Contrasting dynamics in the same plant-herbivore interaction.

Long-term studies of two-species interactions under field conditions are unusual; most long-term field studies are of single species dynamics (1-6). Concurrent long-term studies on the dynamics of the same two interacting species in different locations are very rare. This result has led to the tacit...

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Main Authors: Bonsall, M, van der Meijden, E, Crawley, M
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2003
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author Bonsall, M
van der Meijden, E
Crawley, M
author_facet Bonsall, M
van der Meijden, E
Crawley, M
author_sort Bonsall, M
collection OXFORD
description Long-term studies of two-species interactions under field conditions are unusual; most long-term field studies are of single species dynamics (1-6). Concurrent long-term studies on the dynamics of the same two interacting species in different locations are very rare. This result has led to the tacit assumption that different cases of the same two-species interaction would involve essentially quantitative differences (e.g., context-specific differences in the numeric values of demographic parameters like fecundity or death rates). Here, we show that for one of the best-known two-species systems (ragwort and cinnabar moth), this finding does not hold. The interaction between the plant and its herbivore is fundamentally different in coastal dunes in The Netherlands and in grasslands in Southeast England. In the first case, the dynamics are cyclic and the interaction involves both direct and delayed density dependence; in the second case, the insect has little impact on plant dynamics and there are no time lags in density dependence. The difference is caused by differences in the importance of seed-limitation in plant recruitment in the two locations.
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spelling oxford-uuid:120f33f7-2a9b-4e7c-a024-d4c2886e335c2022-03-26T10:05:41ZContrasting dynamics in the same plant-herbivore interaction.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:120f33f7-2a9b-4e7c-a024-d4c2886e335cEnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2003Bonsall, Mvan der Meijden, ECrawley, MLong-term studies of two-species interactions under field conditions are unusual; most long-term field studies are of single species dynamics (1-6). Concurrent long-term studies on the dynamics of the same two interacting species in different locations are very rare. This result has led to the tacit assumption that different cases of the same two-species interaction would involve essentially quantitative differences (e.g., context-specific differences in the numeric values of demographic parameters like fecundity or death rates). Here, we show that for one of the best-known two-species systems (ragwort and cinnabar moth), this finding does not hold. The interaction between the plant and its herbivore is fundamentally different in coastal dunes in The Netherlands and in grasslands in Southeast England. In the first case, the dynamics are cyclic and the interaction involves both direct and delayed density dependence; in the second case, the insect has little impact on plant dynamics and there are no time lags in density dependence. The difference is caused by differences in the importance of seed-limitation in plant recruitment in the two locations.
spellingShingle Bonsall, M
van der Meijden, E
Crawley, M
Contrasting dynamics in the same plant-herbivore interaction.
title Contrasting dynamics in the same plant-herbivore interaction.
title_full Contrasting dynamics in the same plant-herbivore interaction.
title_fullStr Contrasting dynamics in the same plant-herbivore interaction.
title_full_unstemmed Contrasting dynamics in the same plant-herbivore interaction.
title_short Contrasting dynamics in the same plant-herbivore interaction.
title_sort contrasting dynamics in the same plant herbivore interaction
work_keys_str_mv AT bonsallm contrastingdynamicsinthesameplantherbivoreinteraction
AT vandermeijdene contrastingdynamicsinthesameplantherbivoreinteraction
AT crawleym contrastingdynamicsinthesameplantherbivoreinteraction