Does genomic variation in a foundation species predict arthropod community structure in a riparian forest?

Understanding how genetic variation within a foundation species determines the structure of associated communities and ecosystem processes has been an emerging frontier in ecology. Previous studies in common gardens identified close links between intraspecific variation and multispecies community structure, and these findings are now being evaluated directly in the complex natural ecosystem. In this study, we examined to what extent genomic variation in a foundation tree species explains the structure of associated arthropod communities in the field, comparing with spatial, temporal and environmental factors. In a continuous mixed forest, arthropods were surveyed on 85 mature alders (Alnus hirsuta) in 2 years. Moreover, we estimated Nei's genetic distance among the alders based on 1,077 single nucleotide polymorphisms obtained from restricted‐site‐associated DNA sequencing of the alders’ genome. In both years, we detected significant correlations between genetic distance and dissimilarity of arthropod communities. A generalized dissimilarity modelling indicated that the genetic distance of alder populations was the most important predictor to explain the variance of arthropod communities. Among arthropod functional groups, carnivores were consistently correlated with genetic distance of the foundation species in both years. Furthermore, the extent of year‐to‐year changes in arthropod communities was more similar between more genetically closed alder populations. This study demonstrates that the genetic similarity rule would be primarily prominent in community assembly of plant‐associated arthropods under temporally and spatially variable environments in the field.     

The regulation of post-eclosion and post-feeding diuresis in the Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus

Both post-eclosion and post-feeding diuresis can be demonstrated in adult Monarch butterflies; and both these processes are significantly inhibited by neck-ligature. The post-eclosion response is restored in neck-ligatured animals by injection of whole head, brain, ventral nerve cord, and corpora cardiaca-corpora allata extracts, and the effect is dose dependent. The active substance appears to be a water soluble, heat stable, trypsin and protease sensitive, polypeptide, with a molecular weight estimated from gel filtration of approx. 3000, that is localized principally in the brain. The amount of active substance present in the head decreases during post-eclosion diuresis, when activity seems to be present in the haemolymph. However, diuretic activity can be demonstrated from heads obtained from Monarchs that are several days or weeks old. In the Monarch, post-eclosion diuresis appears to be under hormonal regulation. By contrast, extracts of whole heads and/or known endocrine organs do not significantly alter post-feeding diuresis in intact or neck-ligatured Monarchs. In addition, although diuresis in response to injections of large volumes of insect saline can be demonstrated in Monarchs, extracts of known endocrine organs do not affect the rate of post-injection diuresis in either neck-ligatured or intact animals. Such experiments, and others involving surgical interruption of the ventral nerve cord, indicate that the eclosion diuretic hormone does not play a major role in the regulation of post-feeding diuresis in this species.     

The diversity of arthropods in homes across the United States as determined by environmental DNA analyses

We spend most of our lives inside homes, surrounded by arthropods that impact our property as pests and our health as disease vectors and producers of sensitizing allergens. Despite their relevance to human health and well‐being, we know relatively little about the arthropods that exist in our homes and the factors structuring their diversity. As previous work has been limited in scale by the costs and time associated with collecting arthropods and the subsequent morphological identification, we used a DNA‐based method for investigating the arthropod diversity in homes via high‐throughput marker gene sequencing of home dust. Settled dust samples were collected by citizen scientists from both inside and outside more than 700 homes across the United States, yielding the first continental‐scale estimates of arthropod diversity associated with our residences. We were able to document food webs and previously unknown geographic distributions of diverse arthropods – from allergen producers to invasive species and nuisance pests. Home characteristics, including the presence of basements, home occupants and surrounding land use, were more useful than climate parameters in predicting arthropod diversity in homes. These noninvasive, scalable tools and resultant findings not only provide the first continental‐scale maps of household arthropod diversity, but our analyses also provide valuable baseline information on arthropod allergen exposures and the distributions of invasive pests inside homes.     

Effects of enhanced productivity of resources shared by predators in a food‐web module: Comparing results of a field experiment to predictions of mathematical models of intra‐guild predation

We compared the response to resource enhancement of a simple empirical model of intra‐guild predation (IGP) to the predictions of published, simple mathematical models of asymmetric IGP (a generalist IG Predator that feeds both on a specialist IG Prey and a Resource that it shares with the IG Prey). The empirical model was a food‐web module created by pooling species abundances across many families in a speciose community of soil micro‐arthropods into three categories: IG Predator (large predatory mites), IG Prey (small predatory mites), and a shared Resource (fungivorous mites and springtails). By pooling abundances of species belonging to broadly defined functional groups, we tested the hypothesis that IGP is a dominant organizing principle in this community. Simple mathematical models of asymmetric IGP predict that increased input of nutrients and energy to the shared Resource will increase the equilibrium density of Resource and IG Predator, but will decrease that of IG Prey. In a field experiment, we observed how the three categories of the empirical model responded to two rates of addition of artificial detritus, which enhanced the food of fungivores, the Resource of the IGP module. By the experiment''s end, fungivore densities had increased ~1.5× (ratio of pooled fungivore densities in the higher‐input treatment to plots with no addition of detritus), and densities of IG Predators had increased ~4×. Contrary to the prediction of mathematical models, IG Prey had not decreased, but instead had increased ~1.5×. We discuss possible reasons for the failure of the empirical model to agree with IGP theory. We then explore analogies between the behavior of the empirical model and another mathematical model of trophic interactions as one way to gain insights into the trophic connections in this community. We also propose one way forward for reporting comparisons of simple empirical and mathematical models.     

