Plant–plant interactions in tropical alpine environments

Plant–plant interactions are increasingly recognized as a key driver of community organization and ecosystem processes in alpine environments. However, patterns and mechanisms of plant–plant interactions remain largely uncharacterized in tropical alpine ecosystems (TAE) which represent as much as 10% of the total surface area of alpine ecosystems worldwide. In this paper, we review (1) the ecological and environmental features that are specific to TAE in comparison with other alpine ecosystems, (2) the existing literature on plant–plant interactions in TAE, and (3) whether patterns and mechanisms of plant–plant interactions established in extratropical alpine zones can be extended to TAE. TAE are located predominantly in South America, East Africa, and South-East Asia where they show a unique combination of environmental characteristics, such as absence of persisting snow cover, high frequency of diurnal freeze–thaw cycles and needle-ice activity, and a decrease in precipitation with increasing altitude. These environmental characteristics result in the presence of giant growth forms with a great architectural diversity. These biotic and abiotic characteristics influence the outcome of plant–plant interactions by imposing other types of environmental constraints than those found in extratropical alpine environments, and by potentially generating distinctive patterns of niche differentiation/complementarity between species and populations. To generalize the conceptual framework of plant–plant interactions in alpine environments, we advocate that TAE should be investigated more thoroughly by applying designs, methods and hypotheses that are used currently in temperate areas and by conducting studies along large latitudinal gradients that include tropical regions.     

Plant–animal interactions in seagrass beds: ongoing and future challenges for understanding population and community dynamics

Seagrass beds are some of the most productive parts of coastal ecosystems, hosting a wide variety of associated fauna. This paper reviews recent studies of animal–plant interactions in seagrass beds, focusing particularly on studies conducted in Japan and Thailand. Although the positive effect of seagrass habitat structure on animals has been widely acknowledged, the magnitude of this effect varies greatly among studies. A comparative study on epifaunal communities and a manipulative experiment using an infaunal bivalve revealed that behavioral and life-history traits of component species and their interactions influence the observed variation. Some recent studies have challenged the previously accepted view that direct herbivory on seagrasses is rare, and has a minor effect on the seagrass community. A series of studies of dugong herbivory revealed that the marine mammal has great impacts not only on seagrass productivity but also on the infaunal community. Furthermore, it has been found that seed predators have a negative influence on seed production and the subsequent recruitment of seagrass. Recent studies have also demonstrated significant effects of fine-scale landscape patterns in seagrass vegetation on productivity, species interactions and community structure in seagrass beds. Future research integrating new concepts and theories in ecology, such as metapopulation and hierarchy theories, with new research tools, such as molecular-genetic analyses and remote-sensing techniques, may aid in developing a more comprehensive understanding of population and community dynamics in seagrass beds.This article is an invited review contributed by the winner of the 2003 Population Ecology Young Scientist Award.     

Introduction: Plant–herbivore interactions

This special feature resulted from a symposium entitled "Interactions Between Plants and Their Herbivores," held during the Meeting of the Society of Population Ecology in Ohmi-Shirahama, Shiga, Japan, in October 1999 (Chairperson of Symposium: Professor Emeritus E. Kuno of Kyoto University). This theme emerged from discussions by the organizing committee for this symposium: N. Yamamura, J. Takabayashi, T. Nishida, and N. Ohsaki. Professor Mark D. Rausher of Duke University was invited as a special lecturer. In this series of reports, five of the seven participants illustrate the variation found in plant–herbivore interactions and address some problems inherent in current theory.     

