Bottom-up manipulations alter the community structures of galling insects and gall morphs on Neoboutonia macrocalyx trees in a moist tropical rainforest
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Date
2014
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Agricultural and Forest Entomology
Abstract
The effects of bottom-up forces on the community structure of tropical insect gallers
and within species variation in gall morphotype assemblages are not well understood.
We tested the roles of increased nutritional quality and density of host plants with
respect to structuring the galling insect communities and gall morphotype assemblages
on Neoboutonia macrocalyx trees in Uganda.
Plant nutritional quality and resource concentration were manipulated with four levels
of fertilization and the group size of trees, respectively. After applying these treatments
in May 2011, gallers established naturally on experimental replicates. Fivemonths
later, we sampled gallers and recorded their numbers and the different morphotypes.
We analyzed the effects of treatments on the structures of galler communities and gall
morphotype assemblages.
We recorded 5237 individuals, representing four galler species. One species,
Cecidomyiid leaf galler, was represented by three morphologically distinct galls. Fertilization,
host tree density and their interactions significantly changed the structures
of galler species communities and gall morphotype assemblages.
The results of the present study demonstrate the important role of bottom-up factors in
structuring galler communities and the gall morphotype assemblages. These changes
are likely caused by differential responses of different galler species and gall morphs
to plant quality or quantity changes.
Description
Keywords
Adaptive radiation, Barcoding, Cecidomyiid galler, Cecidomyiidae, Psyllid galler
Citation
Malinga, G. M., Valtonen, A., Nyeko, P., & Roininen, H. (2014). Bottom-up manipulations alter the community structures of galling insects and gall morphs on Neoboutonia macrocalyx trees in a moist tropical rainforest. Agricultural and Forest Entomology, 16(3), 314-320. DOI: 10.1111/afe.12061