植物-内生真菌共生体对昆虫种群的影响

植物内生真菌与植食性昆虫共用寄主植物作为食物、能量来源及栖息场所,三者之间的互作关系复杂多变,在生物种群控制、生物进化和植物生产中发挥重要作用.从植物-内生真菌共生体、内生真菌对植食性昆虫与多级营养层的影响,及内生真菌抗虫代谢产物等方面概括了内生真菌-植物-昆虫相互关系的研究进展,建议将植物内生真菌纳入植物生态学、昆虫生态学和作物病虫害控制的范畴内.     

植食性哺乳动物与植物协同进化研究进展

从动物-植物协同进化模式,植物对动物采食反应及动物对植物防卫的适应对策等方面综述了以植物次生化合物为媒介的植食性哺乳动物-植物协同进化的研究进展,动物与植物的协同进化模式包括成对协同进化,扩散协同进化,躲避-辐射协同进化,多样性的协同进化,平行分枝进化,互惠进化等模式,植物不仅以超补偿反应,物理防卫作为对植食性动物采食的应答,延长植食性动物的觅食时间,降低植食性动物的觅食效率,更能以其派生的次生化合物抑制动物的摄食,进而影响其消化,代谢及生长等生理生态特征,动物通过改变觅食行为,调整对各食物项目的相对摄入量,减少次生化合物的摄入量,动物还通过氧化,还原,络合,改变消化道内环境,形成相应的降解酶,改变代谢率等途径降低次生化合物对其的负作用。     

植物克隆整合生态效应及潜在应用

克隆植物因特殊的克隆整合和空间拓展特性,在异质生境下展示出较高的生态适应性及适合度,这是其广泛存在于各类生态系统的一个重要原因。目前对克隆整合在个体或种群水平的生态学效应已有较深认识,而对群落及生态系统的影响及作用机制则明显关注不足。前期研究表明,克隆整合对土壤理化性质、根际微生物及个体竞争力均有显著影响,从而有利于克隆植物的成功入侵、生境修复及植被重建等。对群落及生态系统水平的克隆整合生态学效应的研究进行归纳和总结,分析了克隆整合对植物群落结构和生产力、根际微生物和土壤动物、生态系统碳固持、养分循环等的影响;阐释了克隆整合及空间拓展特性对退化生态系统的修复及作用机制,并指出今后克隆整合的研究应同时考虑微观(根际过程)和宏观(群落及生态系统)层次的效应以及短期与长期的效应。可将克隆整合与植物-土壤反馈等其他生态过程相联系,综合探究克隆整合的生态学意义。     

喜旱莲子草原产地和入侵地种群的植物-土壤反馈差异

植物-土壤反馈是植物通过生长改变根际土壤环境,从而影响后续植物生长发育的生态学过程。入侵植物从原产地扩散到入侵地后,可能会经历植物本身的适应性进化而对土壤环境产生不同影响,从而使负向植物-土壤反馈降低,甚至转为正反馈。以往对入侵植物的植物-土壤反馈研究多集中于比较其与本地种、其他入侵种之间的差异,而较少关注入侵植物的入侵地种群和原产地种群在入侵地的差异。本研究采用同质园实验比较了喜旱莲子草(Alternanthera philoxeroides)入侵地(中国)和原产地(阿根廷)种群是否存在对入侵地土壤的植物-土壤反馈差异以及如何通过土壤微生物群落来影响反馈结果。结果表明:(1)喜旱莲子草入侵地种群的反馈表现为正,原产地种群表现为中性。(2)入侵地种群显著增加了土壤的细菌和真菌群落多样性,原产地种群与对照土壤无显著差异。这些结果表明,喜旱莲子草入侵地种群在扩散过程中,对土壤微生物群落的调节作用发生了改变,从而产生正向的植物-土壤反馈效应。     

植物干旱胁迫对植食性昆虫及其天敌的影响

全球正经历以变暖为主要特征的气候变化,由此带来的干旱将对农业生态系统造成重要影响。本文综述了干旱胁迫下寄主植物对植食性昆虫及其天敌影响的国内外最新研究进展。在干旱胁迫下,寄主植物物理性状、营养状况和次生代谢物质等均发生变化,这些变化导致植食性昆虫的生存环境和营养物质的获取等方面发生改变,从而影响了害虫生长发育和种群动态。干旱胁迫还导致寄主物候变化与昆虫发生不同步,使害虫缺乏食物。另外干旱也会引起植食性害虫天敌的种群发生变化,从而对植食性昆虫种群数量产生间接的影响。     

