Plant-sex-biased tritrophic interactions on dioecious willow

Plant sex effects on herbivores are well studied, but little is known about these effects on predators and predator-herbivore dynamics. Here we take a holistic approach to study, simultaneously, plant sex effects on herbivore and predator preference and performance, as well as population densities a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecosphere (Washington, D.C) D.C), 2014-12, Vol.5 (12), p.art153-9
Main Authors: Kabir, Md. Faisal, Moritz, Kim K, Stenberg, Johan A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Biological control
community genetics
dioecy
Ecology
Ekologi
extended phenotype
Females
genetic variation
Herbivores
herbivory
indirect effects
Insects
interaction modification
plant gender
Predation
Predators
Prey
sex-biased herbivory
Studies
tritrophic interactions
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Summary:Plant sex effects on herbivores are well studied, but little is known about these effects on predators and predator-herbivore dynamics. Here we take a holistic approach to study, simultaneously, plant sex effects on herbivore and predator preference and performance, as well as population densities and predation pressure in the field. For dioecious Salix cinerea (grey willow) we found that male plants represented higher host plant quality than females for an omnivorous predator ( Anthocoris nemorum , common flower bug), while host plant quality for its herbivorous prey ( Phratora vulgatissima , blue willow beetle) was not sex-biased. The herbivore strongly preferred the host plant sex (female) that was suboptimal for the predator, which in turn followed its prey to female plants, leading to plant-sex-biased predation. These results provide new insight into the far-reaching effects of plant sex on insect communities, and open up novel opportunities for improving biocontrol of the herbivore in Salix short rotation coppice.
ISSN:2150-8925
2150-8925
DOI:10.1890/ES14-00356.1