Competition may explain the fine-scale spatial patterns and genetic structure of two co-occurring plant congeners

1. The spatial distribution of individual plants within a population and the population’s genetic structure are determined by several factors, like dispersal, reproduction mode or biotic interactions. The role of interspecific interactions in shaping the spatial genetic structure of plant populations remains largely unknown. 2. Species with a common evolutionary history are known to interact more closely with each other than unrelated species due to the greater number of traits they share. We hypothesize that plant interactions may shape the fine genetic structure of closely related congeners. 3. We used spatial statistics (georeferenced design) and molecular techniques (ISSR markers) to understand how two closely related congeners, Thymus vulgaris (widespread species) and T. loscosii (narrow endemic) interact at the local scale. Specific cover, number of individuals of both study species and several community attributes were measured in a 10 × 10 m plot. 4. Both species showed similar levels of genetic variation, but differed in their spatial genetic structure. Thymus vulgaris showed spatial aggregation but no spatial genetic structure, while T. loscosii showed spatial genetic structure (positive genetic autocorrelation) at short distances. The spatial pattern of T. vulgaris’ cover showed significant dissociation with that of T. loscosii. The same was true between the spatial patterns of the cover of T. vulgaris and the abundance of T. loscosii and between the abundance of each species. Most importantly, we found a correlation between the genetic structure of T. loscosii and the abundance of T. vulgaris: T. loscosii plants were genetically more similar when they were surrounded by a similar number of T. vulgaris plants. 5. Synthesis. Our results reveal spatially complex genetic structures of both congeners at small spatial scales. The negative association among the spatial patterns of the two species and the genetic structure found for T. loscosii in relation to the abundance of T. vulgaris indicate that competition between the two species may account for the presence of adapted ecotypes of T. loscosii to the abundance of a competing congeneric species. This suggests that the presence and abundance of close congeners can influence the genetic spatial structure of plant species at fine scales.

Gene transfer to plants by diverse species of bacteria

Agrobacterium is widely considered to be the only bacterial genus capable of transferring genes to plants. When suitably modified, Agrobacterium has become the most effective vector for gene transfer in plant biotechnology1. However, the complexity of the patent landscape2 has created both real and perceived obstacles to the effective use of this technology for agricultural improvements by many public and private organizations worldwide. Here we show that several species of bacteria outside the Agrobacterium genus can be modified to mediate gene transfer to a number of diverse plants. These plant-associated symbiotic bacteria were made competent for gene transfer by acquisition of both a disarmed Ti plasmid and a suitable binary vector. This alternative to Agrobacterium-mediated technology for crop improvement, in addition to affording a versatile ‘open source’ platform for plant biotechnology, may lead to new uses of natural bacteria– plant interactions to achieve plant transformation.

The ecology of Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritdae) : what do we know to assist pest management?

The distribution, systematics and ecology of Bactrocera tryoni, the Queensland fruit fly are reviewed. Bactrocera tryoni is a member of the B. tryoni complex of species, which currently includes four named species, viz. B. tryoni s.s., B. neohumeralis, B. melas and B. aquilonis. The species status of B. melas and B. aquilonis are unclear (they may be junior synonyms of B. tryoni) and their validity, or otherwise, needs to be confirmed as a matter of urgency. While Queensland fruit fly is regarded as a tropical species, it cannot be assumed that its distribution will spread further south under climate change scenarios. Increasing aridity and hot dry summers, as well as more complex, indirect interactions resulting from elevated CO2, make predicting the future distribution and abundance of B. tryoni difficult. The ecology of B. tryoni is reviewed with respect to current control approaches (with the exception of Sterile Insect Technique which is covered in a companion paper). We conclude that there are major gaps in the knowledge required to implement most non-insecticide based management approaches. Priority areas for future research include host plant interactions, protein and cue-lure foraging and use, spatial dynamics, development of new monitoring tools, investigating the use of natural enemies and better integration of fruit flies into general horticultural IPM systems.

