Insect Conservation and Diversity最新文献

{"title":"Pollinators respond positively to urban green space enhancements using wild and ornamental flowers","authors":"Oliver Poole, Alba Costa, Christopher N. Kaiser‐Bunbury, Rosalind F. Shaw","doi":"10.1111/icad.12779","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12779","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>Pollinator diversity and abundance are under direct threat from human activities. Despite societal dependence on pollinators for crop production, humankind continues to drive pollinator declines through agricultural intensification and urbanisation.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Urban environments can provide refuge to some pollinators. There is a need, however, to understand how pollinator communities can be supported in these areas while also considering human needs. Public green spaces provide a promising avenue to target plant–pollinator conservation measures in an urban setting due to their large area, high abundance and low plant–pollinator biodiversity.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We used a paired design to compare the plant community, pollinator community and plant–pollinator interactions of (i) public urban green spaces enhanced with wildflower meadows and pollinator‐friendly ornamental plantings to (ii) control unenhanced urban green spaces. The planting types within enhanced sites were also separately compared.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Our results show that not only was the diversity of the overall pollinator community higher in enhanced than control sites, but also the complexity of some wild Hymenoptera and the abundance of Diptera pollinator groups. The negative impact of urbanisation on some pollinator groups was reduced in enhanced sites compared with control sites. Planting both pollinator‐friendly ornamental plants and wildflower meadows significantly increased the visits from Diptera and the diversity in the plant–pollinator community compared with wildflower plantings alone.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Our results suggest that enhancing public spaces for pollinators has positive effects on key groups and can help mitigate the impacts of urbanisation. Non‐native ornamental plants can also play a role in enhancing green spaces for pollinators while maintaining their recreational functions. This supports a mixed‐planting approach for improving public green spaces in urban areas for both people and nature.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142227514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vertical stratification of leaf physical traits exerts bottom–up pressures on insect herbivory in a sugar maple temperate forest","authors":"Mahsa Hakimara, Emma Despland","doi":"10.1111/icad.12777","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12777","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>Do light vertical gradients in temperate forest structure insect herbivore communities? We tested the hypothesis that the increase in light intensity from understory to forest canopy drives differences in leaf physical traits and bud burst phenology that impact insect herbivores and thus play a role in structuring both herbivore communities and the leaf damage they cause. Understanding these interactions is essential for addressing knowledge gaps in the dynamics of temperate deciduous forest ecosystems.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Twelve sugar maple (<jats:italic>Acer saccharum</jats:italic>) sites were monitored in southern Quebec, examining insect herbivore patterns from understory saplings to mature tree‐shaded and sun canopy (where intensity is highest and canopy cover lowest) over the summers of 2020, 2021 and 2022. Additionally, we recorded leaf physical traits and sun exposure.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Our findings revealed that leaf thickness increased along the vertical gradient in 2021, making mature tree leaves in the canopy less favourable to herbivores than understory sapling leaves. Accordingly, we recorded a consistent decrease in insect herbivory damage rates from understory to shaded and to sun canopy in 2020 and 2021, driven by leaf cutters, skeletonizers, stipplers and leaf miners. These results support our hypothesis that variation in leaf physical traits contributes to the vertical stratification of insect damage. This variation in leaf traits can be linked to light levels or to tree ontogeny. In 2022, the gradient of insect herbivore abundance corroborated the observed damage trends from the previous years. We calculated an average annual herbivory rate of 9.1% of the leaf surface in our study site.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Overall, our study highlights the importance of vertical gradients in structuring insect herbivore communities and emphasizes the role of leaf traits in mediating these interactions. In addition, the average annual herbivory rate suggests limited evidence supporting a significant contribution of background herbivory to the decline of sugar maple forests.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142223687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolutionary genomics analysis reveals a unique lineage of Megachile pruina found in an isolated population in Bermuda","authors":"Jennifer Rose, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Mark Outerbridge, Hernán E. Morales","doi":"10.1111/icad.12776","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12776","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>The decline in bee diversity, largely driven by habitat loss, climate change and invasive species, is well‐documented. Within this context, the genus <jats:italic>Megachile</jats:italic> Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), a diverse group of solitary leafcutter bees, lacks comprehensive species‐level conservation and taxonomic assessments, potentially concealing population declines and extinctions.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item><jats:italic>Megachile pruina</jats:italic> is one of Bermuda's three bee species and possibly the last native bee on the island. Formerly distributed widely across the island, it is now restricted to a small 11.5 ha area within the Castle Harbour Islands Nature Reserve.