Effects of genetic diversity of grass on insect species diversity at higher trophic levels are not due to cascading diversity effects

Jones, Thomas S.; Allan, Eric; Härri, Simone A.; Krauss, Jochen; Müller, Christine B.; van Veen, F. J. Frank (2011). Effects of genetic diversity of grass on insect species diversity at higher trophic levels are not due to cascading diversity effects. Oikos, 120(7), pp. 1031-1036. Blackwell 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.18957.x

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Genetic diversity in plant populations has been shown to affect the species diversity of insects. In grasses, infection with fungal endophytes can also have strong effects on insects, potentially modifying the effects of plant genetic diversity. We manipulated the genetic diversity and endophyte infection of a grass in a field experiment. We show that diversity of primary parasitoids (3rd trophic level) and, especially, secondary parasitoids (4th trophic level) increases with grass genetic diversity while there was no effect of endophyte infection. The increase in insect diversity appeared to be due to a complementarity effect rather than a sampling effect. The higher parasitoid diversity could not be explained by a cascading diversity effect because herbivore diversity was not affected and the same herbivore species were present in all treatments. The effects on the higher trophic levels must therefore be due to a direct response to plant traits or mediated by effects on traits at intermediate trophic levels.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS)
08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS) > Plant Community Ecology

UniBE Contributor:

Allan, Eric

Subjects:

500 Science > 580 Plants (Botany)

ISSN:

0030-1299

Publisher:

Blackwell

Language:

English

Submitter:

Peter Alfred von Ballmoos-Haas

Date Deposited:

02 Jun 2016 08:34

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:55

Publisher DOI:

10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.18957.x

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.81129

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/81129

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