Herbivorous insects reduce growth and reproduction of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)
Herbivorous insects reduce growth and reproduction of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)
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DOI：
10.1007/s11829-010-9108-1
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发表时间：
2010-12-01
影响因子：
1.6
通讯作者：
Huntly, Nancy
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Takahashi, Masaru;Huntly, Nancy
食草昆虫可以降低寄主植物的生长、种子产量和种群动态，但并不总是这样。大山艾（Artemisia tridentata）是北美分布最广的灌木之一，也是美国西部大面积山艾草原生态系统的主要和特色灌木。然而，昆虫食草动物对大山艾树的影响，其占主导地位的和特色的灌木，在很大程度上是未知的。偶尔大的影响，昆虫草食动物的爆发记录，但很少有知识的影响，更典型的，名义上的草食动物，是由不同的社会产生的昆虫与大的山艾树在自然界。在2008年，我们用杀虫剂从大的山艾树植物上去除昆虫，以评估昆虫食草动物是否会降低大的山艾树的生长和种子产量。去除食草动物导致花序生长（22%），花产量（325%）和种子产量（1053%）的大蒿属植物的显着和实质性的增加。我们的研究结果表明，在当前的生长季节的昆虫植食性的影响，大山艾树的生长和繁殖，并揭示了一个未被认识到的，重要的作用，非爆发的植食性大山艾树。
Insect herbivores can reduce growth, seed production, and population dynamics of host plants, but do not always do so. Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) has one of the largest ranges of any shrub in North America, and is the dominant and characteristic shrub of the extensive sagebrush steppe ecosystem of the western United States. Nevertheless, the impact of insect herbivores on big sagebrush, its dominant and characteristic shrub, is largely unknown. Occasional large effects of insect herbivore outbreaks are documented, but there is little knowledge of the impact of the more typical, nominal herbivory that is produced by the diverse community of insects associated with big sagebrush in natural communities. In 2008, we removed insects from big sagebrush plants with insecticide to evaluate whether insect herbivores reduced growth and seed production of big sagebrush. Removal of herbivores led to significant and substantial increases in inflorescence growth (22%), flower production (325%), and seed production (1053%) of big sagebrush. Our results showed the impact of insect herbivory in the current growing season on the growth and reproduction of big sagebrush and revealed an unrecognized, significant role of non-outbreak herbivores on big sagebrush.