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Classified as ‘Vulnerable’ under the Bermuda Protected Species Act, its taxonomic and conservation status remains uncertain, particularly its evolutionary relationships with populations in the United States.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Here, we analyse nuclear genomes and mitochondrial genomes to reveal that Bermuda's <jats:italic>M. pruina</jats:italic> population is genetically distinct from mainland US populations and show no close association with any sampled US population, suggesting that Bermuda's represent a unique evolutionary lineage.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Our genetic diversity assessment shows lower genetic diversity in Bermuda's population compared with the United States, highlighting a higher level of vulnerability than originally thought.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We recommend maintaining its current protection status and advocate for the pressing need of expanding ecological and biological studies to facilitate appropriate conservation and monitoring measures.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142180387","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reviving of Coenonympha oedippus: A comprehensive approach to the reintroduction of an endangered European butterfly","authors":"Tatjana Čelik, Simona Kralj‐Fišer, Urban Šilc, Filip Küzmič, Branko Vreš","doi":"10.1111/icad.12778","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12778","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>In this study, we focus on <jats:italic>Coenonympha oedippus</jats:italic>, an endangered butterfly species protected under Annexes II and IV of the EU Habitats Directive. Predominantly inhabiting semi‐open wet grasslands across Europe, this species also occupies abandoned sub‐Mediterranean dry grasslands. Ecological distinctiveness in its habitat use is reflected in differences in larval host plants, wing morphology and genetic composition, resulting in two ecotypes: wet and dry.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Notably, by 2018, only one population of the wet ecotype survived in Slovenia, necessitating reintroduction as a critical strategy to avert its national extinction. Building on our conservation objectives, we implemented a 5‐year project (2018–2022) to develop protocols for source individual and substrate collection, ex situ breeding in semi‐natural conditions, thorough release and post‐release monitoring.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Our efforts included breeding from 18 females, yielding 754 eggs in a breeding house. From these, we successfully reared and released 460 individuals, comprising 419 pupae and 41 butterflies. The project culminated with promising outcomes: the reintroduced population exhibited an 87% growth rate, while the source population, following its last reinforcement, showed a 79% increase.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>The project success can be attributed to a comprehensive understanding of species' ecological requirements and the establishment of a long‐term management plan. Key to our approach was adaptive management, which allowed for flexibility and refinement of protocols during implementation. Meticulous documentation and evaluation of all project activities were instrumental, culminating in the production of standardised annual reports. Additionally, the project was bolstered by strong collaboration among scientists, site managers, government agencies and national media.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142180386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Conservation implications of a genomic‐based taxonomy for threatened allopatric Agriades butterflies","authors":"Nok Ting Lam, Vladislav Ivanov, Leonardo Dapporto, Roger Vila, Marko Mutanen, Vlad Dincă","doi":"10.1111/icad.12771","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12771","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>A good knowledge of the evolutionary history of organisms and an accurate taxonomic framework are keys for efficient biodiversity conservation measures. This is particularly relevant for European butterflies, which are often used as bioindicator organisms and umbrella species for conservation.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>The Holarctic butterfly genus <jats:italic>Agriades</jats:italic> includes seven European arctic‐alpine species of which several have a debated taxonomic status. They are localized and allopatric, and at least two of them are of high conservation concern, namely <jats:italic>A. aquilo</jats:italic> (in Europe, restricted to northern Scandinavia) and <jats:italic>A. zullichi</jats:italic> (endemic to southern Spain). Despite high conservation value and taxonomic uncertainty, molecular studies on these taxa are limited to DNA barcodes.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We investigated the evolutionary history and species delimitation of West Palearctic <jats:italic>Agriades</jats:italic> using double‐digest RAD sequencing (ddRADseq).</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Various analyses using genomic data suggested the presence of one species in the <jats:italic>glandon</jats:italic> species group and one or two in the <jats:italic>pyrenaicus</jats:italic> species group<jats:italic>.</jats:italic> The differentiation within the former group (i.e., <jats:italic>glandon</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>aquilo</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>zullichi</jats:italic>) appears to be relatively recent, although the main allopatric populations represent evolutionary significant units (ESUs). Notable geographic structure was found within the <jats:italic>pyrenaicus</jats:italic> species group, with four allopatric ESUs detected.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item><jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> screening highlighted the presence of several allele combinations, some associated with particular <jats:italic>Agriades</jats:italic> populations.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Genomic data revealed the evolutionary trajectory of European <jats:italic>Agriades</jats:italic> and a tendency for taxonomic oversplitting within this genus. These findings aid conservation by providing genetic background for region or population prioritization (including ESUs), and for the management of potential population reinforcement or reintroductions.