The influence of Ditylenchus (Nematoda) galls and shade on the fluctuating asymmetry of Miconia fallax (Melastomataceae)
Keywords:
edge effect, light exposure, pioneer plant, CerradoAbstract
Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) can be defined as small, random deviations from bilateral symmetry in structures that are bilaterally symmetrical and can estimate a population’s inability to buffer its growth against perturbations of environmental origins. Another important issue about FA is whether biotic factors may also induce stress in organisms. Therefore, in this study I aimed to investigate the influence of both the abiotic (light exposure) and biotic (Ditylenchus sp. galls) factors accounting for increased FA in Miconia fallax leaves. Galls are known as parasites and a major cause of leaf stress. Additionally, since M. fallax is a pioneer plant species, individuals in the shade were supposed to present high levels of FA relative to plants on the edges exposed to direct sunlight. Results showed no concomitant interaction between gall abundance, light exposure and FA. Separate analysis showed that plants in the shade presented the highest level of FA, almost 25% higher than plants on the edges, indicating that plants growing in places with little sunlight were in stressful condition. The presence of galls did not cause alterations in FA relative to leaves without galls. The lack of relationship between galls and leaf FA indicates that M. fallax can tolerate and buffer the presence of these leaf parasites, revealing the high homeostasis ability of this plant species against a biotic stress.
References
CORNELISSEN, T & P STILING. 2005. Perfect is best: low leaf fluctuating asymmetry reduces herbivory by leaf miners. Oecologia 142:46-56.
CORNELISSEN, T & P STILING. 2010. Small variations over large scales: fluctuating asymmetry over the range of two oak species. Int. J. Plant Sci. 171:303-309.
CORNELISSEN, T & P STILING. 2011. Similar responses of insect herbivores to leaf fluctuating asymmetry. Arthropod-Plant Inte. 5:59-69.
COWART, NM & JH GRAHAM. 1999. Within and among-individual variation in fluctuating asymmetry of leaves in the fig (Ficus carica L.). Int. J. Plant Sci. 160:116-121.
CROW, WT & RA DUNN. 2005. Introduction to plant nematology. Fact Sheet ENY-016 (NG006). Florida Nematode Management Guide from the Department of Entomology and Nematology, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida.
CUEVAS-REYES, P; K OYAMA; A GONZÁLEZ-RODRÍGUEZ; GW FERNANDES & L MENDOZA-CUENCA. 2011. Contrasting herbivory patterns and leaf fluctuating asymmetry in Heliocarpus pallidus between different habitat types within a Mexican tropical dry forest. J. Trop. Ecol. 27:383-391.
DALLING, JW; K WINTER; JD NASON; SP HUBBELL; DA MURAWSKI; ET AL. 2001. The unusual life history of Alseis blackiana: a shade-persistent pioneer tree? Ecology 82:933-945.
DALLING, JW & SP HUBBELL. 2002. Seed size, growth rate and gap microsite conditions as determinants of recruitment success for pioneer species. J. Ecol. 90:557-568.
DEBAT, V & P DAVID. 2001. Mapping phenotypes: canalization, plasticity and developmental stability. Trends Ecol. Evol. 16:555-561.
ESPÍRITO-SANTO, MM & GW FERNANDES. 2007. How many species of gall-inducing insects are there on Earth, and where are they? Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 100:95-99.
FARNSWORTH, EJ & ME AARON. 1996. Sun-shade adaptability of the red mangrove, Rhizophora mangle (Rhizophoraceae): changes through ontogeny at several levels of biological organization. Am. J. Bot. 83:1131-1143.
FERNANDES, GW & PW PRICE. 1992. The adaptative significance of insect gall distribution: survivorship of species in xeric and mesic habitats. Oecologia 90:14-20.
GEHLHAUSEN, SM; MW SCHWARTZ & CK AUGSPURGER. 2000. Vegetation and microclimatic edge effects in two mixed- mesophytic forest fragments. Plant Ecol. 147:21-35.
GORDON, DM; KA GREY; SC CHASE & CJ SIMPSON. 1994. Changes to the structure and productivity of a Posidonia sinuosa meadow during and after imposed shading. Aquat. Bot. 47:265-275.
HARPER, KA; SE MACDONALD; PJ BURTON; J CHEN; KD BROSOFSKE; ET AL. 2005. Edge influence on forest structure and composition in fragmented landscapes. Conserv. Biol. 19:768-782.
HÓDAR, JA. 2002. Leaf fluctuating asymmetry of Holm oak in response to drought under contrasting climatic conditions. J. Arid. Environ. 52:233-243.
HUSSEY, RS. 1989. Disease-inducing secretions of plant- parasitic nematodes. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 27:123-141.
KOZLOV, MV; BJ WILSEY; J KORICHEVA & E HAUKIOJA. 1996. Fluctuating asymmetry of Birch leaves increases under pollution impact. J. Appl. Ecol. 33:1489-1495.
LEE, DW; RA BONE; SL TARSIS & D STORCH. 1990. Correlates of leaf optical properties in tropical forest sun and extreme-shade plants. Am. J. Bot. 77:370-380.
LENTZ, KA & DF CIPOLLINI JR. 1998. Effect of light and simulated herbivory on growth of endangered northeastern bulrush, Scirpus ancistrochaetus Schuyler.
Plant Ecol. 139:125-131.
