Substantial Insect Herbivory in a South African Savanna-Forest Mosaic: A Neglected Topic

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F24%3A00602723" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/24:00602723 - isvavai.cz</a>

Nalezeny alternativní kódy

RIV/60076658:12310/24:43908472

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ece3.70466" target="_blank" >https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ece3.70466</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70466" target="_blank" >10.1002/ece3.70466</a>

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Substantial Insect Herbivory in a South African Savanna-Forest Mosaic: A Neglected Topic

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

Insect herbivory plays a crucial role in shaping plant communities in many terrestrial ecosystems. However, in African savannas, insect herbivory has been relatively understudied compared to large mammalian herbivory. In this study, we examined the impact of insect herbivory, focusing on leaf chewers and miners, in a South African savanna-forest mosaic (including patches of forest, thicket and savanna) in Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park, South Africa. Our investigation spanned gradients of rainfall, fire frequency and mammal density. We surveyed a total of 864 woody plants from 48 plant species in 38 plots. Insects consumed 6% of leaf biomass, which is comparable to their impact in temperate broadleaf forests, but the extent of herbivory damage varied between vegetation types. Overall, leaf loss was 70% higher in forests and savanna than that in thicket. Plants in the forests experienced greater damage from chewing insects, whereas miners caused relatively more damage in savannas. Rates of insect herbivory also varied among plant species, declining with carbon and dry matter content but increasing with specific leaf area. Although no significant trade-off was detected between insect and mammal herbivory, plant species with limited physical defences against mammals tended to experience high levels of insect herbivory. Our findings highlight the intricate dynamics of insect herbivory in different vegetation types and suggest that insect leaf herbivory, alongside mammalian herbivory, could play a significant role in influencing plant community composition and overall savanna ecosystem functioning.

Název v anglickém jazyce

Substantial Insect Herbivory in a South African Savanna-Forest Mosaic: A Neglected Topic

Popis výsledku anglicky

Insect herbivory plays a crucial role in shaping plant communities in many terrestrial ecosystems. However, in African savannas, insect herbivory has been relatively understudied compared to large mammalian herbivory. In this study, we examined the impact of insect herbivory, focusing on leaf chewers and miners, in a South African savanna-forest mosaic (including patches of forest, thicket and savanna) in Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park, South Africa. Our investigation spanned gradients of rainfall, fire frequency and mammal density. We surveyed a total of 864 woody plants from 48 plant species in 38 plots. Insects consumed 6% of leaf biomass, which is comparable to their impact in temperate broadleaf forests, but the extent of herbivory damage varied between vegetation types. Overall, leaf loss was 70% higher in forests and savanna than that in thicket. Plants in the forests experienced greater damage from chewing insects, whereas miners caused relatively more damage in savannas. Rates of insect herbivory also varied among plant species, declining with carbon and dry matter content but increasing with specific leaf area. Although no significant trade-off was detected between insect and mammal herbivory, plant species with limited physical defences against mammals tended to experience high levels of insect herbivory. Our findings highlight the intricate dynamics of insect herbivory in different vegetation types and suggest that insect leaf herbivory, alongside mammalian herbivory, could play a significant role in influencing plant community composition and overall savanna ecosystem functioning.

Druh

J_imp - Článek v periodiku v databázi Web of Science

CEP obor

—

OECD FORD obor

10618 - Ecology

Projekt

—

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

Ecology and Evolution

ISSN

2045-7758

e-ISSN

2045-7758

Svazek periodika

14

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

11

Stát vydavatele periodika

US - Spojené státy americké

Počet stran výsledku

14

Strana od-do

e70466

Kód UT WoS článku

001368750600001

EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

2-s2.0-85208651473