INVESTIGADORES
SUAREZ maria laura
artículos
Título:
Insect herbivory in climber–host shrubs associations: Benefit or detriment?
Autor/es:
SASAL, YAMILA; SUAREZ, MARIA LAURAZ
Revista:
AUSTRAL ECOLOGY
Editorial:
WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC
Referencias:
Año: 2011 vol. 36 p. 814 - 820
ISSN:
1442-9985
Resumen:
Spatial proximity between different plant species could modify the sign (positive or negative) ofplant–herbivore interaction.The chance of a plant being detected and colonized by herbivorous insects depends notonly on the plant’s own traits but also on the identity of the neighbouring plants that grow with it. The closestproximity between plants occurs in climbers and their host.We conducted a field experiment to assess the effect ofspatial association between a climber plant, Vicia nigricans (Fabaceae), and two host shrubs, Berberis buxifolia(Berberidaceae) and Schinus patagonica (Anacardiaceae), on insect herbivory levels, reproductive output andgrowth.The presence and identity of the host shrubs affected the herbivory levels of the climberV. nigricans, but notthe reproductive output. For the climber, the probability of being attacked by insects could depend on thecharacteristics of the host shrub.Taking the opposite perspective, climber association affected different traits of thehost shrubs.The association with the climber decreased leaf damage (positive), tended to decrease leaf production(negative) and did not affect reproductive output (neutral). Our findings suggest that spatial association betweenplant species could change the sign of the interactions between plants and insects affecting different traits. By takinginto account the perspective of both plants involved in the association, this study shows and emphasizes thatplant–animal interactions strongly depend on the community context.