LOMÔNACO, C & E GERMANOS. 2001. Variações fenotípicas em Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) em resposta à competição larval por alimento. Neotrop. Entomol. 30:223-231.
MARKOW, TA. 1995. Evolutionary ecology and developmental instability. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 40:105-120.
MARUYAMA, PK; E ALVES-SILVA & C MELO. 2007. Oferta qualitativa e quantitativa de frutos em espécies ornitocóricas do gênero Miconia (Melastomataceae). Rev. Bras. Bioc. 5:672-674.
MATLACK, GR. 1994. Vegetation dynamics of the forest edge - trends in space and successional time. J. Ecol. 82:113-123.
MILANEZ, CRD & SR MACHADO. 2011. SEM studies on the leaf indumentum of six Melastomataceae species from Brazilian Cerrado. Rodriguésia 62:203-212.
MØLLER, AP & A POMIANKOWSKI. 1993. Fluctuating asymmetry and sexual selection. Genetica 89:267-279.
MØLLER, AP. 1995. Leaf-mining insects and fluctuating asymmetry in elm Ulmus glabra leaves. J. Anim. Ecol. 64:697-707.
MØLLER, AP. 1996. Parasitism and developmental instability of hosts: a review. Oikos 77:189-196.
MØLLER, AP. 1997. Developmental stability and fitness: a review. Am. Nat. 149:916-932.
MØLLER, AP & JP SWADDLE. 1997. Asymmetry, Developmental Stability and Evolution. Oxford University Press.
OLOFSSON, J & J STRENGBOM. 2000. Response of galling invertebrates on Salix lanata to reindeer herbivory. Oikos 91:493-498.
PALMER, AR & C STROBECK. 1986. Fluctuating asymmetry: measurement, analysis, patterns. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 17:391-421.
PEARSON, TRH; D BURSLEM; RE GOERIZ & JW DALLING. 2003. Interactions of gap size and herbivory on establishment, growth and survival of three species of neotropical pioneer trees. J. Ecol. 91:785-796.
PRICE, WP; WF FERNANDES & G WARING. 1987. Adaptative nature of insect galls. Environ. Entomol. 16:15-24.
PUERTA-PIÑERO, C; JM GÓMEZ & JA HÓDAR. 2008. Shade and herbivory induce fluctuating asymmetry in a mediterranean oak. Int. J. Plant Sci. 169:631-635.
SANTOS, JC; CVV MAGALHÃES; CIR SANTOS; JE CARES & JS ALMEIDA-CORTEZ. 2009. Impact of nematode-induced galls on Miconia prasina (Melastomataceae) traits in Atlantic forest of northeastern Brazil. Pp. 1-4. in: Anais do III Congresso Latino Americano de Ecologia. São Lourenço, MG, Brazil. Sociedade de Ecologia do Brasil.
SEIXAS, CDS; RW BARRETO; LG FREITAS; LA MAYA & FT MONTEIRO. 2004a. Ditylenchus drepanocercus (Nematoda), a potential biological control agent for Miconia calvescens (Melastomataceae): host-specificity and epidemiology. Biol. Control. 31:29-37.
SEIXAS, CDS; RW BARRETO; LG FREITAS; FT MONTEIRO & RDL OLIVEIRA. 2004b. Ditylenchus drepanocercus rediscovered in the neotropics causing angular leaf spots on Miconia calvescens. J. Nematol. 36:481-486.
TSCHARNTKE, T. 1989. Attack by a stem-boring moth increases susceptibility of Phragmites australis to gall-making by a midge: mechanisms and effects on midge population dynamics. Oikos 54:93-100.
VAN HINSBERG, A & P VAN TIENDEREN. 1997. Variation in growth form in relation to spectral light quality (red/ far-red ratio) in Plantago lanceolata L. in sun and shade populations Oecologia 111:452-459.
WEIS, AE & A KAPELINSKI. 1894. Manipulation of host plant development by the gall-midge Rhabdophaga strobiloides. Ecol. Entomol. 9:457-465.
WHITE, TCR. 1984. The abundance of invertebrate herbivores in relation to the availability of nitrogen in stressed food plants. Oecologia 63:90-105.
WILSEY, BJ; E HAUKIOJA; J KORICHEVA & M SULKINOJA. 1998. Leaf fluctuating asymmetry increases with hybridization and elevation in tree-line birches. Ecology 79:2092- 2099.
WOODS, RE; MJ HERCUS & AA HOFFMANN. 1998. Estimating the heritability of fluctuating asymmetry in field Drosophila. Evolution 52:816-824.
ZAR, JH. 1984. Biostatistical analysis. 2nd edn. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
ZVEREVA, EL; MV KOZLOV; P NIEMELÄ & E HAUKIOJA. 1997a. Delayed induced resistance and increase in leaf fluctuating asymmetry as responses of Salix borealis to insect herbivory. Oecologia 109:368-373.
ZVEREVA, EL; MV KOZLOV & E HAUKIOJA. 1997b. Stress responses of Salix borealis to pollution and defoliation. J. Appl. Ecol. 34:1387-1396.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Estevão Alves-Silva
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Authors retain their rights as follows: 1) by granting the journal the right to its first publication, and 2) by registering the published article with a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which allows authors and third parties to view and use it as long as they clearly mention its origin (citation or reference, including authorship and first publication in this journal). Authors can make other non-exclusive distribution agreements as long as they clearly indicate their origin and are encouraged to widely share and disseminate the published version of their work.
