Geographical variation in community‐wide herbivory matches patterns of intraspecific variation instead of species turnover
Geographical variation in community‐wide herbivory matches patterns of intraspecific variation instead of species turnover
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DOI：
10.1111/geb.13690
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发表时间：
2023-04
影响因子：
6.4
通讯作者：
Xiang Liu;Ziyuan Lin;Kui Hu;Xingxing Wang;Peng Zhang;Yao Xiao;Li Zhang;Mu Liu
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Xiang Liu;Ziyuan Lin;Kui Hu;Xingxing Wang;Peng Zhang;Yao Xiao;Li Zhang;Mu Liu
目的在过去的30年里，为了解释食草动物压力强度的地理差异，人们提出了一些生态假说，如纬度食草假说。然而，这一假设很少得到社区层面数据的检验。因此，我们研究的目的是研究群落范围内草食地理变异的模式和潜在机制。2021年7月。植物研究的主要分类群。方法在1500 km的纬度梯度上选择了43个草地点(c)，在种群和群落水平上评估了无脊椎动物食草压力的地理格局，同时评估了地理变化在介导非生物和生物因素对种内变化（通过对组成物种的食草变化）和物种更替效应（通过植物群落组成的变化）的影响中的重要性。结果群落范围内的草食性随纬度的变化而减少，反映了种内的变化，而物种更替效应在任何测试的地理梯度上都没有变化。此外，我们发现全群落草食的地理变异与土壤氮含量呈极显著正相关。土壤氮含量对种内变异有正向影响，而植物群落生物量对物种周转效应有负向影响。主要结论全群落草食的纬向梯度主要由种内变异介导，而种内变异又与土壤氮含量梯度有关。我们的研究结果强调了对植物-食草动物相互作用的地理变异进行全群落评估的必要性，将全群落的食草性分解为种内变异和物种周转效应。
AimAttempts over the past 30 years to explain geographical variation in the strength of herbivore pressure have given rise to ecological hypotheses like the latitudinal herbivory hypothesis. This hypothesis, however, has rarely been tested using community‐level data. Therefore, the aim of our study was to examine the patterns and potential mechanisms underlying geographical variation in community‐wide herbivory.LocationThe Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau.Time PeriodJuly 2021.Major Taxa StudiedPlants.MethodsWe selected 43 grassland sites along a 1500‐km latitudinal gradient (c. 27°N to 39°N) and a 2698‐m elevational gradient (1886–4584 m) on the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau. We evaluated geographical patterns in invertebrate herbivory pressure at the population and community levels, while also evaluating the importance of geographical variation in mediating the effects of abiotic and biotic factors on intraspecific variation (through changes in herbivory on component species) and species turnover effects (through changes in plant community composition).ResultsCommunity‐wide herbivory decreased with latitude, mirroring intraspecific variation, while species turnover effects did not vary along any tested geographical gradients. Furthermore, we found that geographical variation in community‐wide herbivory was strongly positively correlated with soil nitrogen content. We also found a positive effect of soil nitrogen content on intraspecific variation and a negative effect of plant community biomass on species turnover effects.Main ConclusionsThe latitudinal gradient in community‐wide herbivory was primarily mediated by intraspecific variation, which was in turn associated with a gradient in soil nitrogen content. Our findings highlight the need for community‐wide assessments of geographical variation in plant–herbivore interactions, decomposing community‐wide herbivory into intraspecific variation and species turnover effects.