Is a mango just a mango? Testing within-fruit oviposition site choice and larval performance of a highly polyphagous fruit fly

For fruit flies, fully ripe fruit is preferred for adult oviposition and is superior for offspring performance over unripe or ripening fruit. Because not all parts of a single fruit ripen simultaneously, the opportunity exists for adult fruit flies to selectively choose riper parts of a fruit for oviposition and such selection, if it occurs, could positively influence offspring performance. Such fine scale host variation is rarely considered in fruit fly ecology, however, especially for polyphagous species which are, by definition, considered to be generalist host users. Here we study the adult oviposition preference/larval performance relationship of the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), a highly polyphagous pest species, at the “within-fruit” level to see if such a host use pattern occurs. We recorded the number of oviposition attempts that female flies made into three fruit portions (top, middle and bottom), and larval behavior and development within different fruit portions for ripening (color change) and fully-ripe mango, Mangifera indica L. (Anacardiaceae). Results indicate that female B. dorsalis do not oviposit uniformly across a mango fruit, but lay most often in the top (i.e., stalk end) of fruit and least in the bottom portion, regardless of ripening stage. There was no evidence of larval feeding site preference or performance (development time, pupal weight, percent pupation) being influenced by fruit portion, within or across the fruit ripening stages. There was, however, a very significant effect on adult emergence rate from pupae, with adult emergence rate from pupae from the bottom of ripening mango being approximately only 50% of the adult emergence rate from the top of ripening fruit, or from both the top and bottom of fully-ripe fruit. Differences in mechanical (firmness) and chemical (total soluble solids, titratable acidity, total non-structural carbohydrates) traits between different fruit portions were correlated with adult fruit utilisation. Our results support a positive adult preference/offspring performance relationship at within-fruit level for B. dorsalis. The fine level of host discrimination exhibited by B. dorsalis is at odds with the general perception that, as a polyphagous herbivore, the fly should show very little discrimination in its host use behavior.

EPG monitoring of the probing behaviour of the common brown leafhopper Orosius orientalis on artificial diet and selected host plants

The common brown leafhopper Orosius orientalis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) is a polyphagous vector of a range of economically important pathogens, including phytoplasmas and viruses, which infect a diverse range of crops. Studies on the plant penetration behaviour by O. orientalis were conducted using the electrical penetration graph (EPG) technique to assist in the characterisation of pathogen acquisition and transmission. EPG waveforms representing different probing activities were acquired from adult O. orientalis probing in planta, using two host species, tobacco Nicotiana tabacum and bean Phaseolus vulgaris, and in vitro using a simple sucrose-based artificial diet. Five waveforms (O1–O5) were evident when O. orientalis fed on bean, whereas only four waveforms (O1–O4) and three waveforms (O1–O3) were observed when the leafhopper fed on tobacco and on the artificial diet, respectively. Both the mean duration of each waveform and waveform type differed markedly depending on the food substrate. Waveform O4 was not observed on the artificial diet and occurred relatively rarely on tobacco plants when compared with bean plants. Waveform O5 was only observed with leafhoppers probing on beans. The attributes of the waveforms and comparative analyses with previously published Hemipteran data are presented and discussed, but further characterisation studies will be needed to confirm our suggestions.

Host Tree Influences on Longicorn Beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Attack in Subtropical Corymbia (Myrtales: Myrtaceae)

Phoracantha longicorn beetles are endemic to Australia, and some species have become significant pests of eucalypts worldwide, yet little is known about their host plant interactions and factors influencing tree susceptibility in Australia. Here, we investigate the host relationships of Phoracantha solida (Blackburn, 1894) on four eucalypt taxa (one pure species and three hybrid families), examining feeding site physical characteristics including phloem thickness, density, and moisture content, and host tree factors such as diameter, height, growth, taper, and survival. We also determine the cardinal and vertical (within-tree) and horizontal (between-tree) spatial distribution of borers. Fewer than 10% of P. solida attacks were recorded from the pure species (Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegate (Hook)), and this taxon also showed the highest survival, phloem thickness, relative growth rate, and bark:wood area. For the two most susceptible taxa, borer severity was negatively correlated with moisture content, and positively related to phloem density. Borers were nonrandomly and nonuniformly distributed within trees, and were statistically aggregated in 32% of plots. More attacks were situated on the northern side of the tree than the other aspects, and most larvae fed within the lower 50 cm of the bole, with attack height positively correlated with severity. Trees with borers had more dead neighbors, and more bored neighbors, than trees without borers, while within plots, borer incidence and severity were positively correlated. Because the more susceptible taxa overlapped with less susceptible taxa for several physical tree factors, the role of primary and secondary chemistries in determining host suitability needs to be investigated. Nevertheless, taxon, moisture content, phloem density, tree size, and mortality of neighboring trees appeared the most important physical characteristics influencing host suitability for P. solida at this site.