Plant–hummingbird interactions in the West Indies: floral specialisation gradients associated with environment and hummingbird size

Floral phenotype and pollination system of a plant may be influenced by the abiotic environment and the local pollinator assemblage. This was investigated in seven plant–hummingbird assemblages on the West Indian islands of Grenada, Dominica and Puerto Rico. We report all hummingbird and insect pollinators of 49 hummingbird-pollinated plant species, as well as six quantitative and semi-quantitative floral characters that determine visitor restriction, attraction and reward. Using nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis, we show that hummingbird-pollinated plants in the West Indies separate in floral phenotypic space into two gradients—one associated with the abiotic environment and another with hummingbird size. Plants pollinated by large, long-billed hummingbirds had flowers with long corolla tube, large amounts of nectar and showy orange-red colouration. These attracted few or no insect species, whereas plants pollinated by small, short-billed hummingbirds were frequently pollinated by insects, particularly lepidopterans. The separation of plants related to environmental factors showed that species in the wet and cold highlands produced large amounts of dilute nectar, possessed no or a weak odour, and were associated with few insects, particularly few hymenopterans, compared to plants in the dry and warm lowlands. The most specialised hummingbird-pollinated plants are found in the West Indian highlands where they are pollinated by mainly large, long-billed hummingbirds. At the other extreme, highly generalised plants growing in the dry and warm lowlands are pollinated by small, short-billed hummingbirds and numerous insect species. This illustrates that, even within the hummingbird-pollinated flora, pollination syndrome and the degree of specialisation may vary tremendously depending on pollinator morphology and environment. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

The rhizosphere microbiome: Plant–microbial interactions for resource acquisition

While horticulture tools and methods have been extensively developed to improve the management of crops, systems to harness the rhizosphere microbiome to benefit plant crops are still in development. Plants and microbes have been coevolving for several millennia, conferring fitness advantages that expand the plant’s own genetic potential. These beneficial associations allow the plants to cope with abiotic stresses such as nutrient deficiency across a wide range of soils and growing conditions. Plants achieve these benefits by selectively recruiting microbes using root exudates, positively impacting their nutrition, health and overall productivity. Advanced knowledge of the interplay between root exudates and microbiome alteration in response to plant nutrient status, and the underlying mechanisms there of, will allow the development of technologies to increase crop yield. This review summarizes current knowledge and perspectives on plant–microbial interactions for resource acquisition and discusses promising advances for manipulating rhizosphere microbiomes and root exudation.     

Plant–microbes interactions in enhanced fertilizer-use efficiency

The continued use of chemical fertilizers and manures for enhanced soil fertility and crop productivity often results in unexpected harmful environmental effects, including leaching of nitrate into ground water, surface run-off of phosphorus and nitrogen run-off, and eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems. Integrated nutrient management systems are needed to maintain agricultural productivity and protect the environment. Microbial inoculants are promising components of such management systems. This review is a critical summary of the efforts in using microbial inoculants, including plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for increasing the use efficiency of fertilizers. Studies with microbial inoculants and nutrients have demonstrated that some inoculants can improve plant uptake of nutrients and thereby increase the use efficiency of applied chemical fertilizers and manures. These proofs of concept studies will serve as the basis for vigorous future research into integrated nutrient management in agriculture.     

Plant–pollinator interactions in a Mexican Acacia community

Competition for pollination is thought to be an important factor structuring flowering in many plant communities, particularly among plant taxa with morphologically similar and easily accessible flowers. We examined the potential for heterospecific pollen transfer (HPT) in a community of four Acacia species in a highly seasonal tropical habitat in Mexico. Partitioning of pollen flow among sympatric species appears to be achieved, in part, through segregation of flowering in seasonal time, and interspecific differences in pollinator guilds. However, two coflowering species (Acacia macracantha and Acacia angustissima) shared multiple flower visitors, raising the possibility of HPT. Each of these coflowering species showed high intraspecific daily synchrony in pollen release, but dehisce at different times of day. Pollinators rapidly harvested available pollen from one species before abandoning it to visit the flowers of the second later in the day. The activity of shared pollinators, predominantly bees, is thus structured throughout the day, and potential for HPT reduced. Suggestive evidence in favour of a resource partitioning explanation for this pattern is provided by the fact that A. macracantha showed significantly greater intraspecific synchrony when coflowering with a potential competitor (A. angustissima) than when flowering alone. We discuss our results in light of previous work on coflowering acacia assemblages in Tanzania and Australia. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Plant–bacteria interactions in the removal of pollutants

