Legacy effects of aboveground–belowground interactions

TY - JOUR

T1 - Legacy effects of aboveground–belowground interactions

AU - Kostenko, O.

AU - Van de Voorde, T.F.J.

AU - Mulder, P.P.J.

AU - Van der Putten, W.H.

AU - Bezemer, T.M.

N1 - Reporting year: 2012 Metis note: 5259; WAG; TE

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - Root herbivory can greatly affect the performance of aboveground insects via changes in plant chemistry. These interactions have been studied extensively in experiments where aboveground and belowground insects were feeding on the same plant. However, little is known about how aboveground and belowground organisms interact when they feed on plant individuals that grow after each other in the same soil. We show that feeding by aboveground and belowground insect herbivores on ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) plants exert unique soil legacy effects, via herbivore-induced changes in the composition of soil fungi. These changes in the soil biota induced by aboveground and belowground herbivores of preceding plants greatly influenced the pyrrolizidine alkaloid content, biomass and aboveground multitrophic interactions of succeeding plants. We conclude that plant-mediated interactions between aboveground and belowground insects are also important when they do not feed simultaneously on the same plant.

AB - Root herbivory can greatly affect the performance of aboveground insects via changes in plant chemistry. These interactions have been studied extensively in experiments where aboveground and belowground insects were feeding on the same plant. However, little is known about how aboveground and belowground organisms interact when they feed on plant individuals that grow after each other in the same soil. We show that feeding by aboveground and belowground insect herbivores on ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) plants exert unique soil legacy effects, via herbivore-induced changes in the composition of soil fungi. These changes in the soil biota induced by aboveground and belowground herbivores of preceding plants greatly influenced the pyrrolizidine alkaloid content, biomass and aboveground multitrophic interactions of succeeding plants. We conclude that plant-mediated interactions between aboveground and belowground insects are also important when they do not feed simultaneously on the same plant.

KW - national

U2 - 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01801.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01801.x

M3 - Article

SN - 1461-023X

VL - 15

SP - 813

EP - 821

JO - Ecology Letters

JF - Ecology Letters

IS - 8

ER -