Fungal community structure in disease suppressive soils assessed by 28S LSU gene sequencing

Natural biological suppression of soil-borne diseases is a function of the activity and composition of soil microbial communities. Soil microbe and phytopathogen interactions can occur prior to crop sowing and/or in the rhizosphere, subsequently influencing both plant growth and productivity. Research on suppressive microbial communities has concentrated on bacteria although fungi can also influence soil-borne disease. Fungi were analyzed in co-located soils 'suppressive' or 'non-suppressive' for disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG 8 at two sites in South Australia using 454 pyrosequencing targeting the fungal 28S LSU rRNA gene. DNA was extracted from a minimum of 125 g of soil per replicate to reduce the micro-scale community variability, and from soil samples taken at sowing and from the rhizosphere at 7 weeks to cover the peak Rhizoctonia infection period. A total of ∼994,000 reads were classified into 917 genera covering 54% of the RDP Fungal Classifier database, a high diversity for an alkaline, low organic matter soil. Statistical analyses and community ordinations revealed significant differences in fungal community composition between suppressive and non-suppressive soil and between soil type/location. The majority of differences associated with suppressive soils were attributed to less than 40 genera including a number of endophytic species with plant pathogen suppression potentials and mycoparasites such as Xylaria spp. Non-suppressive soils were dominated by Alternaria , Gibberella and Penicillum. Pyrosequencing generated a detailed description of fungal community structure and identified candidate taxa that may influence pathogen-plant interactions in stable disease suppression. © 2014 Penton et al.

Phylogenetics, taxon delimitation and phylogenetic diversity

Throughout the history of Linnean taxonomy, species have been described with varying degrees of justification. Many descriptions have been based on only a few ambiguous morphological characters. Moreover, species have been considered natural, well-defined units whereas higher taxa have been treated as disparate, non-existent creations. In the present thesis a few such cases were studied in detail. Often the species-level descriptions were based on only a few specimens and the variation previously thought to be interspecific was found to be intraspecific. In some cases morphological characters were sufficient to resolve the evolutionary relationships between the taxa, but generally more resolution was gained by the addition of molecular evidence. However, both morphological and molecular data were found to be deceptive in some cases. The DNA sequences of morphologically similar specimens were found to differ distinctly in some cases, whereas in other closely related species the morphology of specimens with identical DNA sequences differed substantially. This study counsels caution when evolutionary relationships are being studied utilizing only one source of evidence or a very limited number of characters (e.g. barcoding). Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of high quality data as well as the utilization of proper methods when making scientific inferences. Properly conducted analyses produce robust results that can be utilized in numerous interesting ways. The present thesis considered two such extensions of systematics. A novel hypothesis on the origin of bioluminescence in Elateriformia beetles is presented, tying it to the development of the clicking mechanism in the ancestors of these animals. An entirely different type of extension of systematics is the proposed high value of the white sand forests in maintaining the diversity of beetles in the Peruvian Amazon. White sand forests are under growing pressure from human activities that lead to deforestation. They were found to harbor an extremely diverse beetle fauna and many taxa were specialists living only in this unique habitat. In comparison to the predominant clay soil forests, considerably more elateroid beetles belonging to all studied taxonomic levels (species, genus, tribus, and subfamily) were collected in white sand forests. This evolutionary diversity is hypothesized to be due to a combination of factors: (1) the forest structure, which favors the fungus-plant interactions important for the elateroid beetles, (2) the old age of the forest type favoring survival of many evolutionary lineages and (3) the widespread distribution and fragmentation of the forests in the Miocene, favoring speciation.

