Spatio-temporal variation of Cerambycidae-host tree interaction networks

PLoS One. 2020 Feb 10;15(2):e0228880. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228880. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Despite its high ecological importance, the commensal interactions at community level are poorly studied. In tropical dry forests (TDF) there is a great diversity of species adapted to the high seasonality that characterizes them; however, little is known regarding how the spatial and temporal availability of resources generates changes in the pattern of commensal interactions. We experimentally studied changes in the diversity, composition, and pattern of interactions in spatio-temporal associations between the saproxylophagous beetles and their host trees in a TDF in Morelos, Mexico. A total of 65 host tree species were selected, from which 16 wood sections were obtained per species. These sections were exposed in the field to allow oviposition by the cerambycids under four different (spatio-temporal) treatments. We analyzed the network structure and generated indices at species level (i.e., specialization, species strength, and effective partners) and those related to physical characteristics of the wood (hardness and degradation rate) and the cerambycids (body size). In total, 1,323 individuals of 57 species of cerambycids emerged. Our results showed that, independently of the space and time, the network presented a nested and modular structure, with a high specialization degree and a high turnover of cerambycid species and their interactions. In general, we found that the cerambycids are mostly associated with softwood species with a lower decomposition rate of wood, as well as with the most abundant host species. The commensalistic interactions between the cerambycids and their host trees are highly specialized but are not spatio-temporally static. The high turnover in the interactions is caused by the emergence patterns of cerambycids, which seem to restrict their use to certain species. The knowledge of the spatio-temporal variation in Cerambycidae-host tree interactions allows us to predict how environmental and structural changes in the habitat can modify the species ensemble, and therefore its interactions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biodiversity
  • Coleoptera / pathogenicity
  • Coleoptera / physiology*
  • Ecosystem
  • Female
  • Forests
  • Host Specificity
  • Host-Parasite Interactions / physiology*
  • Mexico
  • Oviposition
  • Spatio-Temporal Analysis
  • Symbiosis / physiology
  • Trees / parasitology*
  • Tropical Climate
  • Wood

Grants and funding

This research was funded by a Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT) (grant 274685) awarded to ORVC, and by the post-doctoral Programa para el Desarrollo Profesional Docente PRODEP (grant 511-6/17-10976) awarded to MRR. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.