植食性哺乳动物觅食的功能反应及其模型

章主要介绍植食性哺乳动物觅食功能反应与模型的研究进展。植食性哺乳动物觅食的摄入率与其食物可利用性的功能反应是动物觅食生态学过程的基础。可利用植物的生物量密度、植物密度、植物大小、以及动物觅食的口量是影响动物觅食功能反应的潜在变量集。这些变量的差异导致动物功能反应格局的复杂化。生物量密度和植物密度对动物摄入率无明显影响,而植物大小对动物摄入率则有显影响。有食物密集的斑块条件下,以植物大小代替动物     

植物——土壤反馈研究进展

该文综述了植物—土壤反馈研究的定义、途经、方法和国内外的研究现状以及存在的问题。植物—土壤反馈是指植物改变根际土壤的生物和非生物特征,同时被改变的也能提高或降低该植物的生长,形成正的或负的反馈,从而影响植物群落组成及植物间相互作用。植物—土壤反馈研究对于理解植物群落演替、生态系统多样性与生产力形成与维持机制,认识生态系统对气候变化和生物入侵等全球生态事件的响应具有重要的理论意义。外来物种快速生长和繁殖及其可能的负反馈可能会导致本地种被竞争排除,未来气候变化可能导致物种组成发生变化及生物多样性丢失,但资源互补和植物—土壤反馈效应则可能使植物群落具有较高的生产力和多样性。因此,未来植物—土壤反馈关系应该加强以下几方面研究:(1)开展不同生态系统植物—土壤反馈关系的比较研究;(2)植物—土壤及土壤—植物等群落水平的反馈研究;(3)特别是要加强分子和基因工具在植物土壤—反馈关系中的应用,揭示植物—土壤反馈关系的分子机理。     

虫害诱导的植物挥发物:植物与植食性昆虫及其天敌相互作用的进化产物

综述了植物、植食性昆虫及其天敌相互作用的进化过程。虫害诱导的植物挥发物的特征和功能是植物-植食性昆虫-天敌之间长期进化的结果。在植物、植食性昆虫与天敌相互作用的进化过程中,3个不同营养级,包括植物、植食性昆虫和天敌有着各自的调节和利用虫害诱导的植物挥发物的策略。但有一些问题,如通过实验研究得出的诱导防御在田间是否真正能起到保护作用等需进一步研究、阐明。     

植物次生代谢物对植食性哺乳动物营养和生理生态特征的影响

植物次生代谢物对植食性哺乳动物的营养和生理生态效应是动植物相互关系研究中的一个重要方面。本文简要介绍了植食性哺乳动物处理植物次生代谢物的一般途径,着重阐述了植物次生代谢物对植食性哺乳动物的营养和生理特征的限制方式,并对决定植食性哺乳动物处理植物次生代谢物能力差异性的相关因素进行了探讨。最后,结合国际上的研究趋势,论述了国内开展此类研究的方向和重点。     

动物个性研究进展

"个性"是指不同时空条件下动物种群个体间行为的稳定差异。大量的理论和实验性研究表明,个性差异在动物界普遍存在,其是种群多度和分布、物种共存及群落构建的重要驱动因子。介绍了动物个性的概念、分类及衡量指标,将前人测量个性类型的方法加以总结;随后介绍了动物个性的生态学意义,尤其是个性对动物生活史策略、种群分布与多度、群落结构和动态、生态系统功能和过程以及疾病与信息传播等的影响。在此基础上,进一步分析了在人类活动增加等全球变化背景下,动物个性如何调控动物个体行为、种群和群落动态对这些环境变化的响应。阐述了动物个性的形成与维持机制,并对未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

Spatially complex neighboring relationships among grassland plant species as an effective mechanism of defense against herbivory

