| Autor: |
García-Jain, Silvia Ecaterina, Maldonado-López, Yurixhi, Oyama, Ken, Fagundes, Marcílio, de Faria, Maurício Lopes, Espírito-Santo, Mário M., Cuevas-Reyes, Pablo |
| Zdroj: |
Trees: Structure & Function; Apr2022, Vol. 36 Issue 2, p553-567, 15p |
| Abstrakt: |
Key message: Habitat fragmentation influences leaf morphology, quantity and quality of plant resources to herbivores, which in turn affects the patterns of fluctuating asymmetry and herbivory in Quercus deserticola. Forest fragmentation has negative effects on biodiversity by modifying environmental conditions, ecological processes and biotic interactions. We analyzed the effects of forest fragment size and habitat type (forest edge × interior) on the amount of plant resources and their quality for herbivores, leaf morphology, fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and herbivory on Quercus deserticola at the Cuitzeo Basin in Mexico. Six forest fragments, where Q. deserticola occurs were classified as (i) small (≤ 10 ha); (ii) medium (≥ 25 ha); and (iii) large (≥ 65 ha). In each forest fragment, four parallel transects of 5 × 50 m were sampled, two located at the edge and two in the interior of the fragments. Chlorophyll content, leaf area, canopy cover and tree size were greater in small than in larger fragments. Leaves of individuals in small fragments and in forest edges were more elongated and wider than in large and in the interior of fragments. Our results also showed higher levels of FA and insect herbivory in the small fragments and forest edges. Insect herbivory was positively correlated with FA in small forest fragments, indicating that the mechanisms driving their interaction are scale-dependent and vary among habitat types according to fragment size. Our findings do not support the idea that the fluctuating asymmetry is a reliable biomarker to detect environmental stress in Q. deserticola in fragmented habitats, but FA may be a good biomarker of plant stress caused by the amount of herbivory damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Databáze: |
Complementary Index |
| Externí odkaz: |
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