Fine-scale variation of a keystone interaction: aphid-tending ants show stronger anti-herbivory effects on small leaves

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	Fine-scale variation of a keystone interaction: aphid-tending ants show stronger anti-herbivory effects on small leaves
	Zhang, Shuang; Zhang, Yu-Xin; Ma, Ke-Ming
刊名	ARTHROPOD-PLANT INTERACTIONS
	2020-06
卷号	14 期号:3 页码:357-361
关键词	Ant-aphid mutualism Biotic interaction Herbivory Plant-herbivore interactions
ISSN号	1872-8855
英文摘要	The ecological effects of the keystone mutualism between sap-feeding insects have been evaluated from the individual to landscape scales, but these effects' fine-scale variation has not been characterized well. Here, we tested a simple hypothesis that aphid-tending ants' effect on plant herbivory should be stronger on small leaves, with a dataset that included 15,602 leaves of a widely distributed oak tree (Quercus wutaishansea). The results showed that, consistent with our prediction, aphid-tending ants' anti-herbivory effect decreased with leaf size. However, further analysis showed that this pattern was significant only at the beginning (May) and end (September) of the growing season. These results show that there is considerable variation in ants' anti-herbivory effect even within an individual tree. Given that small leaves often are younger and more valuable than larger ones, our study suggests that a plant's biotic partners protect its more valuable parts better.
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://ir.rcees.ac.cn/handle/311016/44319]
专题	生态环境研究中心_城市与区域生态国家重点实验室
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Zhang, Shuang,Zhang, Yu-Xin,Ma, Ke-Ming. Fine-scale variation of a keystone interaction: aphid-tending ants show stronger anti-herbivory effects on small leaves[J]. ARTHROPOD-PLANT INTERACTIONS,2020,14(3):357-361.
APA	Zhang, Shuang,Zhang, Yu-Xin,&Ma, Ke-Ming.(2020).Fine-scale variation of a keystone interaction: aphid-tending ants show stronger anti-herbivory effects on small leaves.ARTHROPOD-PLANT INTERACTIONS,14(3),357-361.
MLA	Zhang, Shuang,et al."Fine-scale variation of a keystone interaction: aphid-tending ants show stronger anti-herbivory effects on small leaves".ARTHROPOD-PLANT INTERACTIONS 14.3(2020):357-361.