryn M., et al.
(author)
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Genetic Variation in Functional Traits Influences Arthropod Community Composition in Aspen (Populus tremula L.)
- 2012
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 7:5, s. e37679-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We conducted a study of natural variation in functional leaf traits and herbivory in 116 clones of European aspen, Populus tremula L., the Swedish Aspen (SwAsp) collection, originating from ten degrees of latitude across Sweden and grown in a common garden. In surveys of phytophagous arthropods over two years, we found the aspen canopy supports nearly 100 morphospecies. We identified significant broad-sense heritability of plant functional traits, basic plant defence chemistry, and arthropod community traits. The majority of arthropods were specialists, those coevolved with P. tremula to tolerate and even utilize leaf defence compounds. Arthropod abundance and richness were more closely related to plant growth rates than general chemical defences and relationships were identified between the arthropod community and stem growth, leaf and petiole morphology, anthocyanins, and condensed tannins. Heritable genetic variation in plant traits in young aspen was found to structure arthropod community; however no single trait drives the preferences of arthropod folivores among young aspen genotypes. The influence of natural variation in plant traits on the arthropod community indicates the importance of maintaining genetic variation in wild trees as keystone species for biodiversity. It further suggests that aspen can be a resource for the study of mechanisms of natural resistance to herbivores.
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