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Highlights► Rhizobacteria degrade a wide range of pollutants and efficiently colonize plant roots. ► Plants have an effect on the selection of their own rhizospheric microorganisms. ► Catabolic pathways can be induced by natural secondary plant products. ► Horizontal gene transfer has an important role in bioremediation. ► Manipulation of plant/microbe interactions could improve rhizoremediation outcomes.     

‘Captivity bias’ in animal tool use and its implications for the evolution of hominin technology

Animals in captive or laboratory settings may outperform wild animals of the same species in both frequency and diversity of tool use, a phenomenon here termed ‘captivity bias’. Although speculative at this stage, a logical conclusion from this concept is that animals whose tool-use behaviour is observed solely under natural conditions may be judged cognitively or physically inferior than if they had also been tested or observed under controlled captive conditions. In turn, this situation creates a potential problem for studies of the behaviour of extinct members of the human family tree—the hominins—as hominin cognitive abilities are often judged on material evidence of tool-use behaviour left in the archaeological record. In this review, potential factors contributing to captivity bias in primates (including increased contact between individuals engaged in tool use, guidance or shaping of tool-use behaviour by other tool-users and increased free time and energy) are identified and assessed for their possible effects on the behaviour of the Late Pleistocene hominin Homo floresiensis. The captivity bias concept provides one way to uncouple hominin tool use from cognition, by considering hominins as subject to the same adaptive influences as other tool-using animals.     

Plant–floral visitor network structure in a smallholder <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cucurbitaceae</Emphasis> agricultural system in the tropics: implications for the extinction of main floral visitors

Animal pollination is responsible for the majority of the human food supply. Understanding pollination dynamics in agricultural systems is thus essential to help maintain this ecosystem service in the face of human disturbances. Surprisingly, our understanding of plant–pollinator interactions in widely distributed smallholder agricultural systems is still limited. Knowledge of pollination dynamics in these agricultural systems is necessary to fully assess how human disturbances may affect pollination services worldwide. In this study, we describe the structure of a plant–floral visitor network in a smallholder Cucurbitaceae agricultural system. We further identify the main floral visitors of these crops and tested their importance by simulating how their extinction affected network structure and robustness. The observed network was highly connected and generalized but it was neither nested nor compartmentalized. Our results suggest that the structure of agricultural plant–pollinator networks could be inherently different from those in natural communities. These differences in network structure may reflect differences in spatial distribution of floral resources between agricultural and natural systems. We identified Augochlora nigrocyanea and Peponapis limitaris as the two most frequent floral visitors. However, removal of these species did not affect network structure or its robustness, suggesting high levels of interaction rewiring. To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to describe the structure of a plant–floral visitor network in diverse agricultural systems in the tropics. We emphasize the need for more studies that evaluate network structure in agricultural systems if we want to fully elucidate the impact of human disturbances on this key ecosystem service.     

Types, evolution and significance of plant – animal interactions

Abstract  Interactions between plants and animals are analyzed starting from the advantages gained by animals and proceeding to those gained exclusively by plants. These interactions are essentially of five types: 1. predation of plants by animals; 2. benevolence of plants towards certain animals to prevent or reduce predation; 3. predation by plants (carnivorous plants); 4. symbiosis and mutualism; 5. seduction and deception of animals by plants for dispersal of plant reproductive structures. All types of plants are preyed on by animals, though from as far back in evolution as algae, certain plant molecules reduce or prevent predation. In the most primitive land plants, other types of interactions beneficial for plants are encountered. More evolved land plants (angiosperms) show all facets of the five types of interaction, whereas in prokaryotic and eukaryotic algae there is only predation and in some cases countermeasures to avoid it. An evolutionary path leading from predation, the original condition, to seduction, deception and carnivory, is also postulated. Keywords Plants, Animals, Predation, Benevolence, Symbiosis, Mutualism, Pollination, Seed dispersal Subject codes: Animal Ecology, Plant Ecology, Evolutionary Biology     

