Field experiments to evaluate four different colored sticky cards for trapping non-target insects were conducted in an organic maize field in the Heinigou region of China. Yellow, blue, green, and red sticky cards wer...Field experiments to evaluate four different colored sticky cards for trapping non-target insects were conducted in an organic maize field in the Heinigou region of China. Yellow, blue, green, and red sticky cards were used to trap insects in the field. The total number of insects species caught was 54, with 3,862 individuals recorded. Over half of the specimens caught were non-target insects, including phytophagous insects, particularly dipteran species(including many mosquitoes)(50.3%), followed by target pests(37.0%), and beneficial insects(12.7%). Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in attraction to target pests, non-target pests, and beneficial insects among treatment groups. The results showed that higher numbers of target pests(Myzus persicae Sulzer, Empoasca flavescens Fabricius, Nysius ericaecshinly Schilling) were caught on yellow sticky card traps compared with blue, green, or red sticky card traps, indicating that yellow was the best trap color for target pests, with green and blue being progressively less attractive. For non-target insects, including phytophagous insects, flies, and mosquitoes,higher numbers of were caught on blue sticky card traps compared with yellow,green, or red sticky card traps. Our study indicated that blue was the most attractive color for flies, especially for the housefly, Musca domestica Linnaeus. Our study also showed that most beneficial insects exhibited preferences to particular trap color characteristics: yellow was the most attractive color for parasitic wasps and lady beetles; blue was the most attractive color for hoverflies and honeybees. In contrast,green and red had no significant attraction to beneficial insects.展开更多
Climatic warming affects plant growth and physiology,yet how warming alters chemistry in invasive plants and indirectly affects herbivorous insects remains largely unknown.Here,we explored warming-induced changes in l...Climatic warming affects plant growth and physiology,yet how warming alters chemistry in invasive plants and indirectly affects herbivorous insects remains largely unknown.Here,we explored warming-induced changes in leaf chemistry of the invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides and its native congener Alternanthera sessilis,and further examined how these changes affected the performance of the herbivores,Cassida piperata and Spodoptera litura.We conducted a simulated warming experiment to address its effects on 13 leaf chemical traits of A.philoxeroides and A.sessilis.We measured growth and development time of two herbivores reared on plants from warming or ambient controls.Warming significantly affected leaf chemistry composition for both the invasive and native Alternanthera.Warming decreased nitrogen concentration in A.philoxeroides and increased total flavonoid and total phenol concentration in A.sessilis.The effects of warming on nutrients(i.e.fructose,sucrose,total soluble sugar and starch)varied with individual chemicals and plant species.Weight of C.piperata pupal and S.litura larval reared on warming-treated A.sessilis significantly decreased compared with non-warmed control,and a similar pattern was observed for weight of S.litura larval feeding on warming-treated A.philoxeroides.In addition,warming-treated A.sessilis significantly prolonged larval development time of S.litura.These results indicate that warming can directly affect the leaf chemistry in both invasive plant and its native congener,but these effects vary by species.Such differences in warming-induced changes in plant chemistry could indirectly affect herbivorous insects associated with the invasive and native plants.展开更多
Aims Plant invasions have the potential to affect the community structure of soil nematodes,but little is known about whether such effects are mediated by aboveground herbivores since invasive plants are not completel...Aims Plant invasions have the potential to affect the community structure of soil nematodes,but little is known about whether such effects are mediated by aboveground herbivores since invasive plants are not completely released from herbivores in the introduced range.In this study,we explored how aboveground insect herbivores mediated the effect of invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides on soil nematodes and examined the temporal variations of such an herbivory-elicited effect.Methods We conducted a greenhouse experiment by applying different herbivory treatments(no insect herbivores,specialist Agasicles hygrophila and generalist Cassida piperata)to potted A.philoxeroides,and then measured the community compositions of soil nematodes in corresponding pots on the 1st,10th and 20th day after removal of all herbivores.In addition,the carbon content of roots and root exudate of A.philoxeroides were also measured.Important Findings Our results showed that aboveground herbivory significantly increased the abundance of soil nematodes of A.philoxeroides,likely plant feeder nematodes,after insect herbivores were removed immediately(1st day).However,such impacts waned with time and there was no significant difference at later stages(10th and 20th days).Furthermore,the effects of specialist A.hygrophila and generalist C.piperata herbivory were consistent on the abundance of soil nematodes.Overall,our results suggest that aboveground insect herbivores have the potential to alter the effects of plant invasions on soil nematodes,but such impacts are transient.Furthermore,our study highlighted the importance of integrating the effects of above-and belowground organisms when evaluating the impacts of plant invasions.展开更多
