Abstract
A number of recent studies have shown that intraspecific genetic variation of plants may have a profound effect on the herbivorous communities which depend on them. However less is known about the relative importance of intraspecific variation compared to other ecological factors, for example environmental variation or the effects of herbivore damage. We randomly selected 22 Betula pendula genotypes from a local population (< 0.9 ha), cloned them and planted cloned seedlings on two study sites separated at a regional scale (distance between sites about 30 km) to examine an insect community of 23-27 species on these genotypes. B. pendula genotypes did not differ in their species richness, but the total mean abundance and the structure of the insect herbivore community was significantly affected by the genotype, which could account for up to 27% of the total variation in community structure. B. pendula genotype accounted for two to four times more variation in the arthropod community structure than did environmental (block) variation on a local scale, while on a regional scale, genotypic and environmental (site) variation accounted for 4-14% of the arthropod community structure. The genetic effects were modified by environmental variation on both a local and regional scale over one study year, and locally, the largest part of the variation (38%) could be explained by the genotype × environment (block) interactions. Suppression of insect herbivores during one growing season led to changed arthropod community structure in the following growing season, but this effect was minimal and could explain only 4% of the total variation in insect community structure. Our results suggest that both genetic and environmental factors are important determinants of the community structure of herbivorous insects. Together these mechanisms appear to maintain the high diversity of insects in B. pendula forest ecosystems.
Highlights
Genetic variation within one species can affect the structure and dynamics of associated communities and entire ecosystems[1,2]
It has recently been argued that the role of plant genetic variation in structuring arthropod communities has been considerably inflated due to the common methodological flaw that genotypes are collected from diverse and often distant environments, which maximizes genetic variation, whilst experiments are performed in a single common garden where environmental variation is minimized[11,12]
Our results provide evidence that genetic variation within a natural
Summary
Genetic variation within one species can affect the structure and dynamics of associated communities and entire ecosystems[1,2]. It has recently been argued that the role of plant genetic variation in structuring arthropod communities has been considerably inflated due to the common methodological flaw that genotypes are collected from diverse and often distant environments, which maximizes genetic variation, whilst experiments are performed in a single common garden where environmental variation is minimized[11,12]. When this mismatch in scale was avoided in the experimental design, spatial processes relegated host plant genotype to a secondary role in structuring insect communities of Quercus robur L.13. Whether this applies to all systems is, not yet known
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