Manipulating field margins to increase predation intensity in fields of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum)

The effectiveness of natural enemies to control pests can be enhanced through habitat manipulation. However, due to the differences in their ecology, generalist and specialist species may respond differently to the same manipulation. Moreover, interactions among natural enemies (i.e. cannibalism, intraguild predation, hyperparasitism) may complicate the assumption that a higher density of natural enemies would increase the level of biological control. We investigated the natural enemy guild composition and the predation rate along flower vs. grass margins at the edge of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) fields in Denmark. Natural enemies were sampled by pitfall trapping and by suction sampling; predation intensity was measured using two different sentinel prey methods: artificial caterpillars made of plasticine, and sentinel aphid colonies. Specialist and generalist species responded differently to the two margin types: specialists (mostly parasitic wasps) were attracted by the flower margins, while generalists (ground beetles, rove beetles and spiders) were more active in grass margins. The number of artificial caterpillars attacked was significantly greater in grass margins (mean = 48.9%, SD = 24.3) than in flower margins (mean = 30.7%, SD = 17.4). We found a significant positive relationship between the number of artificial caterpillars attacked by chewing insects, and activity density for large (≥15 mm) ground beetles. Predation of sentinel aphids in wheat fields did not vary significantly in relation to margin type. Our results suggest that flowering margins may be beneficial for canopy‐active specialist natural enemies, but grassy margins are more useful for ground‐active generalist predators.     

大气CO2浓度和气温升高对麦田节肢动物群落的影响

为了预测气候变化对麦田节肢动物群落多样性的影响, 本研究在麦田开放环境中设置4种处理, 分别是高温(高于当时气温2℃和当前CO₂浓度)、高CO₂浓度(500 μL/L和当时气温)、高温+高CO₂浓度和对照(当前CO₂浓度和气温)等, 采用定期随机抽样方法调查节肢动物群落的多样性, 用经典的多样性指数对整体节肢动物群落以及不同食性节肢动物群落多样性进行分析。共采到节肢动物3纲10目42科52种。仅“高温”和“高温+高CO₂”处理显著增大节肢动物群落的均匀度, 其余处理均无显著影响。“高温+高CO₂”处理的影响随小麦生长发育期不同而略有差异, 在苗期可增大Shannon-Wiener多样性指数, 而在后期使该指数减小; “高温+高CO₂”与“高温”处理的群落多样性较为相似。对不同食性节肢动物群落的分析表明, 与对照相比, 植食性昆虫群落在“高CO₂”下丰富度显著增大; 寄生性昆虫群落的多度在“高温”下显著增大; 腐食性等节肢动物群落的多度在“高CO₂+高温”和“高温”处理下有所增大、均匀度在“高温”下略降低, 但均未达统计上的显著水平; 捕食性节肢动物群落不受影响。本研究说明, CO₂浓度和气温升高不同程度地影响麦田节肢动物群落的物种多样性, 两类因素同时升高与各自单独升高的影响不完全一致。     

有机化梨园节肢动物群落时间动态的聚类分析

对北京顺义地区有机化梨园中2个不同栽培区节肢动物总群落、害虫及天敌亚群落分别进行时间动态的系统聚类。结果表明,在同一园区内,稀植区和密植区均以木虱为优势种类,相对丰盛度分别达0.3801、0.3300。总群落的24次调查结果稀植区可聚为5类,D=1.87,密植区聚为3类,D=1.80;害虫亚群落调查结果,当两区D=1.80时,稀植区可聚为3类,密植区可聚为4类;天敌亚群落调查结果稀植区聚为4类,D=2.12,密植区聚为5类,D=1.75。在早春的密植区和入秋的稀植区木虱发生量大,应加强监测,及时防治。     

福安三种不同茶园节肢动物群落的消长动态调查

根据对福建福安的3种不同茶园（天香有机茶园、北门高山茶园和溪柄平地茶园）的节肢动物群落消长动态调查。并经多样性分析,结果获知：福安3种茶园节肢动物群落的物种丰富度（s）和多样性指数（H）的大小顺序依次为：天香（S=19．64,H=2．537）〉北门（S=18．01,H=2．502）〉溪柄（S=17．59,H=2．297）;而均匀度指数的大小顺序是：北门（J=0．621）〉天香（J=0．595）〉溪柄（J=0．559）。表明植被比较丰富、人为干扰较少的茶园,节肢动物群落的物种丰富度、多样性指数和均匀度指数较高,害、益虫群落易于保持较好的平衡状态,有利于减少（或不使用）化学农药、发展绿色无公害茶叶生产。     

多作稻田生态系统对稻纵卷叶螟及其天敌功能团的影响

为探明稻田与非稻田生境时空配置对稻纵卷叶螟Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenée)及其天敌功能团产生的生态学效应,分别于2007和2008年的中稻期,在福建省武夷山试验基地,采用室内观察法、田间剥查法和吸虫器法,系统调查了水稻多作系统和水稻单作系统内稻纵卷叶螟种群及其寄生蜂功能团和捕食性节肢动物个体数量的时序动态; 同时通过陷阱诱集法,调查了多作和单作稻田生境边界地表捕食性节肢动物（蜘蛛和昆虫）个体数量的时序动态,以及多作系统中,捕食性节肢动物在稻田和非稻田生境间的迁移动态。 结果表明：与辣椒、生姜、玉米和花生等镶嵌种植的稻田,其稻纵卷叶螟幼虫及其寄生蜂功能团个体数量较单一稻田差异不大,而捕食性节肢动物则明显少于单作稻田,但多作稻田边界较单作稻田边界有更多的捕食性节肢动物个体数量（2007年：多作稻田边界1984~2294个体,单作稻田边界1479个体;2008年：多作稻田边界3 417~4 178个体,单作稻田边界2 423个体）。 究其原因,主要由于多作系统中捕食性节肢动物更偏好从稻田向非稻田生境迁移,其中捕食性昆虫效应更明显。