Changing regularity of plant and insect community characteristics due to pest outbreaks in Larix principis-rupprechtii plantations

Abstract

Research has indicated that simple forest ecosystem composition, structure and diversity have uncomplicated community relationships and insufficient pest control capabilities. To investigate changing characteristics of plant and insect communities in under pest outbreaks in Larix principis-rupprechtii plantations, the research areas were defined as mature (48–50 years) and young (24–29 years) infested stands along with healthy stands. The results show a reduction in the complexity and diversity of plant communities and herbaceous plant guilds (polycultures of beneficial plants) and the complexity and dominance of insect communities, especially natural insect enemies. The results also show the relative simplicity of the main factors of community change and development that represent the characteristics of pest outbreaks in L. principis-rupprechtii plantations. The complexity and diversity of plant communities, particularly herbaceous plant guilds play a fundamental role in the regulation and development in forest ecosystems.

Keywords

Community characteristics / Species diversity / Ecology regulation / Pest outbreaks / Larix principis-rupprechtii

References

[1]	Ampoorter E, Barbaro L, Jactel H, Baeten L, Boberg J, Carnol M, Castagneyrol B, Charbonnier Y, Dawud SM, Deconchat M, De Smedt P, De Wandeler H, Guyot V, Hattenschwiler S, Joly FX, Koricheva J, Milligan H, Muys B, Nguyen D, Ratcliffe S, Raulund-Rasmussen K, Scherer-Lorenzen M, van der Plas F, Van Keer J, Verheyen K, Vesterdal L, Allan E (2020) Tree diversity is key for promoting the diversity and abundance of forest-associated taxa in Europe. Oikos 129:133–146. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.06290
[2]	Aoki CF, Cook M, Dunn J, Finley D, Fleming L, Yoo R, Ayres MP (2018) Old pests in new places: effects of stand structure and forest type on susceptibility to a bark beetle on the edge of its native range. For Ecol Manage 419:206–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2018.03.009
[3]	Axelsson EP, Iason GR, Julkunen-Tiitto R, Whitham TG (2015) Host genetics and environment drive divergent responses of two resource sharing gall-formers on Norway spruce: a common garden analysis. PLoS ONE 10:e0142257. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0142257
[4]	Claire K, Agostino F, Geoff AW, Francesco R, Angelo N, Nichola H, Luca S (2015) Community resilience and land degradation in forest and shrub land socio-ecological systems: evidence from Gorgoglione, Basilicata, Italy. Land Use Policy 46:11–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.01.026
[5]	David AP, Jumanne M (1989) Ecosystem concepts and current trends in forest management: time for reappraisal. For Ecol Manage 26(2):123–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-1127(89)90040-6
[6]	de Roos AM (2021) Dynamic population stage structure due to juvenile-adult asymmetry stabilizes complex ecological communities. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 118:e2023709118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023709118
[7]	Eduardo LM, Quesada M, Neves FS (2019) Forest cover drives insect guild diversity at different landscape scales in tropical dry forests. For Ecol Manage 443:36–42
[8]	Faveri SB, Vasconcelos HL, Dirzo R (2008) Effects of amazonian forest fragmentation on the interaction between plants, insect herbivores, and their natural enemies. J Trop Ecol 24:57–64. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467407004592
[9]	Ge F (1998) The principles and methods of ecological regulation and management of pests. Chin J Ecol 2:38–42 (in Chinese)
[10]	Godinho DP, Janssen A, Dias T, Cruz C, Magalhaes S (2016) Down-regulation of plant defence in a resident spider mite species and its effect upon con- and heterospecifics. Oecologia 180:161–167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3434-z
[11]	Gon?alves TF, Correa CMA, Audino LD, Vaz-de-Mello FZ, Fontoura FM, Guedes NMR (2022) Quantifying the post-fire recovery of taxonomic and functional diversity of dung beetles in the Brazilian Pantanal. Ecol Entomol 47(4):601–612. https://doi.org/10.1111/een.13144
[12]	Gratton C, Denno RF, Peterson MA, Langellotto GA, Finke DL, Huberty AF (2002) Bottom-up forces mediate natural-enemy impact in a phytophagous insect community. Ecology 83(5):1443–1458. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083[1443:bufmne]2.0.co;2
[13]	Guo QF, Fei SL, Potter KM, Liebhold AM, Wen J (2019) Tree diversity regulates forest pest invasion. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 116:7382–7386. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1821039116
[14]	Han P, Desneux N, Michel T, Le Bot J, Seassau A, Wajnberg E, Amiens-Desneux E, Lavoir AV (2016) Does plant cultivar difference modify the bottom-up effects of resource limitation on plant-insect herbivore interactions? J Chem Ecol 42:1293–1303. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-016-0795-7