Plant–microbe interactions promoting plant growth and health: perspectives for controlled use of microorganisms in agriculture

Plant-associated microorganisms fulfill important functions for plant growth and health. Direct plant growth promotion by microbes is based on improved nutrient acquisition and hormonal stimulation. Diverse mechanisms are involved in the suppression of plant pathogens, which is often indirectly connected with plant growth. Whereas members of the bacterial genera Azospirillum and Rhizobium are well-studied examples for plant growth promotion, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Serratia, Stenotrophomonas, and Streptomyces and the fungal genera Ampelomyces, Coniothyrium, and Trichoderma are model organisms to demonstrate influence on plant health. Based on these beneficial plant–microbe interactions, it is possible to develop microbial inoculants for use in agricultural biotechnology. Dependent on their mode of action and effects, these products can be used as biofertilizers, plant strengtheners, phytostimulators, and biopesticides. There is a strong growing market for microbial inoculants worldwide with an annual growth rate of approximately 10%. The use of genomic technologies leads to products with more predictable and consistent effects. The future success of the biological control industry will benefit from interdisciplinary research, e.g., on mass production, formulation, interactions, and signaling with the environment, as well as on innovative business management, product marketing, and education. Altogether, the use of microorganisms and the exploitation of beneficial plant–microbe interactions offer promising and environmentally friendly strategies for conventional and organic agriculture worldwide.     

Plant–soil relationships in fragments of Mediterranean snow-beds: ecological and conservation implications

We investigated the spatial structures of soil properties and snow-bed vegetation, and their relationships, in southern Italy. We analyzed data on 26 plant species and 10 soil traits from adjacent 1 × 1 m plots in two snow-bed patches. Measures of spatial autocorrelation revealed striking spatial structures for plant cover and soil properties at both sites. Bivariate statistics and Mantel tests highlighted a significant correlation between spatial patterns of plants and soil in the study sites. Canonical correspondence analysis related such relationships to an ecological gradient connecting soil properties and plant assemblages in this unusual ecological context. Among the variables significantly related to plant patterns is the soil organic matter, which is recognized as being sensitive to global warming. Our analyses suggest that soil dynamics due to increasing temperature may promote the replacement of species typical of southern snow-bed ecosystems by more mesophilous plants.     

Predator–prey interactions and changing environments: who benefits?

While aquatic environments have long been thought to be more moderate environments than their terrestrial cousins, environmental data demonstrate that for some systems this is not so. Numerous important environmental parameters can fluctuate dramatically, notably dissolved oxygen, turbidity and temperature. The roles of dissolved oxygen and turbidity on predator-prey interactions have been discussed in detail elsewhere within this issue and will be considered only briefly here. Here, we will focus primarily on the role of temperature and its potential impact upon predator-prey interactions. Two key properties are of particular note. For temperate aquatic ecosystems, all piscine and invertebrate piscivores and their prey are ectothermic. They will therefore be subject to energetic demands that are significantly affected by environmental temperature. Furthermore, the physical properties of water, particularly its high thermal conductivity, mean that thermal microenvironments will not exist so that fine-scale habitat movements will not be an option for dealing with changing water temperature in lentic environments. Unfortunately, there has been little experimental analysis of the role of temperature on such predator-prey interactions, so we will instead focus on theoretical work, indicating that potential implications associated with thermal change are unlikely to be straightforward and may present a greater threat to predators than to their prey. Specifically, we demonstrate that changes in the thermal environment can result in a net benefit to cold-adapted species through the mechanism of predator-prey interactions.