Divvying up an incubator: How parasitic and mutualistic fig wasps use space within their nursery microcosm

Differential occupancy of space can lead to species coexistence. The fig-fig wasp pollination system hosts species-specific pollinating and parasitic wasps that develop within galls in a nursery comprising a closed inflorescence, the syconium. This microcosm affords excellent opportunities for investigating spatial partitioning since it harbours a closed community in which all wasp species are dependent on securing safe sites inside the syconium for their developing offspring while differing in life history, egg deposition strategies and oviposition times relative to nursery development. We determined ontogenetic changes in oviposition sites available to the seven-member fig wasp community of Ficus racemosa comprising pollinators, gallers and parasitoids. We used species distribution models (SDMs) for the first time at a microcosm scale to predict patterns of spatial occurrence of nursery occupants. SDMs gave high true-positive and low false-positive site occupancy rates for most occupants indicating species specificity in oviposition sites. The nursery microcosm itself changed with syconium development and sequential egg-laying by different wasp species. The number of sites occupied by offspring of the different wasp species was negatively related to the risk of syconium abortion by the plant host following oviposition. Since unpollinated syconia are usually aborted, parasitic wasps ovipositing into nurseries at the same time as the pollinator targeted many sites, suggesting response to lower risk of syconium abortion owing to reduced risk of pollination failure compared to those species ovipositing before pollination. Wasp life history and oviposition time relative to nursery development contributed to the co-existence of nursery occupants.