Aims Both extreme drought and insect herbivores can suppress plant growth in grassland communities.However,most studies have examined extreme drought and insects in isolation,and there is reason to believe that insect...Aims Both extreme drought and insect herbivores can suppress plant growth in grassland communities.However,most studies have examined extreme drought and insects in isolation,and there is reason to believe that insects might alter the ability of grasslands to withstand drought.Unfortunately,few studies have tested the interactive effects of extreme drought and insect herbivores in grassland communities.Methods Here,we tested the drought–herbivore interactions using a manipulative experiment that factorially crossed extreme drought with the exclusion of insect herbivores in a temperate semiarid grassland in Inner Mongolia.Important Findings Our results demonstrated that both extreme drought and insect herbivores separately decreased total plant cover.When combined,insect herbivores reduced the impact of drought on total cover by increasing the relative abundance of drought-resistant dominant species.Our results highlight that the negative effect of extreme drought on total plant cover could be alleviated by maintaining robust insect herbivore communities.展开更多
The study of speciation genetics is primarily concerned with identifying the genetic traits that allow divergent selec- tion to overcome the homogenizing effects of gene flow. Felsenstein reviewed this race between ge...The study of speciation genetics is primarily concerned with identifying the genetic traits that allow divergent selec- tion to overcome the homogenizing effects of gene flow. Felsenstein reviewed this race between gene flow and selection, con- cluding that speciation with gene flow was unlikely under a ＂two-allele model＂ （where two traits were necessary for reproductive isolation） but that divergence could occur quite easily under a ＂one-allele model.＂ Despite this finding, much of the sympatric speciation research involving phytophagous insects has relied on a two-trait model, where insects evolve both preferences for and increased performance on novel host plants. Philopatry （a tendency to remain where one was born） is known to occur in phyto- phagous insects and is a single trait isolation mechanism. However, it is traditionally invoked as simply augmenting reproductive isolation. Species in the Enchenopa binotata complex are believed to have speciated in sympatry. They exhibit host plant prefe- rences, host specific performance advantages and strong philopatry. We experimentally shifted E. binotata to evolutionarily novel host plants. Previous research has demonstrated that the experimental population of insects possesses genetic variation in prefe- rence and performance to the novel host. The degree of philopatry at mating and egg-laying was assayed for the first four years under full choice conditions. Host plant preference and performance was assayed after eight years. Philopatry was an immediate and strong isolating mechanism, while preference for and performance on the novel host lagged. We therefore suggest that philo- patry may be a more important mechanism in the early stages of a host shift than previously believed [Current Zoology 59 （5）： 658-666, 2013].展开更多
基金Supported by the Misereor Foundation(grant ref:335-031-1028 Z)
文摘Field experiments to evaluate four different colored sticky cards for trapping non-target insects were conducted in an organic maize field in the Heinigou region of China. Yellow, blue, green, and red sticky cards were used to trap insects in the field. The total number of insects species caught was 54, with 3,862 individuals recorded. Over half of the specimens caught were non-target insects, including phytophagous insects, particularly dipteran species(including many mosquitoes)(50.3%), followed by target pests(37.0%), and beneficial insects(12.7%). Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in attraction to target pests, non-target pests, and beneficial insects among treatment groups. The results showed that higher numbers of target pests(Myzus persicae Sulzer, Empoasca flavescens Fabricius, Nysius ericaecshinly Schilling) were caught on yellow sticky card traps compared with blue, green, or red sticky card traps, indicating that yellow was the best trap color for target pests, with green and blue being progressively less attractive. For non-target insects, including phytophagous insects, flies, and mosquitoes,higher numbers of were caught on blue sticky card traps compared with yellow,green, or red sticky card traps. Our study indicated that blue was the most attractive color for flies, especially for the housefly, Musca domestica Linnaeus. Our study also showed that most beneficial insects exhibited preferences to particular trap color characteristics: yellow was the most attractive color for parasitic wasps and lady beetles; blue was the most attractive color for hoverflies and honeybees. In contrast,green and red had no significant attraction to beneficial insects.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program(2017YFC1200104).
