Plant species loss affects life-history traits of aphids and their parasitoids.
The consequences of plant species loss are rarely assessed in a multi-trophic context and especially effects on life-history traits of organisms at higher trophic levels have remained largely unstudied. We used a grassland biodiversity experiment and measured the effects of two components of plant d...
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doaj-d5e21b2b7ac24ab6b2bd5332326c59082020-11-25T01:22:08ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032010-08-0158e1205310.1371/journal.pone.0012053Plant species loss affects life-history traits of aphids and their parasitoids.Jana S PetermannChristine B MüllerChristiane RoscherAlexandra WeigeltWolfgang W WeisserBernhard SchmidThe consequences of plant species loss are rarely assessed in a multi-trophic context and especially effects on life-history traits of organisms at higher trophic levels have remained largely unstudied. We used a grassland biodiversity experiment and measured the effects of two components of plant diversity, plant species richness and the presence of nitrogen-fixing legumes, on several life-history traits of naturally colonizing aphids and their primary and secondary parasitoids in the field. We found that, irrespective of aphid species identity, the proportion of winged aphid morphs decreased with increasing plant species richness, which was correlated with decreasing host plant biomass. Similarly, emergence proportions of parasitoids decreased with increasing plant species richness. Both, emergence proportions and proportions of female parasitoids were lower in plots with legumes, where host plants had increased nitrogen concentrations. This effect of legume presence could indicate that aphids were better defended against parasitoids in high-nitrogen environments. Body mass of emerged individuals of the two most abundant primary parasitoid species was, however, higher in plots with legumes, suggesting that once parasitoids could overcome aphid defenses, they could profit from larger or more nutritious hosts. Our study demonstrates that cascading effects of plant species loss on higher trophic levels such as aphids, parasitoids and secondary parasitoids begin with changed life-history traits of these insects. Thus, life-history traits of organisms at higher trophic levels may be useful indicators of bottom-up effects of plant diversity on the biodiversity of consumers.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2917359?pdf=render |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jana S Petermann Christine B Müller Christiane Roscher Alexandra Weigelt Wolfgang W Weisser Bernhard Schmid |
spellingShingle |
Jana S Petermann Christine B Müller Christiane Roscher Alexandra Weigelt Wolfgang W Weisser Bernhard Schmid Plant species loss affects life-history traits of aphids and their parasitoids. PLoS ONE |
author_facet |
Jana S Petermann Christine B Müller Christiane Roscher Alexandra Weigelt Wolfgang W Weisser Bernhard Schmid |
author_sort |
Jana S Petermann |
title |
Plant species loss affects life-history traits of aphids and their parasitoids. |
title_short |
Plant species loss affects life-history traits of aphids and their parasitoids. |
title_full |
Plant species loss affects life-history traits of aphids and their parasitoids. |
title_fullStr |
Plant species loss affects life-history traits of aphids and their parasitoids. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Plant species loss affects life-history traits of aphids and their parasitoids. |
title_sort |
plant species loss affects life-history traits of aphids and their parasitoids. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
series |
PLoS ONE |
issn |
1932-6203 |
publishDate |
2010-08-01 |
description |
The consequences of plant species loss are rarely assessed in a multi-trophic context and especially effects on life-history traits of organisms at higher trophic levels have remained largely unstudied. We used a grassland biodiversity experiment and measured the effects of two components of plant diversity, plant species richness and the presence of nitrogen-fixing legumes, on several life-history traits of naturally colonizing aphids and their primary and secondary parasitoids in the field. We found that, irrespective of aphid species identity, the proportion of winged aphid morphs decreased with increasing plant species richness, which was correlated with decreasing host plant biomass. Similarly, emergence proportions of parasitoids decreased with increasing plant species richness. Both, emergence proportions and proportions of female parasitoids were lower in plots with legumes, where host plants had increased nitrogen concentrations. This effect of legume presence could indicate that aphids were better defended against parasitoids in high-nitrogen environments. Body mass of emerged individuals of the two most abundant primary parasitoid species was, however, higher in plots with legumes, suggesting that once parasitoids could overcome aphid defenses, they could profit from larger or more nutritious hosts. Our study demonstrates that cascading effects of plant species loss on higher trophic levels such as aphids, parasitoids and secondary parasitoids begin with changed life-history traits of these insects. Thus, life-history traits of organisms at higher trophic levels may be useful indicators of bottom-up effects of plant diversity on the biodiversity of consumers. |
url |
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2917359?pdf=render |
work_keys_str_mv |
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