亚热带森林外生菌根真菌的生态学研究

菌根是一种植物营养根与土壤真菌形成的共生体，在自然界中分布广泛。外生菌根真菌是菌根真菌的重要类群，其宿主植物约占陆地植物总数的3%左右。由于外生菌根真菌的宿主植物常常是一些生态系统的优势种和建群种，并且这些真菌还参与了许多森林生态系统的有机和无机元素循环、物种的竞争和共存、生物多样性的维持、生态系统的演替等过程，因而对外生菌根真菌的研究有助于对这些生态系统维持和演替机制的深入理解。本文通过外生菌根真菌的种类鉴定和多样性，外生菌根真菌种群的遗传结构，外生菌根真菌群落的结构、空间格局及植物-菌根真菌空间关系，外生菌根真菌接种对植物生长和竞争的影响等四个方面的研究，使我们对这一地区的外生菌根真菌的种类组成、空间分布和传播规律、年度变化、以及对植物群落组成和多样性的影响等方面，有一个初步了解。 外生菌根真菌的鉴定和种类组成是进行菌根真菌研究的前提之一。在第一章中，主要通过子实体形态分类和分子方法，对大型真菌的种类进行了鉴定。在对东灵山和都江堰森林的调查中分别发现的大型真菌106种和98种，菌根真菌比例分别为44.3%和69.4%，木生真菌比例分别为16%和10.2%。按Fellner的评价标准，两个森林群落均属于健康的生态系统。我们应用ITS-RFLP和ITS序列比较的方法对地上子实体、地下菌根及分离培养的菌种进行了种类鉴定和分析。结果表明，ITS-RFLP可以用来进行外生菌根真菌的种类鉴定，而序列分析能够提供更为可靠的信息。二者的结合，可以使我们建立菌根真菌分子数据库成为可能。 种群遗传结构的研究包括种群中个体的空间分布和亲缘关系等方面，有助于加深我们对种群的生殖和传播方式，菌根真菌与风、雨、动物等生态因子的关系等方面的理解。第二章主要以两个外生菌根真菌种群为例，对种群遗传结构中空间距离与遗传相似性的关系、种群结构的年度变化等方面进行了探讨。正红菇（Russula vinosa）种群具有较高的遗传多样性，每个子实体来自不同的克隆。空间距离-遗传相似性关系和空间格局分析的结果均表明，这一正红菇的种群结构可能是由短距离孢子传播产生的，而不可能是无性生长或长距离孢子传播形成的。在对隐花青鹅膏菌（Amanita manginiana）连续两年的种群结构进行了研究中，种群的每一个子实体也均来自不同的克隆。遗传相似性分析、AMOVA、遗传相似性-空间距离关系的结果均显示，这两年的种群在遗传相似性和种群结构上均具有显著差异。对此的一个合理的解释就是，这一外生菌根真菌种群来说，其个体由有性孢子发育为子实体的时间可能超过一年，因而2001和2002年的个体并非同一种群的连续世代。 外生菌根真菌群落可以定义为在一定地理范围和时间尺度内不同外生菌根真菌种群的组合。对外生菌根真菌群落的研究有助于揭示森林生态系统中菌根真菌与植物、菌根真菌与环境因子、以及菌根真菌之间的相互关系。在第三章中，我们应用点格局的分析方法和二元逻辑回归分析对外生菌根真菌的主要类群，即鹅膏菌科，牛肝菌科和红菇科，的空间格局及其与周围（5×5米样方）树种组成的关系进行研究。结果表明，某些树种与特定类群菌根真菌的子实体出现有负相关，而三个类群的外生菌根真菌在克隆生长上的差异并不是子实体空间分布的决定因素。而在较小尺度上（450平方米样方）研究也表明，三个主要外生菌根真菌类群的空间分布为聚集半径不等的集群分布，并且其空间分布不依赖于木本植物的分布。外生菌根真菌主要类群在空间分布上具有相互抑制的特点，而抑制能力的大小可能与菌根真菌地下菌丝体的分布范围及连续性有关。 外生菌根真菌的盆栽接种实验通常用来验证菌根真菌-宿主植物的相互关系，不但有理论意义，也是大田实验和大规模生产应用的基础。第四章中进行了两个实验，对外生菌根真菌多样性与宿主植物生长的关系以及菌根真菌与植物之间竞争平衡的关系进行了初步研究。在外生菌根真菌多样性对马尾松生长影响实验中，菌根真菌接种并未显著促进马尾松幼苗的生长和生物量积累，不同的菌种与地上、地下生物量的积累存在不同（正或负）的相关关系。外生菌根真菌的多样性水平与马尾松幼苗的针叶数量存在显著的正相关，并且随接种时间的延长相关关系更为显著。外生菌根真菌多样性水平还与马尾松幼苗地下生物量的累积呈显著的正相关关系。在外生菌根真菌对三种植物的竞争平衡和共存的影响实验中，外生菌根真菌接种没有显著促进马尾松幼苗的生长，但对漆树和枹栎幼苗的生长有显著影响。外生菌根真菌接种能够在两个外生菌根真菌宿主植物竞争中降低枹栎对马尾松的优势，在马尾松和漆树的竞争中降低马尾松的优势，并促使枹栎与漆树（一个外生菌根真菌宿主和一个非宿主植物）的竞争处于不稳定状态。 本文首次通过生态学的角度对外生菌根真菌的物种多样性、种群结构、群落中的空间格局、以及外生菌根真菌与植物生长的关系进行了较为全面的研究。在大型真菌的多样性方面，菌根和木生真菌比例的引入可以完善森林生态系统的健康评价体系，而分子数据库的建立使对大型真菌尤其是外生菌根真菌多样性的长期监测成为可能;在种群遗传结构方面，本文验证了红菇属和鹅膏菌属克隆较小的特点，以及红菇属菌根真菌以短距离孢子传播为主的繁殖特性，并首次从生活史特点的角度解释菌根真菌的种群结构的年度差异;在菌根真菌群落的空间格局方面，本文首次应用二元逻辑回归和点格局分析的方法研究外生菌根真菌的空间分布及菌根真菌－植物关系，并发现三个类群的外生菌根真菌在子实体分布上具有相互排斥的特点;在控制实验中，本文首次研究了菌根真菌接种的多样性水平对宿主植物的影响，首次研究了外生菌根真菌接种对三个物种之间竞争与共存的影响。虽然这些研究在很多方面都仅得到初步的结果，但我们希望这些探索可以为今后对外生菌根真菌的生态学研究提供有益的启示。

Experimental warming causes large and rapid species loss, dampened by simulated grazing, on the Tibetan Plateau

We investigated the independent and combined effects of experimental warming and grazing on plant species diversity on the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau, a region highly vulnerable to ongoing climate and land use changes. Experimental warming caused a 26-36% decrease in species richness, a response that was generally dampened by experimental grazing. Higher species losses occurred at the drier sites where N was less available. Moreover, we observed an indirect effect of climate change on species richness as mediated by plant-plant interactions. Heat stress and warming-induced litter accumulation are potential explanations for the species' responses to experimental warming. This is the first reported experimental evidence that climate warming could cause dramatic declines in plant species diversity in high elevation ecosystems over short time frames and supports model predictions of species losses with anthropogenic climate change.