[15]	Hao G, Yang N, Dong K, Xu YJ, Ding XF, Shi XJ, Chen L, Wang JL, Zhao NX, Gao YB (2021) Shrub-encroached grassland as an alternative stable state in semiarid steppe regions: evidence from community stability and assembly. Land Degrad Dev 32:3142–3153. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3975
[16]	Hjalten J, Axelsson EP (2015) GM trees with increased resistance to herbivores: trait efficiency and their potential to promote tree growth. Front Plant Sci 6:279. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00279
[17]	Hood S, Sala A, Heyerdahl EK, Boutin M (2015) Low-severity fire increases tree defense against bark beetle attacks. Ecology 96:1846–1855. https://doi.org/10.1890/14-0487.1
[18]	Landis DA, Wratten SD, Gurr GM (2000) Habitat management to conserve natural enemies of arthropod pests in agriculture. Annu Rev Entomol 45:175–201. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.45.1.175
[19]	Liu J, Feng C, Wang DL, Wang L, Wilsey BJ, Zhong ZW (2015) Impacts of grazing by different large herbivores in grassland depend on plant species diversity. J Appl Ecol 52(4):1053–1062. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12456
[20]	Maciel-Nájera JF, González-Elizondo MS, Hernández-Díaz JC, López-Sánchez CA, Bailón-Soto CE, Carrillo-Parra A, Wehenkel C (2021) Influence of environmental factors on forest understorey species in northern Mexico. Forest. https://doi.org/10.3390/f12091198
[21]	Moreira X, Abdala-Roberts L, Rasmann S, Castagneyrol B, Mooney KA (2016) Plant diversity effects on insect herbivores and their natural enemies: current thinking, recent findings, and future directions. Curr Opin Insect Sci 14:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2015.10.003
[22]	National Forestry and Grassland Bureau (2019) China forest resources report 2014?2018. Beijing: China Forestry Publishing
[23]	Nerg AM, Kasurinen A, Holopainen T, Julkunen-Tiitto R, Neuvonen S, Holopainen JK (2009) Interactions of ectomycorrhizas and above-ground insect herbivores on silver birch. Plant Signal Behav 4:355–357. https://doi.org/10.4161/psb.4.4.8230
[24]	Ouyang S, Xiang WH, Gou MM, Chen L, Lei PF, Xiao WF, Deng XW, Zeng LX, Li JR, Zhang T, Peng CH, Forrester DI (2021) Stability in subtropical forests: the role of tree species diversity, stand structure, environmental and socio-economic conditions. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 30:500–513. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13235
[25]	Perkovich C, Ward D (2023) Use of tree species by three species of Magicicada (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in an Appalachian forest. J Forestry Res 34:2051. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-023-01617-2
[26]	Shao XL, Cheng K, Kong YH, Zhang Q, Yang XT (2022) Effects of tree diversity on insect herbivory. J for Res 33:391–396. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-020-01274-9
[27]	Sun XJ, Diekman M, Yan X, Zou Y, Sang WG, Axmacher JC (2020) Diversity and seasonal changes in carabid assemblages of a mature, secondary and plantation forest mosaic in the Zhangguangcai Mountains in northeastern China. Insect Conserv Divers 13:340–350. https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12410
[28]	Trapero C, Wilson IW, Stiller WN, Wilson LJ (2016) Enhancing integrated pest management in GM cotton systems using host plant resistance. Front Plant Sci 7:500. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.00500
[29]	Vos IA, Moritz L, Pieterse CMJ, Van Wees SCM (2015) Impact of hormonal crosstalk on plant resistance and fitness under multi-attacker conditions. Front Plant Sci 6:639. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00639
[30]	Wang JH, Ren BB, Shao JL, Li W, Che SC (2023) Impact of plant community structure and its diversity on richness and abundance of arthropod aphidophagous natural enemy community. Urban for Urban Green 81:127850. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2023.127850
[31]	Wu R, Cheng XQ, Han HR (2019) The effect of forest thinning on soil microbial community structure and function. Forests 10:352. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10040352
[32]	Zeilinger AR, Olson DM, Andow DA (2016) Competitive release and outbreaks of non-target pests associated with transgenic Bt cotton. Ecol Appl 26:1047–1054. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-1314
[33]	Zhang XY, Lu Q, Liang J, Tian CM, Zhao LL, Liu ZY (2012) Scientific problems to be solved for forest protection in China. Forest Pest and Disease 3:1–6 ((in Chinese))
[34]	Zhang K, Lin SL, Ji YQ, Yang CX, Wang XY, Yang CY, Wang HS, Jiang HS, Harrison RD, Yu DW (2016) Plant diversity accurately predicts insect diversity in two tropical landscapes. Mol Ecol 25:4407–4419. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13770