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141930219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Context‐dependent effects of geographic, climate and land cover factors on hemipteran assemblages in different ecoregions of China","authors":"Jiaping Mao, Xiaoming Jiang, Wenjia Tang, J. Heino, J. Alahuhta, Xiaolei Huang","doi":"10.1111/icad.12774","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12774","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Understanding variation in assemblage composition (i.e., beta diversity) along geographic and environmental gradients is a central topic in biogeography and ecology.\u0000We compared relationships between hemipteran beta diversity (overall dissimilarity: βtotal, Sorensen dissimilarity; turnover component: βsim, the replacement of species between assemblages; nestedness‐resultant component: βsne, the nested difference in richness between assemblages) and geographic, climatic and land cover distances among four ecoregions (Northeast Ecoregion; Northern Ecoregion; Tibet Ecoregion; Southern Ecoregion) across China.\u0000The hemipteran assemblage composition differed markedly among ecoregions. In general, βtotal and βsim both significantly increased with increasing geographic, climatic and land cover distances.\u0000Intercepts and slopes of dissimilarity‐distance relationships all varied significantly among different ecoregions, suggesting different levels of within‐ecoregion assemblage heterogeneity and change rate in assemblage composition. Moreover, the slopes of βtotal and βsim were highest in Northeast Ecoregion but lowest in Northern Ecoregion, exhibiting latitudinal and longitudinal dissimilarity pattern.\u0000According to variation partitioning analysis, although the overall explained variance was relatively low, spatial variables explained a much greater proportion of variance compared to climate and land cover variables.\u0000To conclude, our results showed significant regional differences in assemblage composition and biodiversity among ecoregions. Both dispersal‐related and niche‐related processes affect hemipteran assemblage structure, while the low overall explained variance indicates that high dissimilarity in hemipteran composition is affected by multiple factors and processes that remained undetected in this study.\u0000Our results may be relevant for wider insect groups because hemipterans constitute a highly diverse group in terms of phylogenetic origins and functional significance.\u0000","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141921230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intraspecific trait variation of carrion beetle species and communities across elevations","authors":"Qiao‐Qiao Ji, Zhijing Xie, Yunga Wu, Zhuoma Wan, Caiyi Xu, Donghui Wu, Ting‐Wen Chen, Alejandro Ordonez","doi":"10.1111/icad.12772","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12772","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>Filtering processes across environmental gradients can structure patterns of trait variation within communities. The community‐weighted mean (CWM) is a metric that is commonly used to indicate the directionality of such filtering processes and the optimal adaptive strategy of taxa within community. Proximity to the CWM indicates higher fitness, and deviations from this optimal value result in changes in the relative abundances of coexisting species.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We investigated patterns of intraspecific trait variation in four coexisting carrion beetle species (Coleoptera: Silphidae) across elevational gradients. The study was conducted in temperate forest ecosystems with distinct natural vegetation zones ranging from 950 m to 1700 m above sea level.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Of the 12 traits measured, we found that intraspecific variation ranged from 34% (body length) to 100% (ratio of elytra length, head length and head width to body length) and accounted for a larger proportion of variation than interspecific variation in 7 traits. For most traits, trait range, which indicates the niche breadth of species at a given elevation, was positively correlated with relative abundance. The CWMs of traits associated with long‐distance dispersal decreased with elevation, whereas those associated with microhabitat use showed the opposite trend. Soil temperature influenced tibia length after controlling for the effects of species identity, but soil water content had no effect on trait variation. Patterns of variation in body width and thorax width of two beetle species supported the CWM‐optimality hypothesis; however, patterns of trait variation in body width and thorax length of another species showed an opposite trend.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Our study identifies several traits that can be highly variable within carrion beetle species. Such high levels of intraspecific trait variation may enable populations to adapt across a wide range of elevations and vegetation types.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141930240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of landscape factors in shaping bumble bee pathogen loads across regions of the eastern Nearctic","authors":"Elena M. Gratton, Darin J. McNeil, Ren Sawyer, Anna Martinello, Christina M. Grozinger, Heather M. Hines","doi":"10.1111/icad.12773","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12773","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>Pathogens and parasites are drivers of declines in bumble bees. Their levels can be influenced by numerous abiotic and biotic factors, thus managing disease in these bees requires understanding the relative impact of these factors on pathogen loads.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We evaluated loads of black queen cell virus (BQCV) and deformed wing virus in bumble bees (<jats:italic>Bombus impatiens</jats:italic>) and honey bees (<jats:italic>Apis mellifera</jats:italic>), and loads of parasites <jats:italic>Vairimorpha bombi</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Crithidia bombi</jats:italic> in <jats:italic>B. impatiens</jats:italic>, from sites varying in habitat type and quality across North Carolina, USA. Pathogen loads were assessed against metrics for land cover, floral quality, bee diversity and weather. Results were compared against similar data from Pennsylvania, USA, and other landscape studies on bumble bees in North America.