文摘Climatic warming affects plant growth and physiology,yet how warming alters chemistry in invasive plants and indirectly affects herbivorous insects remains largely unknown.Here,we explored warming-induced changes in leaf chemistry of the invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides and its native congener Alternanthera sessilis,and further examined how these changes affected the performance of the herbivores,Cassida piperata and Spodoptera litura.We conducted a simulated warming experiment to address its effects on 13 leaf chemical traits of A.philoxeroides and A.sessilis.We measured growth and development time of two herbivores reared on plants from warming or ambient controls.Warming significantly affected leaf chemistry composition for both the invasive and native Alternanthera.Warming decreased nitrogen concentration in A.philoxeroides and increased total flavonoid and total phenol concentration in A.sessilis.The effects of warming on nutrients(i.e.fructose,sucrose,total soluble sugar and starch)varied with individual chemicals and plant species.Weight of C.piperata pupal and S.litura larval reared on warming-treated A.sessilis significantly decreased compared with non-warmed control,and a similar pattern was observed for weight of S.litura larval feeding on warming-treated A.philoxeroides.In addition,warming-treated A.sessilis significantly prolonged larval development time of S.litura.These results indicate that warming can directly affect the leaf chemistry in both invasive plant and its native congener,but these effects vary by species.Such differences in warming-induced changes in plant chemistry could indirectly affect herbivorous insects associated with the invasive and native plants.
基金supported by The National Key Research and Development Program of China(2017YFC1200100 to J.D.)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31822007 to W.H.).
文摘Aims Plant invasions have the potential to affect the community structure of soil nematodes,but little is known about whether such effects are mediated by aboveground herbivores since invasive plants are not completely released from herbivores in the introduced range.In this study,we explored how aboveground insect herbivores mediated the effect of invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides on soil nematodes and examined the temporal variations of such an herbivory-elicited effect.Methods We conducted a greenhouse experiment by applying different herbivory treatments(no insect herbivores,specialist Agasicles hygrophila and generalist Cassida piperata)to potted A.philoxeroides,and then measured the community compositions of soil nematodes in corresponding pots on the 1st,10th and 20th day after removal of all herbivores.In addition,the carbon content of roots and root exudate of A.philoxeroides were also measured.Important Findings Our results showed that aboveground herbivory significantly increased the abundance of soil nematodes of A.philoxeroides,likely plant feeder nematodes,after insect herbivores were removed immediately(1st day).However,such impacts waned with time and there was no significant difference at later stages(10th and 20th days).Furthermore,the effects of specialist A.hygrophila and generalist C.piperata herbivory were consistent on the abundance of soil nematodes.Overall,our results suggest that aboveground insect herbivores have the potential to alter the effects of plant invasions on soil nematodes,but such impacts are transient.Furthermore,our study highlighted the importance of integrating the effects of above-and belowground organisms when evaluating the impacts of plant invasions.
基金This study was sponsored by the National Key R&D Program of China(2017YFA0604802,2019YFE0117000)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41320104002).
文摘Aims Both extreme drought and insect herbivores can suppress plant growth in grassland communities.However,most studies have examined extreme drought and insects in isolation,and there is reason to believe that insects might alter the ability of grasslands to withstand drought.Unfortunately,few studies have tested the interactive effects of extreme drought and insect herbivores in grassland communities.Methods Here,we tested the drought–herbivore interactions using a manipulative experiment that factorially crossed extreme drought with the exclusion of insect herbivores in a temperate semiarid grassland in Inner Mongolia.Important Findings Our results demonstrated that both extreme drought and insect herbivores separately decreased total plant cover.When combined,insect herbivores reduced the impact of drought on total cover by increasing the relative abundance of drought-resistant dominant species.Our results highlight that the negative effect of extreme drought on total plant cover could be alleviated by maintaining robust insect herbivore communities.
文摘The study of speciation genetics is primarily concerned with identifying the genetic traits that allow divergent selec- tion to overcome the homogenizing effects of gene flow. Felsenstein reviewed this race between gene flow and selection, con- cluding that speciation with gene flow was unlikely under a ＂two-allele model＂ （where two traits were necessary for reproductive isolation） but that divergence could occur quite easily under a ＂one-allele model.＂ Despite this finding, much of the sympatric speciation research involving phytophagous insects has relied on a two-trait model, where insects evolve both preferences for and increased performance on novel host plants. Philopatry （a tendency to remain where one was born） is known to occur in phyto- phagous insects and is a single trait isolation mechanism. However, it is traditionally invoked as simply augmenting reproductive isolation. Species in the Enchenopa binotata complex are believed to have speciated in sympatry. They exhibit host plant prefe- rences, host specific performance advantages and strong philopatry. We experimentally shifted E. binotata to evolutionarily novel host plants. Previous research has demonstrated that the experimental population of insects possesses genetic variation in prefe- rence and performance to the novel host. The degree of philopatry at mating and egg-laying was assayed for the first four years under full choice conditions. Host plant preference and performance was assayed after eight years. Philopatry was an immediate and strong isolating mechanism, while preference for and performance on the novel host lagged. We therefore suggest that philo- patry may be a more important mechanism in the early stages of a host shift than previously believed [Current Zoology 59 （5）： 658-666, 2013].