Close spatial relationships between plant species are often important for defense against herbivory. The associational plant defense may have important implications for plant community structure, species diversity, and species coexistence. An increasing number of studies have focused on associational plant defense against herbivory at the scale of the individual plant and its nearest neighbors. However, the average neighborhood effects between plant species at the scale of whole plant communities have received almost no attention. The aims of this study were to determine patterns of spatial relationship between different plant species that can provide effective defense against herbivory. We conducted a manipulative experiment using sheep and three native plant species with different palatability. Consumption of palatable plants by herbivores was largest when the three plant species were isolated in three patches and independent of each other. A homogenous and spatially equal neighbor relationship between the three species did not reduce the risk of herbivory of palatable species compared to isolation of these species, but it reduced the total intake of all plant species. The palatable species was subject to less herbivory in a complex spatial neighborhood of several plant species. High complexity of spatial neighborhood resulted in herbivores passively reducing selectivity, thereby reducing the probability of damage to palatable species in the community, or making inaccurate judgments in foraging selectivity between and within patches, thereby reducing the vulnerability of palatable plants and even the whole plant community. We conclude that compelling herbivores to passively reduce the magnitude of foraging selectivity by establishing spatially complex neighborhoods between plant species is a compromise and optimal spatial strategy by plants to defend themselves again herbivory. This may contribute not only to maintenance of plant species diversity but also to a stable coexistence between herbivores and plants in grassland ecosystems.     

Order of herbivore arrival on wild cabbage populations influences subsequent arthropod community development

In plant–arthropod associations, the first herbivores to colonise a plant may directly or indirectly affect community assembly on that particular plant. Whether the order of arrival of different arthropod species further modulates community assembly and affects plant fitness remains unclear. Using wild Brassica oleracea plants in the field, we manipulated the order of arrival of early‐season herbivores that belong to different feeding guilds, namely the aphid Brevicoryne brassicae and caterpillars of Plutella xylostella. We investigated the effect of herbivore identity and order of arrival on community assembly on two B. oleracea plant populations during two growth seasons. For this perennial plant, we evaluated whether foliar herbivory also affected herbivore communities on the flowers and if these interactions affected plant seed production. Aphid infestation caused an increase in parasitoid abundance, but caterpillars modulated these effects, depending on the order of herbivore infestation and plant population. In the second growth season, when plants flowered, the order of infestation of leaves with aphids and caterpillars more strongly affected abundance of herbivores feeding on the flowers than those feeding on leaves. Infestation with caterpillars followed by aphids caused an increase in flower‐feeding herbivores compared to the reversed order of infestation in one plant population, whereas the opposite effects were observed for the other plant population. The impact on plant seed set in the first reproductive year was limited. Our work shows that the identity and arrival order of early season herbivores may have long‐term consequences for community composition on individual plants and that these patterns may vary among plant populations. We discuss how these community processes may affect plant fitness and speculate on the implications for evolution of plant defences.     

Effects of Nitrogen Deposition on Insect Herbivory: Implications for Community and Ecosystem Processes

The deposition of anthropogenically fixed nitrogen (N) from the atmosphere onto land and plant surfaces has strong influences on terrestrial ecosystem processes. Although recent research has expanded our understanding of how N deposition affects ecosystems directly, less attention has been directed toward the investigation of how N deposition may affect ecosystems indirectly by modifying interactions among organisms. Empirical evidence suggests that there are several mechanisms by which N deposition may affect interactions between plants and insect herbivores. The most likely mechanisms are deposition-induced shifts in the quality and availability of host plant tissues. We discuss the effects of N deposition on host plant chemistry, production, and phenology, and we review the evidence for the effects of N deposition on insect herbivores at the individual, population, and community levels. In general, N deposition has positive effects on individual insect performance, probably due to deposition-induced improvements in host plant chemistry. These improvements include increased N and decreased carbon-based defensive compound concentrations. The evidence to date suggests that N deposition may also have a positive effect on insect populations. These effects may have considerable ecological, as well as economic consequences if the rates of herbivory on economically important timber species continue to increase. Deposition-induced changes in plant–herbivore relationships may affect community and ecosystem processes. However, we predict that the larger-scale consequences of interactions between N deposition and herbivory will vary based on site-specific factors. In addition, interactions between N deposition and other global-scale changes may lead to nonadditive effects on patterns of herbivory.     