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Spatial variation in pathogen loads was lower in bumble bees in North Carolina than in Pennsylvania, which reduced the power to detect landscape effects. For example, <jats:italic>Crithidia</jats:italic> was fairly ubiquitous and <jats:italic>Vairimorpha</jats:italic> was not detected.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Data from both states revealed that developed land and honey bees were most consistently positively correlated with viral loads, especially for BQCV, whereas forest and nesting habitat availability were often negatively correlated with loads. Multivariate models only supported a positive relationship between summer floral resources and BQCV loads in North Carolina bumble bees.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Together with the broader literature, these data indicate that levels of developed land and honey bees are most associated with increased pathogen loads while floral availability and bee community composition show more context‐dependent effects.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141930239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Complex temporal trends in biomass and abundance of Diptera communities driven by the impact of agricultural intensity","authors":"Kathryn E. Powell, Daniel Garrett, David B. Roy, Tom H. Oliver, Maxim Larrivée, Marc Bélisle","doi":"10.1111/icad.12770","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12770","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>Insect biodiversity and abundance declines have been reported widely and are expected to alter ecosystem functions and processes. Land use change has been recognised as a major cause of such declines.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>However, variation in local environmental drivers and the scale of available monitoring data have left large knowledge gaps in which taxa are declining, where declines are the greatest, and how these declines will impact ecosystems.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We used 11 years (2006–2016) of monitoring data on 40 farms distributed over ~10,000 km<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> in southern Québec, Canada, to quantify the impact of agricultural intensity on temporal trends in abundance and biomass of Diptera (true flies).</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>There was a large difference in temporal trends between farms, which we found to be driven by agricultural landcover.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Contrary to expectation, increases in Diptera abundance over time were greater in areas with higher agricultural intensity, especially with an increase in cereal crops. In contrast, declines in biomass were steeper in areas of higher agricultural intensity, although only with greater maize and soy production rather than cereals such as wheat.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Variation in forest cover around farms had the least effect on trends.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We found steeper declines in biomass per total number of Diptera with increasing agricultural intensive cover, suggesting the presence of community turnover towards smaller bodied flies with lower individual biomass.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Our results imply that land use may not only alter abundance and species composition of insect species assemblages but also the distribution of key functional traits such as body size.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141742823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Network structure and taxonomic composition of tritrophic communities of Fagaceae, cynipid gallwasps and parasitoids in Sichuan, China","authors":"Zhiqiang Fang, Chang‐Ti Tang, Frazer Sinclair, György L. Csóka, J. Hearn, Koorosh McCormack, G. Melika, Katarzyna M. Mikołajczak, James A. Nicholls, J. Nieves‐Aldrey, D. Notton, Sara Radosevic, R. A. Bailey, Alex Reiss, Yuanmeng M. Zhang, Ying Zhu, Shengguo Fang, K. Schönrogge, Graham N. Stone","doi":"10.1111/icad.12768","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12768","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000A key question in insect community ecology is whether parasitoid assemblages are structured by the food plants of their herbivore hosts.\u0000Tritrophic communities centred on oak‐feeding cynipid gallwasps are one of the best‐studied tritrophic insect communities. Previous work suggests that host plant identity is a much stronger predictor of oak–cynipid interactions than of cynipid–parasitoid interactions. However, these relationships have not been formally quantified.\u0000We reason that the potential for ‘bottom‐up’ effects should increase with host plant phylogenetic diversity. We, therefore, generated quantified interaction network data for previously unstudied tritrophic cynipid communities in Sichuan, China, where, in addition to Quercus, cynipid host plants include Castanea, Castanopsis and Lithocarpus. We characterise these communities taxonomically and compare the extent to which host plant taxonomy predicts plant–herbivore and plant–parasitoid associations.\u0000We sampled 42,620 cynipid galls of 176 morphotypes from 23 host plant species, yielding over 4500 specimens of 64 parasitoid morphospecies. Many parasitoids were identifiable to chalcidoid taxa present in other Holarctic oak cynipid communities, with the addition of Cynipencyrtus (Cynipencyrtidae). As elsewhere, Sichuan parasitoid assemblages were dominated by generalists.\u0000Gallwasp–plant interaction networks were significantly more modular than parasitoid–plant association networks. Gallwasps were significantly more specialised to host plants (i.e. had higher mean d' values) than parasitoids. Parasitoid assemblages nevertheless showed significant plant‐associated beta diversity, with a dominant turnover component.\u0000We summarise parallels between our study and other Fagaceae‐associated cynipid communities and discuss our findings in light of the processes thought to structure tritrophic interactions centred on endophytic insect herbivores.\u0000","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141643277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}