Utilizing insect behavior in chemical detection by a behavioral biosensor

Traditionally, biosensors have been defined as consisting of two parts; a biological part, which is used to detect chemical or physical changes in the environment, and a corresponding electronic component, which tranduces the signal into an electronically readable format. Biosensors are used for detection of volatile compounds often at a level of sensitivity unattainable by traditional analytical techniques. Classical biosensors and traditional analytical techniques do not allow an ecological context to be imparted to the volatile compound/s under investigation. Therefore, we propose the use of behavioral biosensors, in which a whole organism is utilized for the analysis of chemical stimuli. In this case, the organism detects a chemical or physical change and demonstrates this detection through modifications of its behavior; it is the organism's behavior itself that defines the biosensor. In this review, we evaluate the use and future prospects of behavioral biosensors, with a particular focus on parasitic wasps.

Changes of a mutualistic network over time: reanalysis over a 10-year period

We analyzed the structure of a multispecific network or interacting ants and plants bearing extrafloral nectaries recorded in 1990 and again in 2000 in La Mancha, Veracruz, Mexico. We assessed the replicability of the number of interactions found among species and also whether there had been changes in the network structure associated with appearance of new ant and plant species during. that 10-year period. Our results show that the nested topology of the network was similar between sampling dates, group dissimilarity increased, mean number of interactions for ant species increased, the frequency distribution of standardized degrees reached higher values for plant species, more ant species and fewer plant species constituted the core of the more recent network, and the presence of new ant and plant species increased while their contribution to nestedness remained the same. Generalist species (i.e., those with the most links or interactions) appeared to maintain the stability of the network because the new species incorporated into the communities were linked to this core of generalists. Camponotus planatus was the most extreme generalist ant species (the one with the most links) in both networks, followed by four other ant species; but other species changed either their position along the continuum of generalists relative to specialists or their presence or absence within the network. Even though new species moved into the area during the decade between the surveys, the overall network structure remained unmodified.

Spatio-temporal variation in seed production in three Euphorbia species and the role of animals on seed fate

Comparative studies on the reproductive biology of co-occurring related plant species have provided valuable information for the interpretation of ecological and evolutionary phenomena, with direct application in conservation management of plant populations. The aims of this thesis were to identify the causes of pre-dispersal reproductive losses in three Euphorbia species (the Mediterranean E. characias and the narrow endemics E. pedroi and E. welwitschii) and evaluate the variation of their effects in time, space and between individuals and species. Furthermore, we intended to study elaiosomes’ fatty acid profiles for the three Euphorbia and assess the role played by the elaiosome in ant attraction. Finally, we aimed to identify the major seed dispersal agents for each Euphorbia species in each site and study differences in short term seed fate due to differences in ant behaviour. The results indicated that intact seed production differed significantly between the three Euphorbia, mostly due to differences in cyathia production. Losses to pre-dispersal seed predators were proportionately larger for the endemic species which also suffered higher losses resulting in flower, fruit (in E. welwitschii) and seed abortion (in E. pedroi). The elaiosomes of E. pedroi are poor in fatty acids and for this reason seeds of this species were removed in lower proportion by mutualistic dispersers than those of their congeners, being more prone to seed predation. Two larger ant species – Aphaenogaster senilis and Formica subrufa – were responsible for a larger percentage of removals with seeds being transported at larger distances and being discarded in the vicinity of their nests following elaiosome removal. Our results highlight the role of insect-plant interactions as major determinants of seed survival for the three study plants and call for the need to include more information on insect-plant interactions in plant conservation programmes.