Abstract
As natural landscapes are modified and converted into simplified agricultural landscapes, the community composition and interactions of organisms persisting in these modified landscapes are altered. While many studies examine the consequences of these changing interactions for crops, few have evaluated the effects on wild plants. Here, we examine how pollinator and herbivore interactions affect reproductive success for wild resident and phytometer plants at sites along a landscape gradient ranging from natural to highly simplified. We tested the direct and indirect effects of landscape composition on plant traits and reproduction mediated by insect interactions. For phytometer plants exposed to herbivores, we found that greater landscape complexity corresponded with elevated herbivore damage, which reduced total flower production but increased individual flower size. Though larger flowers increased pollination, the reduction in flowers ultimately reduced plant reproductive success. Herbivory was also higher in complex landscapes for resident plants, but overall damage was low and therefore did not have a cascading effect on floral display and reproduction. This work highlights that landscape composition directly affects patterns of herbivory with cascading effects on pollination and wild plant reproduction. Further, the absence of an effect on reproduction for resident plants suggests that they may be adapted to their local insect community.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
More complex landscapes had greater herbivore damage on exposed phytometers.
Verbatim
e0“For phytometer plants exposed to herbivores, we found that greater landscape complexity corresponded with elevated herbivore damage”
Claim · model-written summary
Herbivore damage reduced phytometer flower production.
Verbatim
e0“elevated herbivore damage, which reduced total flower production”
t0“wild plant reproduction”
Claim · model-written summary
Herbivore damage increased individual flower size.
Verbatim
e0“herbivore damage, which reduced total flower production but increased individual flower size”
t0“wild plant reproduction”
Claim · model-written summary
Larger flowers increased pollination.
Verbatim
e0“larger flowers increased pollination”
t0“wild plant reproduction”
Claim · model-written summary
Reduced flower number lowered plant reproductive success.
Verbatim
e0“the reduction in flowers ultimately reduced plant reproductive success”
t0“wild plant reproduction”
Claim · model-written summary
Resident plants had higher herbivory in complex landscapes.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaee0
- Outcome
- Herbivorye0
- Direction
- highere0
- Setting
- complex landscapese0
Verbatim
e0“Herbivory was also higher in complex landscapes for resident plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Resident plant damage was low.
Verbatim
e0“overall damage was low”
t0“wild plant reproduction”
Claim · model-written summary
Resident plant herbivory had no cascading effect on display or reproduction.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaee0
- Interactor
- Herbivorye0herbivore
- Outcome
- floral display and reproductione0
- Direction
- did not havee0
Verbatim
e0“Herbivory was also higher in complex landscapes for resident plants, but overall damage was low and therefore did not have a cascading effect on floral display and reproduction”
t0“wild plant reproduction”