Land Use Change Consistently Reduces α- But Not β- and γ-Diversity of Bees.

Land use change threatens global biodiversity and compromises ecosystem functions, including pollination and food production. Reduced taxonomic α-diversity is often reported under land use change, yet the impacts could be different at larger spatial scales (i.e.

: findings on Mexican fireflies from an 8-year virtual citizen science project.

Fireflies are charismatic and conspicuous animals that often evoke childhood memories, which make firefly watching an emotional and even transformative experience. Citizen science projects have the potential to enhance transformative interactions with nature. Like many insects, firefly populations are declining due to land-use change, urbanization and watershed pollution, but ecological data for this group is scarce, particularly in Mexico.

Living on the edge: urban fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.

Fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) are a globally threatened group of insects due to habitat loss and fragmentation, light pollution, climate change and pesticides. However, against all odds, some firefly populations persist in urbanized environments where all four of these factors are present simultaneously. In this work, we compiled several data sources to document the diversity of fireflies in the urbanized area of Morelia, characterize their current habitats, and determine the main stressors affecting these bioluminescent insects.

Influence of phylogenetic diversity of plant communities on tri-trophic interactions.

Phylogenetic diversity of plant communities can influence the interaction between plants, herbivores, and their natural enemies. Plant communities with phylogenetically distant species tend to present a wide variety of functional traits and ecological niches, which in turn can influence competitive interactions among plants as well as food and habitat quality for herbivores and their natural enemies. To assess some different mechanisms by which phylogenetic diversity of plant communities can influence herbivores and their natural enemies, we established 12 experimental plots of tropical trees with two treatments: high and low phylogenetic diversity.

Changes in Coleopteran assemblages over a successional chronosequence in a Mexican tropical dry forest.

Coleopterans are the most diverse animal group on Earth and constitute good indicators of environmental change. However, little information is available about Coleopteran communities' responses to disturbance and land-use change. Tropical dry forests have undergone especially extensive anthropogenic impacts in the past decades.

Abundance of Dendroctonus frontalis and D. mexicanus (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) along altitudinal transects in Mexico: Implications of climatic change for forest conservation.

Bark beetle infestations have historically been primary drivers of stand thinning in Mexican pine forests. However, bark beetle impacts have become increasingly extensive and intense, apparently associated with climate change. Our objective was to describe the possible association between abundance of bark beetle flying populations and the occurrence of given value intervals of temperature, precipitation and their balance, in order to have a better comprehension of the climatic space that might trigger larger insect abundances, an issue relevant in the context of the ongoing climatic change.

Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover.

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors.

Exotic predators are not better biocontrol agents: the harlequin ladybird is not the most voracious in Mexico.

The use of exotic species for pest biocontrol has been a common pathway for introduction and dispersal of invasive species that may have undesired outcomes. Biocontrol agents are believed to be a less damaging alternative than pesticides, but some species may also prey on or parasitize native species or outcompete them for resources. The harlequin ladybird () is a well-known biocontrol agent originally from Asia that has established invasive populations in 59 countries around the globe.

How much leaf area do insects eat? A data set of insect herbivory sampled globally with a standardized protocol.

Herbivory is ubiquitous. Despite being a potential driver of plant distribution and performance, herbivory remains largely undocumented. Some early attempts have been made to review, globally, how much leaf area is removed through insect feeding.

Observed Ecological Communities Are Formed by Species Combinations That Are among the Most Likely to Persist under Changing Environments.

AbstractDespite the rich biodiversity found in nature, it is unclear to what extent some combinations of interacting species, while conceivable in a given place and time, may never be realized. Yet solving this problem is important for understanding the role of randomness and predictability in the assembly of ecological communities. Here we show that the specific combinations of interacting species that emerge from the ecological dynamics within regional species pools are not all equally likely to be seen; rather, they are among the most likely to persist under changing environments.

Effects of herbivory and its timing on reproductive success of a tropical deciduous tree.

Background And Aims: The implications of herbivory for plant reproduction have been widely studied; however, the relationship of defoliation and reproductive success is not linear, as there are many interacting factors that may influence reproductive responses to herbivore damage. In this study we aimed to disentangle how the timing of foliar damage impacts both male and female components of fitness, and to assess when it has greater impacts on plant reproductive success.

Methods: We measured herbivore damage and its effects on floral production, male and female floral attributes as well as fruit yield in three different phenological phases of Casearia nitida (Salicaceae) over the course of two consecutive years.

The interactions of Trichoderma at multiple trophic levels: inter-kingdom communication.

Trichoderma spp. are universal saprotrophic fungi in terrestrial ecosystems, and as rhizosphere inhabitants, they mediate interactions with other soil microorganisms, plants, and arthropods at multiple trophic levels. In the rhizosphere, Trichoderma can reduce the abundance of phytopathogenic microorganisms, which involves the action of potent inhibitory molecules, such as gliovirin and siderophores, whereas endophytic associations between Trichoderma and the seeds and roots of host plants can result in enhanced plant growth and crop productivity, as well as the alleviation of abiotic stress.

Information arms race explains plant-herbivore chemical communication in ecological communities.

Plants emit an extraordinary diversity of chemicals that provide information about their identity and mediate their interactions with insects. However, most studies of this have focused on a few model species in controlled environments, limiting our capacity to understand plant-insect chemical communication in ecological communities. Here, by integrating information theory with ecological and evolutionary theories, we show that a stable information structure of plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can emerge from a conflicting information process between plants and herbivores.

