Vertical stratification and defensive traits of caterpillars against parasitoids in a lowland tropical forest in Cameroon

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F24%3A00585519" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/24:00585519 - isvavai.cz</a>

Nalezeny alternativní kódy

RIV/60076658:12310/24:43907983

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00442-024-05542-x.pdf" target="_blank" >https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00442-024-05542-x.pdf</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-024-05542-x" target="_blank" >10.1007/s00442-024-05542-x</a>

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Vertical stratification and defensive traits of caterpillars against parasitoids in a lowland tropical forest in Cameroon

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

Insect herbivores and their parasitoids play a crucial role in terrestrial trophic interactions in tropical forests. These interactions occur across the entire vertical gradient of the forest. This study compares how caterpillar communities, and their parasitism rates, vary across vertical strata and between caterpillar defensive strategies in a semi deciduous tropical forest in Nditam, Cameroon. Within a 0.1 ha plot, all trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) >= 5 cm were felled and systematically searched for caterpillars. We divided the entire vertical gradient of the forest into eight, five-metre strata. All caterpillars were assigned to a stratum based on their collection height, reared, identified, and classified into one of three defensive traits: aposematic, cryptic and shelter-building. Caterpillar species richness and diversity showed a midstory peak, whereas density followed the opposite pattern, decreasing in the midstory and then increasing towards the highest strata. This trend was driven by some highly dense shelter-building caterpillars in the upper canopy. Specialisation indices indicated decreasing levels of caterpillar generality with increasing height, a midstory peak in vulnerability, and increasing connectance towards the upper canopy, although the latter was likely driven by decreasing network size. Both aposematic and shelter-building caterpillars had significantly higher parasitism rates than cryptic caterpillars. Our results highlight nuanced changes in caterpillar communities across forest strata and provide evidence that defences strategies are important indicators of parasitism rates in caterpillars and that both aposematic and shelter-building caterpillars could be considered a ’safe haven’ for parasitoids.

Název v anglickém jazyce

Vertical stratification and defensive traits of caterpillars against parasitoids in a lowland tropical forest in Cameroon

Popis výsledku anglicky

Insect herbivores and their parasitoids play a crucial role in terrestrial trophic interactions in tropical forests. These interactions occur across the entire vertical gradient of the forest. This study compares how caterpillar communities, and their parasitism rates, vary across vertical strata and between caterpillar defensive strategies in a semi deciduous tropical forest in Nditam, Cameroon. Within a 0.1 ha plot, all trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) >= 5 cm were felled and systematically searched for caterpillars. We divided the entire vertical gradient of the forest into eight, five-metre strata. All caterpillars were assigned to a stratum based on their collection height, reared, identified, and classified into one of three defensive traits: aposematic, cryptic and shelter-building. Caterpillar species richness and diversity showed a midstory peak, whereas density followed the opposite pattern, decreasing in the midstory and then increasing towards the highest strata. This trend was driven by some highly dense shelter-building caterpillars in the upper canopy. Specialisation indices indicated decreasing levels of caterpillar generality with increasing height, a midstory peak in vulnerability, and increasing connectance towards the upper canopy, although the latter was likely driven by decreasing network size. Both aposematic and shelter-building caterpillars had significantly higher parasitism rates than cryptic caterpillars. Our results highlight nuanced changes in caterpillar communities across forest strata and provide evidence that defences strategies are important indicators of parasitism rates in caterpillars and that both aposematic and shelter-building caterpillars could be considered a ’safe haven’ for parasitoids.

Druh

J_imp - Článek v periodiku v databázi Web of Science

CEP obor

—

OECD FORD obor

10618 - Ecology

Projekt

<a href="/cs/project/GX19-28126X" target="_blank" >GX19-28126X: Testování mechanismů udržujících vysokou druhovou rozmanitost v potravních sítích experimentální manipulací trofických kaskád v tropickém deštném lese</a><br>

Návaznosti

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Rok uplatnění

2024

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

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

Název periodika

Oecologia

ISSN

0029-8549

e-ISSN

1432-1939

Svazek periodika

204

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

4

Stát vydavatele periodika

US - Spojené státy americké

Počet stran výsledku

16

Strana od-do

915-930

Kód UT WoS článku

001201471100001

EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

2-s2.0-85190360150