Ficus trees with upregulated or downregulated defence did not impact predation on their neighbours in a tropical rainforest

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F22%3A00556919" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/22:00556919 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/60076658:12310/22:43904689

Result on the web

<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11829-022-09892-2" target="_blank" >https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11829-022-09892-2</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11829-022-09892-2" target="_blank" >10.1007/s11829-022-09892-2</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Ficus trees with upregulated or downregulated defence did not impact predation on their neighbours in a tropical rainforest

Original language description

Trees can emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when under attack by herbivores, and these signals can also be detected by natural enemies and neighbouring trees. There is still limited knowledge of intra- and inter-specific communication in diverse habitats. We studied the effects of induced VOC emissions by three Ficus species on predation on the focal Ficus trees in a lowland tropical rainforest in Papua New Guinea. Further we assessed predation across a phylogenetically diverse set of neighbouring tree species. Two of the focal tree species, Ficus pachyrrhachis and F. hispidioides, have strong alkaloidbased constitutive defences while the third one, F. wassa, is lower in constitutive chemical defences. We experimentally manipulated the jasmonic acid signalling pathway by spraying the focal individuals with either methyl jasmonate (MeJA) or diethyldithiocarbamic acid (DIECA). These treatments induce increases or decreases in VOC emissions, respectively. We tested the possible effects of VOC emissions on each focal Ficus tree and two of its neighbours by measuring the predation rate of plasticine caterpillars. We found that predation increased after the MeJA application in only one focal tree species, F. wassa, while the DIECA application had no effect on any of the three focal species. Further, we did not detect an effect of our treatments on predation rates across neighbouring trees. Neither the phylogenetic distance of the neighbouring tree from the focal tree nor the physical distance from the focal tree had any effect on predation rates for any of the three focal Ficus species. These results suggest that even congeneric tree species vary in their response to the MeJA and DIECA treatment and subsequent response to VOC emissions by predators. Our results also suggest that MeJA effects did not spill over to neighbouring trees in highly diverse tropical rainforest vegetation.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

<a href="/en/project/GX19-28126X" target="_blank" >GX19-28126X: Testing mechanisms that maintain high species diversity in food webs by experimental manipulation of trophic cascades in a tropical rainforest</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2022

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Arthropod-Plant Interactions

ISSN

1872-8855

e-ISSN

1872-8847

Volume of the periodical

16

Issue of the periodical within the volume

3-4

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

12

Pages from-to

285-296

UT code for WoS article

000780460300001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85127255616