Drought and root herbivory in understorey Parashorea Kurz (Dipterocarpaceae) seedlings in Borneo

The influence of herbivory on dipterocarp seedling growth and survival in Bornean primary lowland forest understorey during and after the 1997-8 El Niño-Southern Oscillation was investigated. During the drought, a coleopteran (Scolytidae) root borer attacked dipterocarp seedlings, primarily of the g...

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Main Authors: Bebber, D, Brown, N, Speight, M
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2002
Subjects:
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author Bebber, D
Brown, N
Speight, M
author_facet Bebber, D
Brown, N
Speight, M
author_sort Bebber, D
collection OXFORD
description The influence of herbivory on dipterocarp seedling growth and survival in Bornean primary lowland forest understorey during and after the 1997-8 El Niño-Southern Oscillation was investigated. During the drought, a coleopteran (Scolytidae) root borer attacked dipterocarp seedlings, primarily of the genus Parashorea. Infestation was spatially heterogeneous on a large (c.100 m) scale. Attack rate decreased with plant vigour within infested areas. Experiments showed that root damage was fatal under drought conditions, but not after rain. Defoliation and apical meristem did not increase mortality. The spatio-temporal heterogeneity of herbivore outbreaks and difficulties involved in experimenting with root herbivores limit the power of such short-term investigations. However, the study shows that herbivores can cause differential mortality between species, and can therefore influence dipterocarp regeneration dynamics. The effect of herbivory depends on the plant organ attacked and interactions with other stresses such as drought. El Niño-related droughts are increasing in frequency in South-East Asian rain forests, which may lead to increased numbers of herbivore outbreaks and greater seedling mortality due to these factors.
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spelling oxford-uuid:4a102ff1-b820-47d7-a3e3-f2f28c2910fd2022-03-26T15:35:28ZDrought and root herbivory in understorey Parashorea Kurz (Dipterocarpaceae) seedlings in BorneoJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:4a102ff1-b820-47d7-a3e3-f2f28c2910fdPlant SciencesEvolution,ecology and systematicsEnglishOxford University Research Archive - ValetCambridge University Press2002Bebber, DBrown, NSpeight, MThe influence of herbivory on dipterocarp seedling growth and survival in Bornean primary lowland forest understorey during and after the 1997-8 El Niño-Southern Oscillation was investigated. During the drought, a coleopteran (Scolytidae) root borer attacked dipterocarp seedlings, primarily of the genus Parashorea. Infestation was spatially heterogeneous on a large (c.100 m) scale. Attack rate decreased with plant vigour within infested areas. Experiments showed that root damage was fatal under drought conditions, but not after rain. Defoliation and apical meristem did not increase mortality. The spatio-temporal heterogeneity of herbivore outbreaks and difficulties involved in experimenting with root herbivores limit the power of such short-term investigations. However, the study shows that herbivores can cause differential mortality between species, and can therefore influence dipterocarp regeneration dynamics. The effect of herbivory depends on the plant organ attacked and interactions with other stresses such as drought. El Niño-related droughts are increasing in frequency in South-East Asian rain forests, which may lead to increased numbers of herbivore outbreaks and greater seedling mortality due to these factors.
spellingShingle Plant Sciences
Evolution,ecology and systematics
Bebber, D
Brown, N
Speight, M
Drought and root herbivory in understorey Parashorea Kurz (Dipterocarpaceae) seedlings in Borneo
title Drought and root herbivory in understorey Parashorea Kurz (Dipterocarpaceae) seedlings in Borneo
title_full Drought and root herbivory in understorey Parashorea Kurz (Dipterocarpaceae) seedlings in Borneo
title_fullStr Drought and root herbivory in understorey Parashorea Kurz (Dipterocarpaceae) seedlings in Borneo
title_full_unstemmed Drought and root herbivory in understorey Parashorea Kurz (Dipterocarpaceae) seedlings in Borneo
title_short Drought and root herbivory in understorey Parashorea Kurz (Dipterocarpaceae) seedlings in Borneo
title_sort drought and root herbivory in understorey parashorea kurz dipterocarpaceae seedlings in borneo
topic Plant Sciences
Evolution,ecology and systematics
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