Searching for the signal of competition in plant-mediated interactions among coexisting gall insects on broad-leaved paperbark
Tóm tắt
The central prediction of competition theory is that a reciprocal struggle for resources should manifest itself among coexisting species under conditions of increasing functional similarity (e.g. similar feeding niche), density and spatio-temporal overlap. We investigated whether the signal from such a struggle was evident in a community of phytophagous gall insects on Melaleuca quinquenervia meeting these conditions. Specifically, we examined plant-mediated interactions among three species galling vegetative tips with varying degrees of temporal overlap. The abundance of early gallers (Sphaerococcus ferrugineus Froggatt and Fergusonina turneri Taylor) did not influence resource availability for the late galler (Lophodiplosis indendata Gagné), suggesting the absence of temporally separated exploitative competition. However, the abundance of S. ferrugineus was positively correlated with the abundance of L. indentata, which suggests facilitation or similar responses to the prevailing conditions. Examination of the reciprocal impacts of the late galler on early gallers paradoxically revealed that though galling by L. indentata may be reducing the resource availability for early gallers, the abundance of L. indentata was positively influenced by the abundance of early gallers (an effect that is stronger for S. ferrugineus than F. turneri) suggesting facilitation. The strong influence of site on the interactions among the different cecidogenic species indicated that any role for competition/facilitation may be spatially constrained. We explore potential processes that may be driving the patterns that we detected and also the implications for the use of these species as biological control agents for M. quinquenervia.
Tài liệu tham khảo
Bruno JF, Stachowicz JJ, Bertness MD (2003) Inclusion of facilitation into ecological theory. Trends Ecol Evol 18:119–125. doi:S0169-5347(02)00045-9
Burnham KP, Anderson DR (2002) Model selection and multimodel inference: a practical information-theoretic approach, 2nd edn. Springer, New York
Center TD, Purcell MF, Pratt PD, Rayamajhi MB, Tipping PW, Wright SA, Dray Jr. FA (2011) Biological control of Melaleuca quinquenervia: an Everglades invader. Biocontrol in press. doi:10.1007/s10526-10011-19390-10526
Cook LG, Gullan PJ (2004) The gall-inducing habit has evolved multiple times among the eriococcid scale insects (Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae). Biol J Linn Soc 83:441–452
Denno RF, Mcclure MS, Ott JR (1995) Interspecific interactions in phytophagous insects—competition reexamined and resurrected. Annu Rev Entomol 40:297–331
Denoth M, Frid L, Myers JH (2002) Multiple agents in biological control: improving the odds? Biol Control 24:20–30. doi:S1049-9644(02)00002-6
Gagné RJ, Balciunas JK, Burrows DW (1997) Six new species of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from Melaleuca (Myrtaceae) in Australia. P Entomol Soc Wash 99:312–334
Gagné RJ, Wright SA, Purcell MF, Brown BT, Pratt PD, Center TD (2009) Description of the larva of Lophodiplosis trifida, an Australian gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) and biocontrol agent of paperbark in Florida, USA. Fla Entomol 92:593–597
Goolsby JA, Makinson J, Purcell M (2000) Seasonal phenology of the gall-making fly Fergusonina sp (Diptera : Fergusoninidae) and its implications for biological control of Melaleuca quinquenervia. Aust J Entomol 39:336–343
Heiberger RM, Holland B (2004) Statistical analysis and data display: an intermediate course with examples in S-plus, R, and SAS. Springer texts in statistics. Springer, New York
Hurlbert SH (1984) Pseudoreplication and the design of ecological field experiments. Ecol Monogr 54:187–211
Kaplan I, Denno RF (2007) Interspecific interactions in phytophagous insects revisited: a quantitative assessment of competition theory. Ecol Lett 10:977–994. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01093.x
Kaplan I, Sardanelli S, Denno RF (2009) Field evidence for indirect interactions between foliar-feeding insect and root-feeding nematode communities on Nicotiana tabacum. Ecol Entomol 34:262–270
Larson KC, Whitham TG (1991) Manipulation of food resources by gall-forming aphid: the physiology of sink-source interactions. Oecologia 88:15–21
Larson KC, Whitham TG (1997) Competition between gall aphids and natural plant sinks: plant architecture affects resistance to galling. Oecologia 109:575–582
Pinhero JC, Bates DM (2000) Mixed-effects models in S and S-PLUS. Springer-Verlag, New York
Purcell M, Wineriter S, Brown B (2007) Lophodiplosis trifida Gagné (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), a stem-galling midge with potential as a biological control agent of Melaleuca quinquenervia (Myrtaceae). Aust Entomol 34:123–125
R Development Core Team (2010) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna
Serbesoff-King K (2003) Melaleuca in Florida: a literature review on the taxonomy, distribution, biology, ecology, economic importance and control measures. J Aquat Plant Manage 41:98–112
Shea K, Kelly D, Sheppard AW, Woodburn TL (2005) Context-dependent biological control of an invasive thistle. Ecology 86:3174–3181
Taylor GS (2004) Revision of Fergusonina Malloch gall flies (Diptera: Fergusoninidae) from Melaleuca (Myrtaceae). Invertebr Syst 18:251–290. doi:10.1071/Is02033
Turner CE, Center TD, Burrows DW, Buckingham GR (1998) Ecology and management of Melaleuca quinquenervia, an invader of wetlands in Florida. U.S.A. Wetl Ecol Manag 5:165–178
Walter GH (1988) Competitive-exclusion, coexistence and community structure. Acta Biotheor 37:281–313
Walter GH (1991) What is resource partitioning? J Theor Biol 150:137–143
Walter GH (2003) Insect pest management and ecological research. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Wardlaw IF (1990) The control of carbon partitioning in plants. New Phytol 116:341–381
Watson MA, Casper BB (1984) Morphogenetic constraints on patterns of carbon distribution in plants. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 15:233–258
Wiens JA (1984) Resource systems, populations, and communities. In: Price PW, Slobodchikoff CN, Gaud WS (eds) A new ecology. Novel approaches to Interactive Systems. John Wiley and Sons, New York, pp 397–436
Wineriter Wright S, Center TD (2008) Nonselective oviposition by a fastidious insect: the laboratory host range of the melaleuca gall midge Lophodiplosis trifida (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). Biocontrol Sci Tech 18:793–807