Herbivore induced plant volatiles: Their role in plant defense for pest management

Plants respond to herbivory through different defensive mechanisms. The induction of volatile emission is one of the important and immediate response of plants to herbivory. Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) are involved in plant communication with natural enemies of the insect herbivores, neighboring plants, and different parts of the damaged plant. Release of a wide variety of HIPVs in response to herbivore damage and their role in plant-plant, plant-carnivore and intraplant communications represents a new facet of the complex interactions among different trophic levels. HIPVs are released from leaves, flowers, and fruits into the atmosphere or into the soil from roots in response to herbivore attack. Moreover, HIPVs act as feeding and/or oviposition deterrents to insect pests. HIPVs also mediate the interactions between the plants and the microorganisms. This review presents an overview of HIPVs emitted by plants, their role in plant defense against herbivores and their implications for pest management.     

Effects of experimental inbreeding on herbivore resistance and plant fitness: the role of history of inbreeding, herbivory and abiotic factors

Inbreeding is common in plant populations and can affect plant fitness and resistance against herbivores. These effects are likely to depend on population history. In a greenhouse experiment with plants from 17 populations of Lychnis flos-cuculi, we studied the effects of experimental inbreeding on resistance and plant fitness. Depending on the levels of past herbivory and abiotic factors at the site of plant origin, we found either inbreeding or outbreeding depression in herbivore resistance. Furthermore, when not damaged experimentally by snail herbivores, plants from populations with higher heterozygosity suffered from inbreeding depression and those from populations with lower heterozygosity suffered from outbreeding depression. These effects of inbreeding and outbreeding were not apparent under experimental snail herbivory. We conclude that inbreeding effects on resistance and plant fitness depend on population history. Moreover, herbivory can mask inbreeding effects on plant fitness. Thus, understanding inbreeding effects on plant fitness requires studying multiple populations and considering population history and biotic interactions.     

Consequences of variation in plant defense for biodiversity at higher trophic levels

Antagonistic interactions between insect herbivores and plants impose selection on plants to defend themselves against these attackers. Although selection on plant defense traits has typically been studied for pairwise plant-attacker interactions, other community members of plant-based food webs are unavoidably affected by these traits as well. A plant trait might, for example, affect parasitoids and predators feeding on the herbivore. Consequently, defensive plant traits structure the diversity and composition of the complex community associated with the plant, and communities as a whole also feed back to selection on plant traits. Here, we review recent developments in our understanding of how plant defense traits structure insect communities and discuss how molecular mechanisms might drive community-wide effects.     

Seedling herbivory, community composition and plant life history traits

Despite the voluminous literature documenting plant-animal interactions, it is only recently that ecologists have begun to focus upon the importance of seedling herbivory in plant communities. This review aims to synthesize our current understanding of the effect that selective seedling removal by herbivores has in shaping post-disturbance plant community structure. In order to do this I describe how individual seedling and plant community characteristics influence the likelihood of seedling herbivory. I argue that seedling palatability, size and morphology, together with the frequency, distribution and timing of seedling emergence all play a significant role in determining seedling regeneration success in the face of herbivore attack. I also outline how current plant defence theories can be related to recent field observations concerning seedling acceptability and removal. In addition, I suggest that those seedling characteristics which provide the emerging plant with some degree of resistance against herbivory should be viewed as one component of a suite of plant life history traits affecting seedling regeneration success or failure. In view of the increasing importance of comparative methods in plant ecology, I propose that future research should integrate seedling acceptability with other plant life history traits thought to affect seedling regeneration. Recent work suggests that seed size may be paramount in determining regeneration success. I explore the possibility that seed size and seedling acceptability may be linked and discuss how these two factors may interact along successional gradients in plant communities.     

