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Legacy effects of aboveground-belowground interactions
Olga Kostenko1, Tess F J van de Voorde, Patrick P J Mulder
1Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands. o.kostenko@nioo.knaw.nl
Ecology Letters
|May 19, 2012
Summary
Insect herbivores feeding on ragwort plants leave soil legacy effects. These soil changes, driven by fungi, impact subsequent plants
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Entomology
- Plant Science
Background:
- Root herbivory impacts aboveground insects through plant chemistry alterations.
- Interactions between aboveground and belowground herbivores feeding on the same plant are well-studied.
- Less is known about interactions when herbivores feed on successive plants in the same soil.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate soil legacy effects of aboveground and belowground insect herbivory on ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris).
- To understand how herbivore-induced changes in soil fungi influence subsequent plant performance and interactions.
Main Methods:
- Experimental manipulation of aboveground and belowground insect herbivores on ragwort plants.
- Analysis of soil fungal composition following herbivore feeding.
- Assessment of subsequent plant characteristics: pyrrolizidine alkaloid content, biomass, and multitrophic interactions.
Main Results:
- Both aboveground and belowground insect herbivory induced unique soil legacy effects.
- Herbivore-induced changes in soil fungal communities significantly altered succeeding plant traits.
- Subsequent plants showed modified pyrrolizidine alkaloid levels, biomass, and aboveground multitrophic interactions.
Conclusions:
- Plant-mediated interactions between aboveground and belowground insects persist even when they do not feed on the same plant.
- Soil biota, particularly fungi, play a crucial role in mediating these sequential herbivore-plant interactions.
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