Plant-insect interactions across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary in the Sichuan Basin, South China
Plants and insects are the most diverse and ecologically important organisms in the terrestrial biosphere. Their interactions are also among the richest biotic relationships, and offer significant insights into the evolution of terrestrial ecosystem complexity through the geological record. This inv...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1338865/full |
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| author | Yuanyuan Xu Yuanyuan Xu Yuanyuan Xu Yongdong Wang Yongdong Wang Liqin Li Liqin Li Ning Lu Ning Lu Yanbin Zhu Yanbin Zhu Zhuanli Huang Stephen McLoughlin |
| author_facet | Yuanyuan Xu Yuanyuan Xu Yuanyuan Xu Yongdong Wang Yongdong Wang Liqin Li Liqin Li Ning Lu Ning Lu Yanbin Zhu Yanbin Zhu Zhuanli Huang Stephen McLoughlin |
| author_sort | Yuanyuan Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plants and insects are the most diverse and ecologically important organisms in the terrestrial biosphere. Their interactions are also among the richest biotic relationships, and offer significant insights into the evolution of terrestrial ecosystem complexity through the geological record. This investigation of the late Rhaetian Xujiahe and the earliest Jurassic Zhenzhuchong floral assemblages provides the first data on foliar herbivory generated by terrestrial arthropods across the Triassic–Jurassic transition in the eastern Tethys (East Asia) region. The damage types from two fossil assemblages are collectively attributed to seven functional feeding and egg-laying categories (i.e., hole feeding, margin feeding, surface feeding, skeletonization, piercing and sucking, oviposition, and galling). Most feeding strategies are spread across the major plant groups and persist through the Triassic–Jurassic boundary, with the exception of skeletonization (a category of external foliage feeding), which was restricted to the latest Triassic within dipteridacean ferns. The survey reveals that the respective frequency and diversity of interactions between plants and insects prior to and following the end-Triassic mass extinction event are almost the same, despite a substantial turnover of floral components. This suggest that insect herbivores were largely able to transfer to alternative (but commonly related) plant groups during the dramatic floristic turnover and environmental changes at the end of the Triassic. Sporadic occurrences of foliar modifications, such as marginal cusps on pinnules of Pterophyllum and prominent ridges on the rachises of some ferns and bennettites are interpreted as adaptations for defense against insect herbivores. A few differences in taxonomic composition and herbivory representation between the latest Triassic Xujiahe flora and the earliest Jurassic Zhenzhuchong flora are more likely to be related to collection and preservational biases rather than reflecting palaeoecological changes. We encourage further investigations exploring the distribution of insect damage in fossil floras from other palaeolatitudinal zones and spanning other major extinction events to develop a better understanding of terrestrial ecosystem responses to major crises in Earth’s history. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T15:51:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8860b1f18f724e6daa43feb851c4cc13 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T15:51:48Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
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| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-8860b1f18f724e6daa43feb851c4cc132024-01-09T04:30:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2024-01-011110.3389/fevo.2023.13388651338865Plant-insect interactions across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary in the Sichuan Basin, South ChinaYuanyuan Xu0Yuanyuan Xu1Yuanyuan Xu2Yongdong Wang3Yongdong Wang4Liqin Li5Liqin Li6Ning Lu7Ning Lu8Yanbin Zhu9Yanbin Zhu10Zhuanli Huang11Stephen McLoughlin12State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, ChinaUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, SwedenState Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, ChinaUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, ChinaZhejiang Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Zhejiang Institute of Geosciences, Hangzhou, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, ChinaCollege of Paleontology, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, ChinaUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, ChinaDepartment of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, SwedenPlants and insects are the most diverse and ecologically important organisms in the terrestrial biosphere. Their interactions are also among the richest biotic relationships, and offer significant insights into the evolution of terrestrial ecosystem complexity through the geological record. This investigation of the late Rhaetian Xujiahe and the earliest Jurassic Zhenzhuchong floral assemblages provides the first data on foliar herbivory generated by terrestrial arthropods across the Triassic–Jurassic transition in the eastern Tethys (East Asia) region. The damage types from two fossil assemblages are collectively attributed to seven functional feeding and egg-laying categories (i.e., hole feeding, margin feeding, surface feeding, skeletonization, piercing and sucking, oviposition, and galling). Most feeding strategies are spread across the major plant groups and persist through the Triassic–Jurassic boundary, with the exception of skeletonization (a category of external foliage feeding), which was restricted to the latest Triassic within dipteridacean ferns. The survey reveals that the respective frequency and diversity of interactions between plants and insects prior to and following the end-Triassic mass extinction event are almost the same, despite a substantial turnover of floral components. This suggest that insect herbivores were largely able to transfer to alternative (but commonly related) plant groups during the dramatic floristic turnover and environmental changes at the end of the Triassic. Sporadic occurrences of foliar modifications, such as marginal cusps on pinnules of Pterophyllum and prominent ridges on the rachises of some ferns and bennettites are interpreted as adaptations for defense against insect herbivores. A few differences in taxonomic composition and herbivory representation between the latest Triassic Xujiahe flora and the earliest Jurassic Zhenzhuchong flora are more likely to be related to collection and preservational biases rather than reflecting palaeoecological changes. We encourage further investigations exploring the distribution of insect damage in fossil floras from other palaeolatitudinal zones and spanning other major extinction events to develop a better understanding of terrestrial ecosystem responses to major crises in Earth’s history.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1338865/fullherbivoryinsect damage typesfunctional feeding groupsend-Triassic mass extinctionvegetation turnover |
| spellingShingle | Yuanyuan Xu Yuanyuan Xu Yuanyuan Xu Yongdong Wang Yongdong Wang Liqin Li Liqin Li Ning Lu Ning Lu Yanbin Zhu Yanbin Zhu Zhuanli Huang Stephen McLoughlin Plant-insect interactions across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary in the Sichuan Basin, South China Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution herbivory insect damage types functional feeding groups end-Triassic mass extinction vegetation turnover |
| title | Plant-insect interactions across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary in the Sichuan Basin, South China |
| title_full | Plant-insect interactions across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary in the Sichuan Basin, South China |
| title_fullStr | Plant-insect interactions across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary in the Sichuan Basin, South China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Plant-insect interactions across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary in the Sichuan Basin, South China |
| title_short | Plant-insect interactions across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary in the Sichuan Basin, South China |
| title_sort | plant insect interactions across the triassic jurassic boundary in the sichuan basin south china |
| topic | herbivory insect damage types functional feeding groups end-Triassic mass extinction vegetation turnover |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1338865/full |
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