Mammalian Herbivores Alter the Population Growth and Spatial Establishment of an Early-Establishing Grassland Species

Plant-herbivore interactions influence the establishment context of plant species, as herbivores alter the community context in which individual species establish, and the spatial relationship between individuals and their source population as plants invade. This relationship can be described using an establishment kernel, which takes into account movement through seed dispersal, and subsequent establishment of adults. Mammalian herbivores are hypothesized to influence plant population growth and establishment through a combination of consumption of seeds and seedlings, and movement of seeds. While the movement abilities of plants are well known, we have very few empirical mechanistic tests of how biotic factors like mammalian herbivores influence this spread potential. As herbivores of all sizes are abundant on the landscape, we asked the question, how do mammalian herbivores influence the population growth, spatial establishment, and the community establishment context of an early-recruiting native prairie legume, Chamaecrista fasciculata? We planted C. fasciculata in source populations within a four-acre tallgrass prairie restoration in plots with and without herbivores, and monitored its establishment with respect to distance from the source populations. We found that herbivores decreased population growth, and decreased the mean and range establishment distance. Additionally, C. fasciculata established more often without herbivores, and when surrounded by weedy, annual species. Our results provide insight into how the interactions between plants and herbivores can alter the spatial dynamics of developing plant communities, which is vital for colonization and range spread with fragmentation and climate change. Mammalian herbivores have the potential to both slow rates of establishment, but also determine the types of plant communities that surround invading species. Therefore, it is essential to consider the herbivore community when attempting to restore functioning plant communities.     

Herbivore‐induced changes in flower scent and morphology affect the structure of flower–visitor networks but not plant reproduction

Herbivory induces various responses in plants, thus altering the plants’ phenotype in chemical and morphological traits. Herbivore‐induced changes in vegetative plant parts, plant‐physiological mechanisms, and effects on plant‐animal interactions have been intensively studied from species to community level. In contrast, we are just beginning to examine herbivore‐induced effects on reproductive plant parts and flower–visitor interactions, especially in a community context. We investigated the effect of herbivory at different plant developmental stages on plant growth, floral and vegetative phenotype and reproduction in Sinapis arvensis (Brassicaceae). Additionally, we tested how herbivore‐induced plant responses affect flower–visitor interactions and plant reproduction in species‐rich communities. Our results indicate that the timing of herbivory affects the magnitude of changes in plant traits. Herbivory in early but not in late development accelerated the plant's flowering phenology, reduced vegetative growth, increased stem trichome density and altered floral morphology and scent. These findings suggest age‐dependent tradeoffs between growth, defense and reproduction. Herbivore‐induced changes in flower traits also affected flower–visitor interactions in a community context with effects on the structure of flower–visitor networks. However, changes in the network structure had neglectable effects on plant reproduction, i.e. plants were able to compensate altered flower visitor behavior. Thus, herbivory is a source of intraspecific variation in reproductive traits, which can be behaviorally relevant for potential pollinators. However, plants were capable to maintain reproductive success suggesting a tolerance against herbivory. We conclude that in our study system induced direct or indirect defenses that have often been shown to decrease negative effects of herbivores on vegetative plant parts come at no costs for plant reproduction.     

Plant‐mediated interactions between two herbivores differentially affect a subsequently arriving third herbivore in populations of wild cabbage

• Plants are part of biodiverse communities and frequently suffer from attack by multiple herbivorous insects. Plant responses to these herbivores are specific for insect feeding guilds: aphids and caterpillars induce different plant phenotypes. Moreover, plants respond differentially to single or dual herbivory, which may cascade into a chain of interactions in terms of resistance to other community members. Whether differential responses to single or dual herbivory have consequences for plant resistance to yet a third herbivore is unknown.
• We assessed the effects of single or dual herbivory by Brevicoryne brassicae aphids and/or Plutella xylostella caterpillars on resistance of plants from three natural populations of wild cabbage to feeding by caterpillars of Mamestra brassicae. We measured plant gene expression and phytohormone concentrations to illustrate mechanisms involved in induced responses.
• Performance of both B. brassicae and P. xylostella was reduced when feeding simultaneously with the other herbivore, compared to feeding alone. Gene expression and phytohormone concentrations in plants exposed to dual herbivory were different from those found in plants exposed to herbivory by either insect alone. Plants previously induced by both P. xylostella and B. brassicae negatively affected growth of the subsequently arriving M. brassicae. Furthermore, induced responses varied between wild cabbage populations.
• Feeding by multiple herbivores differentially activates plant defences, which has plant‐mediated negative consequences for a subsequently arriving herbivore. Plant population‐specific responses suggest that plant populations adapt to the specific communities of insect herbivores. Our study contributes to the understanding of plant defence plasticity in response to multiple insect attacks.