Journal ArticleDOI
Biodiversity consequences of predation and host plant hybridization on an aphid-ant mutualism
Gina M. Wimp,Thomas G. Whitham +1 more
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The hypothesis that mutualists, predators, and host plant quality act in concert to determine the distribution and abundance of a common herbivore is examined and mechanisms that de- termine arthropod community structure are uncovered.Abstract:
We examined the hypothesis that mutualists, predators, and host plant quality act in concert to determine the distribution and abundance of a common herbivore. The aphid, Chaitophorus populicola, is found only in association with ants, which provide tending services and protection from predators. As a consequence, aphid abundance declined by 88% on host plants located ?6 m from an ant mound. Differences in host plant quality resulted in aphid fecundity being greatest on narrowleaf cottonwoods, 7-22% less on back- cross hybrids, 37-46% less on F1 hybrids, and 57-61% less on Fremont cottonwoods. Due to the combined effects of these factors, we found that the realized aphid habitat was only 21% of their potential habitat. On trees where aphids and tending ants are present, aphids and ants greatly outnumber any other arthropod species; therefore, we examined the hypothesis that the factors affecting aphid density and distribution are also determinants of arthropod community structure. On a per-tree basis, observational data showed that arthropod species richness was 51% greater and abundance was 67% greater on trees where aphid-ant mutualists were absent relative to trees where they were present. When aphids were experimentally removed and ants abandoned the tree, we found the same pattern. On a per-tree basis, arthropod species richness increased by 57%, and abundance increased by 80% where aphid-ant mutualists were removed, relative to control trees. Overall, a total of 90 arthropod species were examined in this study: 56% were found only on trees without aphid-ant mutualists, 12% were found only on trees with aphid-ant mutualists, and 32% were common to both. Specific guilds were also affected; the aphid-ant mutualism had a negative effect on herbivores, generalist predators, and other species of tending ants, and a positive effect on specialist enemies of aphids. These results suggest that, by examining the factors responsible for the population dynamics of a common herbivore, we may also uncover mechanisms that de- termine arthropod community structure. Furthermore, studies that address the role of mu- tualism in shaping communities are underrepresented in the literature; these results em- phasize the importance of mutualism in ecological communities.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
A framework for community and ecosystem genetics: from genes to ecosystems
Thomas G. Whitham,Joseph K. Bailey,Joseph K. Bailey,Jennifer A. Schweitzer,Jennifer A. Schweitzer,Stephen M. Shuster,Randy K. Bangert,Carri J. LeRoy,Carri J. LeRoy,Eric V. Lonsdorf,Eric V. Lonsdorf,G. J. Allan,Stephen P. DiFazio,Brad M. Potts,Dylan G. Fischer,Catherine A. Gehring,Richard L. Lindroth,Jane C. Marks,Stephen C. Hart,Gina M. Wimp,Stuart C. Wooley +20 more
TL;DR: This framework could allow us to understand, for the first time, the genetic basis of ecosystem processes, and the effect of such phenomena as climate change and introduced transgenic organisms on entire communities.
Journal ArticleDOI
Community and ecosystem genetics: a consequence of the extended phenotype
Thomas G. Whitham,William P. Young,Gregory D. Martinsen,Catherine A. Gehring,Jennifer A. Schweitzer,Stephen M. Shuster,Gina M. Wimp,Dylan G. Fischer,Joseph K. Bailey,Richard L. Lindroth,Scott A. Woolbright,Cheryl R. Kuske +11 more
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that the extended phenotype can be traced from the individuals possessing the trait, to the community, and to ecosystem processes such as leaf litter decomposition and N mineralization, which provides a genetic framework for community structure and ecosystem processes.
Journal ArticleDOI
Ecological consequences of interactions between ants and honeydew-producing insects.
John D. Styrsky,Micky D. Eubanks +1 more
TL;DR: It is argued that ant–hemipteran interactions are largely overlooked and underappreciated interspecific interactions that have strong and pervasive effects on the communities in which they are embedded.
Journal ArticleDOI
Plant traits that predict resistance to herbivores
TL;DR: The hypothesis that herbivores select most strongly on genetic variation in life-history, morphological and physical resistance traits, but the greater pleiotropic effects of genes controlling these traits impose strong constraints on their evolution is proposed.
MonographDOI
Specialization, Speciation, and Radiation: The Evolutionary Biology of Herbivorous Insects
TL;DR: This work discusses coevolution, Cryptic Speciation, and the Persistence of Plant-Insect Interactions, which has implications for conservation of Coevolved Insect Herbivores and Plants.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Community Structure, Population Control, and Competition
TL;DR: Populations of producers, carnivores, and decomposers are limited by their respective resources in the classical density-dependent fashion and interspecific competition must necessarily exist among the members of each of these three trophic levels.
Journal ArticleDOI
Organization of a Plant-Arthropod Association in Simple and Diverse Habitats: The Fauna of Collards (Brassica Oleracea)
TL;DR: The results suggest a new proposition, the resource concentration hypothesis, which states that herbivores are more likely to find and remain on hosts that are growing in dense or nearly pure stands; that the most specialized species frequently attain higher relative densities in simple environments; and that biomass tends to become concentrated in a few species, causing a decrease in the diversity of herbsivores in pure stands.
Book
An introduction to the study of insects
TL;DR: An introduction to the study of insects is presented, with some examples from the natural sciences, of birds, bees, and other insects that have been studied in detail.
Journal ArticleDOI
Exploitation Ecosystems in Gradients of Primary Productivity
TL;DR: A reasonable fit between predictions and observations is found, although the sparsity of data and methodological uncertainties weaken the corroboration in several cases.
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Ecological consequences of interactions between ants and honeydew-producing insects.
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