Weak latitudinal gradients in insect herbivory for dominant rangeland grasses of North America
Weak latitudinal gradients in insect herbivory for dominant rangeland grasses of North America
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DOI：
10.1002/ece3.6374
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发表时间：
2020-05
影响因子：
2.6
通讯作者：
Dylan R. Kent;J. Lynn;S. Pennings;Lara Souza;Melinda D. Smith;Jennifer A. Rudgers
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Dylan R. Kent;J. Lynn;S. Pennings;Lara Souza;Melinda D. Smith;Jennifer A. Rudgers
昆虫植食性的模式可能遵循可预测的地理梯度，在低纬度地区植食性更强。然而，昆虫植食性的昆虫地理学研究往往不能解释多种非生物因素（例如，降水和土壤养分），可能是梯度的基础。我们测试了昆虫食草动物的纬度倾斜以及食草动物的气候，土壤和基于性状的驱动因素。我们量化了美国大平原上23个地点的5种优势草种的食草性。我们研究的重要性，气候，土壤因素和性状的相关性草食动物。草食性增加，在低纬度地区，所有草种一起分析，并为两个草种单独，而其他两个草的趋势在这个方向。较高的降水量与两个物种的食草性有关，但不同物种的食草性较少，而较高的比根长与一个物种的食草性较多，而另一个物种的食草性较少。总之，结果强调，气候和基于特征的草食动物相关性可以高度上下文和物种特异性。优势草上的昆虫食草模式支持食草性向低纬度增加的假设，尽管很弱，并表明气候变化可能对植物-食草性相互作用产生物种特异性影响。
Abstract Patterns of insect herbivory may follow predictable geographical gradients, with greater herbivory at low latitudes. However, biogeographic studies of insect herbivory often do not account for multiple abiotic factors (e.g., precipitation and soil nutrients) that could underlie gradients. We tested for latitudinal clines in insect herbivory as well as climatic, edaphic, and trait‐based drivers of herbivory. We quantified herbivory on five dominant grass species over 23 sites across the Great Plains, USA. We examined the importance of climate, edaphic factors, and traits as correlates of herbivory. Herbivory increased at low latitudes when all grass species were analyzed together and for two grass species individually, while two other grasses trended in this direction. Higher precipitation was related to more herbivory for two species but less herbivory for a different species, while higher specific root length was related to more herbivory for one species and less herbivory for a different species. Taken together, results highlight that climate and trait‐based correlates of herbivory can be highly contextual and species‐specific. Patterns of insect herbivory on dominant grasses support the hypothesis that herbivory increases toward lower latitudes, though weakly, and indicates that climate change may have species‐specific effects on plant–herbivore interactions.