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Comparison of predator-prey interactions with and without intraguild predation by manipulation of the nitrogen source
No full textTheory predicts that intraguild predation leads to different community dynamics than the trophic cascades of a linear food chain. However, experimental comparisons of these two food-web modules are rare. Mixotrophic plankton species combine photoautotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition by grazing upon other phytoplankton species. We found that the mixotrophic chrysophyte Ochromonas can grow autotrophically on ammonium, but not on nitrate. This offered a unique opportunity to compare predator–prey interactions in the presence and absence of intraguild predation, without changing the species composition of the community. With ammonium as nitrogen source, Ochromonas can compete with its autotrophic prey for nitrogen and therefore acts as intraguild predator. With nitrate, Ochromonas acts solely as predator, and is not in competition with its prey for nitrogen. We parameterized a simple intraguild predation model based on chemostat experiments with monocultures of Ochromonas and the toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis. Subsequently, we tested the model predictions by inoculating Ochromonas into the Microcystis monocultures, and vice versa. The results showed that Microcystis was a better competitor for ammonium than Ochromonas. In agreement with theoretical predictions, Microcystis was much more strongly suppressed by intraguild predation on ammonium than by top–down predation on nitrate. Yet, Microcystis persisted at very low population densities, because the type III functional response of Ochromonas implied that the grazing pressure upon Microcystis became low when Microcystis was rare. Our results provide experimental support for intraguild predation theory, and indicate that intraguild predation may enable biological control of microbial pest species.
Draft Genome Sequence of Pedobacter sp. Strain V48, Isolated from a Coastal Sand Dune in the Netherlands
No full textPedobacter sp. strain V48 participates in an interaction with Pseudomonas fluorescens which elicits interaction-induced phenotypes. We report the draft genome sequence of Pedobacter sp. V48, consisting of 6.46 Mbp. The sequence will contribute to improved understanding of the genus and facilitate genomic analysis of the model interspecies interaction with P. fluorescens.
Consequences of resource competition for sex allocation and discriminative behaviors in a hyperparasitoid wasp
No full text[KEYWORDS: Reproduction Local mate competition Local resource competition Sex ratio Parasitoid Gelis acororum]
Population-wide mating patterns can select for equal parental investment in both sexes, but limiting resources, such as mates or developmental substrates, can increase competition leading to biased sex ratios in favor of either sex. Such competition for resources typically occurs in spatially structured populations, where dispersal is limited. In this laboratory study, we investigate if and how resource competition affects sex allocation, discriminative behaviors and competitive interactions of the wingless hyperparasitoid Gelis acororum, which exploits patchily distributed hosts. We show that G. acororum sex ratios are male-biased and that this is not a consequence of constrained reproduction by virgin females. Our results suggest that this pattern of reproductive investment, which is only rarely observed in parasitoids, is a consequence of resource limitation, in terms of hosts rather than mates. Further, G. acororum appears not to respond to intrinsic host quality or to prior oviposition in its host. When competing inter-specifically for host resources, G. acororum outcompetes its congener Gelis agilis, but does so mainly when ovipositing on the host first. Overall, our results suggest that host resource limitation could be an important environmental factor shaping sex allocation in G. acororum, with competition taking place both intra- and inter-specifically.
Intra-specific variation in wild Brassica oleracea for aphid-induced plant responses and consequences for caterpillar–parasitoid interactions
No full text[KEYWORDS: Cabbage Diadegma semiclausum Herbivory Leaf chewers Mamestra brassicae Microplitis mediator Plutella xylostella phloem feeders]
Herbivore-induced plant responses not only influence the initiating attackers, but also other herbivores feeding on the same host plant simultaneously or at a different time. Insects belonging to different feeding guilds are known to induce different responses in the host plant. Changes in a plant’s phenotype not only affect its interactions with herbivores but also with organisms higher in the food chain. Previous work has shown that feeding by a phloem-feeding aphid on a cabbage cultivar facilitates the interaction with a chewing herbivore and its endoparasitoid. Here we study genetic variation in a plant’s response to aphid feeding using plants originating from three wild Brassica oleracea populations that are known to differ in constitutive and inducible secondary chemistry. We compared the performance of two different chewing herbivore species, Plutella xylostella and M. brassicae, and their larval endoparasitoids Diadegma semiclausum and M. mediator, respectively, on plants that had been infested with aphids (Brevicoryne brassicae) for 1 week. Remarkably, early infestation with B. brassicae enhanced the performance of the specialist P. xylostella and its parasitoid D. semiclausum, but did not affect that of the generalist M. brassicae, nor its parasitoid M. mediator. Performance of the two herbivore–parasitoid interactions also varied among the cabbage populations and the effect of aphid infestation marginally differed among the three populations. Thus, the effect of aphid infestation on the performance of subsequent attackers is species specific, which may have concomitant consequences for the assembly of insect communities that are naturally associated with these plants.
