Dataset Information

A comparison of inducible, ontogenetic, and interspecific sources of variation in the foliar metabolome in tropical trees.

ABSTRACT: Plant interactions with other organisms are mediated by chemistry, yet chemistry varies among conspecific and within individual plants. The foliar metabolome-the suite of small-molecule metabolites found in the leaf-changes during leaf ontogeny and is influenced by the signaling molecule jasmonic acid. Species differences in secondary metabolites are thought to play an important ecological role by limiting the host ranges of herbivores and pathogens, and hence facilitating competitive coexistence among plant species in species-rich plant communities such as tropical forests. Yet it remains unclear how inducible and ontogenetic variation compare with interspecific variation, particularly in tropical trees. Here, we take advantage of novel methods to assemble mass spectra of all compounds in leaf extracts into molecular networks that quantify their chemical structural similarity in order to compare inducible and ontogenetic chemical variation to among-species variation in species-rich tropical tree genera. We ask (i) whether young and mature leaves differ chemically, (ii) whether jasmonic acid-inducible chemical variation differs between young and mature leaves, and (iii) whether interspecific exceeds intraspecific chemical variation for four species from four hyperdiverse tropical tree genera. We observed significant effects of the jasmonic acid treatment for three of eight combinations of species and ontogenetic stage evaluated. Three of the four species also exhibited large metabolomic differences with leaf ontogenetic stage. The profound effect of leaf ontogenetic stage on the foliar metabolome suggests a qualitative turnover in secondary chemistry with leaf ontogeny. We also quantified foliar metabolomes for 45 congeners of the four focal species. Chemical similarity was much greater within than between species for all four genera, even when within-species comparisons included leaves that differed in age and jasmonic acid treatment. Despite ontogenetic and inducible variation within species, chemical differences among congeneric species may be sufficient to partition niche space with respect to chemical defense.

SUBMITTER: Sedio BE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6756142 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A comparison of inducible, ontogenetic, and interspecific sources of variation in the foliar metabolome in tropical trees.

Sedio Brian E BE Durant Archibold Armando A Rojas Echeverri Juan Camilo JC Debyser Chloé C Boya P Cristopher A CA Wright S Joseph SJ

PeerJ 20190920

Plant interactions with other organisms are mediated by chemistry, yet chemistry varies among conspecific and within individual plants. The foliar metabolome-the suite of small-molecule metabolites found in the leaf-changes during leaf ontogeny and is influenced by the signaling molecule jasmonic acid. Species differences in secondary metabolites are thought to play an important ecological role by limiting the host ranges of herbivores and pathogens, and hence facilitating competitive coexistenc ...[more]

PMID: 31579568

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Project description:BackgroundSocial interactions, reproductive demands and intrinsic constraints all influence foraging decisions in animals. Understanding the relative importance of these factors in shaping the way that coexisting species within communities use and partition resources is central to knowledge of ecological and evolutionary processes. However, in marine environments, our understanding of the mechanisms that lead to and allow coexistence is limited, particularly in the tropics.MethodsUsing simultaneous data from a suite of animal-borne data loggers (GPS, depth recorders, immersion and video), dietary samples and stable isotopes, we investigated interspecific and intraspecific differences in foraging of two closely-related seabird species (the red-footed booby and brown booby) from neighbouring colonies on the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.ResultsThe two species employed notably different foraging strategies, with marked spatial segregation, but limited evidence of interspecific dietary partitioning. The larger-bodied brown booby foraged within neritic waters, with the smaller-bodied red-footed booby travelling further offshore. Almost no sex differences were detected in foraging behaviour of red-footed boobies, while male and female brown boobies differed in their habitat use, foraging characteristics and dietary contributions. We suggest that these behavioural differences may relate to size dimorphism and competition: In the small brown booby population (n < 200 individuals), larger females showed a higher propensity to remain in coastal waters where they experienced kleptoparasitic attacks from magnificent frigatebirds, while smaller males that were never kleptoparasitised travelled further offshore, presumably into habitats with lower kleptoparasitic pressure. In weakly dimorphic red-footed boobies, these differences are less pronounced. Instead, density-dependent pressures on their large population (n > 2000 individuals) and avoidance of kleptoparasitism may be more prevalent in driving movements for both sexes.ConclusionsOur results reveal how, in an environment where opportunities for prey diversification are limited, neighbouring seabird species segregate at-sea, while exhibiting differing degrees of sexual differentiation. While the mechanisms underlying observed patterns remain unclear, our data are consistent with the idea that multiple factors involving both conspecifics and heterospecifics, as well as reproductive pressures, may combine to influence foraging differences in these neighbouring tropical species.

Dataset Information

A comparison of inducible, ontogenetic, and interspecific sources of variation in the foliar metabolome in tropical trees.

Publications

A comparison of inducible, ontogenetic, and interspecific sources of variation in the foliar metabolome in tropical trees.

Similar Datasets

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