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Enhanced leaf nitrogen status stabilizes omnivore population density.

ABSTRACT: Plant traits can mediate the strength of interactions between omnivorous predators and their prey through density effects and changes in the omnivores' trophic behavior. In this study, we explored the established assumption that enhanced nutrient status in host plants strengthens the buffering effect of plant feeding for omnivorous predators, i.e., prevents rapid negative population growth during prey density decline and thereby increases and stabilizes omnivore population density. We analyzed 13 years of field data on population densities of a heteropteran omnivore on Salix cinerea stands, arranged along a measured leaf nitrogen gradient and found a 195 % increase in omnivore population density and a 63 % decrease in population variability with an increase in leaf nitrogen status from 26 to 40 mgN × g-1. We recreated the leaf nitrogen gradient in a greenhouse experiment and found, as expected, that increasing leaf nitrogen status enhanced omnivore performance but reduced per capita prey consumption. Feeding on high nitrogen status host plants can potentially decouple omnivore-prey population dynamics and allow omnivores to persist and function effectively at low prey densities to provide "background level" control of insect herbivores. This long-term effect is expected to outweigh the short-term effect on per capita prey consumption-resulting in a net increase in population predation rates with increasing leaf nitrogen status. Conservation biological control of insect pests that makes use of omnivore background control could, as a result, be manipulated via management of crop nitrogen status.

SUBMITTER: Liman AS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5239808 | biostudies-other | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Enhanced leaf nitrogen status stabilizes omnivore population density.

Liman Anna-Sara AS Dalin Peter P Björkman Christer C

Oecologia 20161007 1

Plant traits can mediate the strength of interactions between omnivorous predators and their prey through density effects and changes in the omnivores' trophic behavior. In this study, we explored the established assumption that enhanced nutrient status in host plants strengthens the buffering effect of plant feeding for omnivorous predators, i.e., prevents rapid negative population growth during prey density decline and thereby increases and stabilizes omnivore population density. We analyzed 1 ...[more]

PMID: 27718064

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Project description:affy_nitrogen_medicago - affy_nitrogen_medicago - Experiment has been designed to characterize the molecular expression patterns associated to a contrasted modification of the nitrogen status of the whole plant. The systemic effects of nitrogen status modifications are investigated and compared on non nodulated plant supplied with NO3, NH4 or nodulated plants (Sinorhizobium meliloti 2011) supplied with air. The root systems were separated in two compartments of unequal sizes (split root system). Two treatments were applied on the larger compartment in order to modulate the nitrogen status of the plant: for the S treatment, roots are supplied with nutrient solution containing 10 mM NH4NO3,, whereas for the C treatment, roots are supplied with nitrogen free medium. In the case of N2 fixing plants, N limitation was obtained by replacing air by a mixture of Ar and O2 80 per cent and 20 per cent. The effects of these treatments were investigated on roots of the minor compartment supplied continuously with either NO3 1 mM, NH4 1 mM or air (N2) and on the shoots. We were also interested in the molecular expression patterns associated to the roots deprived of N.-The root system of non-nodulated (NO3- and NH4+) or nodulated (N2) plants is split into two unequal parts and each one is installed in a separate compartment. For the S treatement, the major root part is supplied with NH4NO3 10 mM whereas the minor part is supplied with either NO3- 1mM, NH4+ 1mM or N2. For the C treatement, the major root part is supplied with nitrogen-free nutrient solution whereas the minor part is supplied with either NO3- 1mM, NH4plus 1mM or N2. Each treatement is four days long. Samples of roots of six biological types (NO3S, NO3C, NH4S, NH4C, N2S and N2C) were collected. Two biological repeats per biological types have been analyzed. The effect of the S and C treatments were investigated for each N sources by comparing Affymetrix transcriptomes (NO3C vs NO3S, NH4C vs NH4S, N2C vs N2S). Keywords: treatement (nitrogen-sufficient) vs treatement (nitrogen-limited)

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Enhanced leaf nitrogen status stabilizes omnivore population density.

Publications

Enhanced leaf nitrogen status stabilizes omnivore population density.

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