Biosynthetic genes and activity spectrum of antifungal polyynes from Collimonas fungivorans Ter331
No full textThe antifungal activity of bacteria from the genus Collimonas has been well documented, but the chemistry and gene functions that underlie this phenotype are still poorly understood. Screening of a random plasposon insertion library of Collimonas fungivorans Ter331 for loss-of-function mutants revealed the importance of gene cluster K, which is annotated to code for the biosynthesis of a secondary metabolite and which features genes for fatty acid desaturases and polyketide synthases. Mutants in gene cluster K had lost the ability to inhibit hyphal growth of the fungus Aspergillus niger and were no longer able to produce and secrete several metabolites that after extraction and partial purification from wildtype strain Ter331 were shown to share a putative ene-triyne moiety. Some but not all of these metabolites were able to inhibit growth of A. niger, indicating functional variation within this group of Collimonas-produced polyyne-like ‘collimomycins’. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of isolates representing different Collimonas species indicated that the possession of cluster K genes correlated positively with antifungal ability, further strengthening the notion that this cluster is involved in collimomycin production. We discuss our findings in the context of other bacterially produced polyynes and the potential use of collimomycins for the control of harmful fungi.
Trait-based approaches for understanding microbial biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
No full textIn ecology, biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) research has seen a shift in perspective from taxonomy to function in the last two decades, with successful application of trait-based approaches. This shift offers opportunities for a deeper mechanistic understanding of the role of biodiversity in maintaining multiple ecosystem processes and services. In this paper, we highlight studies that have focused on BEF of microbial communities with an emphasis on integrating trait-based approaches to microbial ecology. In doing so, we explore some of the inherent challenges and opportunities of understanding BEF using microbial systems. For example, microbial biologists characterize communities using gene phylogenies that are often unable to resolve functional traits. Additionally, experimental designs of existing microbial BEF studies are often inadequate to unravel BEF relationships. We argue that combining eco-physiological studies with contemporary molecular tools in a trait-based framework can reinforce our ability to link microbial diversity to ecosystem processes. We conclude that such trait-based approaches are a promising framework to increase the understanding of microbial BEF relationships and thus generating systematic principles in microbial ecology and more generally ecology.
Hydrology, shore morphology and species traits affect seed dispersal, germination and community assembly in shoreline plant communities
No full textSummary
1.Seed dispersal and germination are two primary processes influencing plant community assembly. On freshwater shores, water levels regulate both processes. However, it is still unclear how water levels, shore morphology and species traits interactively affect seed dispersal and germination, and how these interactions determine plant community assembly. We hypothesize that a drawdown water regime enhances seed establishment compared to a year-round stable water level, that this increases species richness and diversity, and that this is modulated by species traits and shore morphology.
2.Germination of 20 wetland plant species with different dispersal capacities (floating capacity expressed as seed floatation half-time) and soil moisture preferences for germination (Ellenberg F) was tested on artificial shores in 24 outdoor ponds in two complementary experiments over 8 weeks. The ‘dispersal experiment’ tested the effect of water regime on recruitment of hydrochorously dispersing seeds. The ‘seed bank experiment’ tested the effect of water regime on germination from a sown seed bank, on steep and gradual shores.
3.In the dispersal experiment, the drawdown regime increased recruitment and species richness. Longer floating species colonized a larger shoreline section. Soil moisture preference for germination did not determine colonization patterns.
4.In the seed bank experiment, the drawdown regime increased the number of seedlings on gradual sloping shores, but not on steep shores. The number of germinating seedlings corresponded to the area subjected to the drawdown regime in both shore types. Species richness was not affected by water regime or shore morphology, and species traits did not determine shoreline colonization. Most seeds germinated in moist soil conditions for all species.
5.Synthesis. A spring drawdown instead of stable water regime stimulates establishment of hydrochorously dispersing seeds in temperate wetlands, leading to higher species richness and diversity. Germination from the seed bank is more affected by water regime and shore surface than by the tested species traits. Species traits, water levels and shore morphology together determine wetland plant community assembly, with dispersal as the main driver of seedling community diversity. Water-level regulations and shore morphology can be used to influence plant communities in wetland restoration.