Bee diversity in secondary forests and coffee plantations in a transition between foothills and highlands in the Guatemalan Pacific Coast.

Background: Although conservation of pristine habitats is recognized in many countries as crucial for maintaining pollinator diversity, the contribution of secondary forest conservation is poorly recognized in the Latin American context, such as in Guatemala. San Lucas Tolimán (SLT) is a high-quality coffee production region from the Atitlan Province, which has the second highest deciduous forest cover in Guatemala and pristine forest is prioritized for conservation. In contrast, secondary forest protection is undetermined, since these forests are normally removed or strongly affected by coffee farming practices.

Use and management of wild fauna by people of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley and surrounding areas, Mexico.

Background: Interactions between humans and fauna lay in the heart of the history of human subsistence. In Mesoamerica, the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley (TCV) harbours a high biodiversity with archaeological and ethnoecological evidence of its use by people inhabiting the area since at least 12,000 B.P.

Increased maize growth and P uptake promoted by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi coincide with higher foliar herbivory and larval biomass of the Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda.

Most plant species naturally associate with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which are known to promote crop nutrition and health in agroecosystems. However, information on how mycorrhizal associations affect plant biotic interactions that occur aboveground with foliar herbivores is limited and needs to be further addressed for the development of pest management strategies. With the objective to examine the influence of maize mycorrhizas on foliar herbivory caused by larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda, a serious pest in maize agroecosystems, we performed a fully factorial greenhouse pot experiment with three factors: Maize genotype (Puma and Milpal H318), AMF (with and without AMF, and without AMF with mineral P) and Insect herbivory (with and without S.

Ontogenetic trajectories of direct and indirect defenses of myrmecophytic plants colonized either by mutualistic or opportunistic ant species.

Myrmecophytic plants are expected to produce greater direct defenses when young and switch towards indirect defenses once they reach the size and vigor to produce enough rewards for their ant mutualists. The presence of opportunistic ant species, however, is likely to promote the variation in these ontogenetic trajectories. When plants do not obtain benefits from ants, they cannot rely on this indirect defense.

Alterations in honey bee gut microorganisms caused by Nosema spp. and pest control methods.

Background: Honey bees are associated with gut microorganisms essential for their nutrition and health. The composition of the microbial community can be used as a biological health indicator and is characterized using biomarker fatty acids. Commonly, gut microorganisms are exposed to pathogens and to an array of chemical and biological pest control methods.

Restoring lepidopteran diversity in a tropical dry forest: relative importance of restoration treatment, tree identity and predator pressure.

Tropical dry forests (TDFs) have been widely transformed by human activities worldwide and the ecosystem services they provide are diminishing. There has been an urgent call for conservation and restoration of the degraded lands previously occupied by TDFs. Restoration experiences aim to recover species diversity and ecological functions.

Reorganization of interaction networks modulates the persistence of species in late successional stages.

Ecological interaction networks constantly reorganize as interspecific interactions change across successional stages and environmental gradients. This reorganization can also be associated with the extent to which species change their preference for types of niches available in their local sites. Despite the pervasiveness of these interaction changes, previous studies have revealed that network reorganizations have a minimal or insignificant effect on global descriptors of network architecture, such as connectance, modularity and nestedness.

From effective biocontrol agent to successful invader: the harlequin ladybird () as an example of good ideas that could go wrong.

The use of biological control agents to control pests is an alternative to pesticides and a tool to manage invasive alien species. However, biocontrol agents can themselves become invasive species under certain conditions. The harlequin ladybird () is a native Asian biocontrol agent that has become a successful invader.

Ecological functions of Trichoderma spp. and their secondary metabolites in the rhizosphere: interactions with plants.

Trichodermaspp. are common soil and root inhabitants that have been widely studied due to their capacity to produce antibiotics, parasitize other fungi and compete with deleterious plant microorganisms. These fungi produce a number of secondary metabolites such as non-ribosomal peptides, terpenoids, pyrones and indolic-derived compounds.

Recovering more than tree cover: herbivores and herbivory in a restored tropical dry forest.

Intense and chronic disturbance may arrest natural succession, reduce environmental quality and lead to ecological interaction losses. Where natural succession does not occur, ecological restoration aims to accelerate this process. While plant establishment and diversity is promoted by restoration, few studies have evaluated the effect of restoration activities on ecological processes and animal diversity.

Resilience in plant-herbivore networks during secondary succession.

Extensive land-use change in the tropics has produced a mosaic of successional forests within an agricultural and cattle-pasture matrix. Post-disturbance biodiversity assessments have found that regeneration speed depends upon propagule availability and the intensity and duration of disturbance. However, reestablishment of species interactions is still poorly understood and this limits our understanding of the anthropogenic impacts upon ecosystem resilience.

Effects of herbivory and patch size on tree seedling survivorship in a fog-dependent coastal rainforest in semiarid Chile.

The landscape (matrix) surrounding habitat fragments critically affects the biodiversity of those fragments due to biotic interchange and physical effects. However, to date, there have been only a limited number of studies on plant-animal interactions in fragmented landscapes, particularly on how tree seedling herbivory is affected by fragmentation. We have examined this question in a fog-dependent mosaic of rainforest fragments located on coastal mountaintops of semiarid Chile (30 degrees S), where the effects of the surrounding semiarid matrix and forest patch size (0.