Insect herbivory and herbivores of Ficus species along a rainforest elevational gradient in Papua New Guinea

Classic research on elevational gradients in plant-herbivore interactions holds that insect herbivore pressure is stronger under warmer climates of low elevations. However, recent work has questioned this paradigm, arguing that it oversimplifies the ecological complexity in which plant-insect herbivore interactions are embedded. Knowledge of antagonistic networks of plants and herbivores is however crucial for understanding the mechanisms that govern ecosystem functioning. We examined herbivore damage and insect herbivores of eight species of genus Ficus (105 saplings) and plant constitutive defensive traits of two of these species, along a rainforest elevational gradient of Mt. Wilhelm (200 – 2700 m a.s.l.), in tropical Papua New Guinea. We report overall herbivore damage 2.4% of leaf area, ranging from 0.03% in Ficus endochaete at 1700 m a.s.l. to 6.1% in F. hombroniana at 700 m a.s.l. Herbivore damage and herbivore abundances varied significantly with elevation, as well as among the ...

关于植物-植食性昆虫互作海拔梯度的经典研究认为，在低海拔温暖气候下，昆虫植食压力更强。然而，近期研究对这一范式提出了质疑，认为它过度简化了植物-植食性昆虫互作所嵌入的生态复杂性。然而，植物与植食性昆虫拮抗网络的知识对于理解调控生态系统功能的机制至关重要。我们在热带巴布亚新几内亚威廉姆山（Mt. Wilhelm）的雨林海拔梯度（200–2700米海拔）上，调查了榕属（Ficus）8个物种（105株幼苗）的植食性昆虫危害及昆虫数量，以及其中2个物种的植物组成型防御性状。我们发现总体植食性危害占叶面积的2.4%，范围从1700米海拔处的Ficus endochaete的0.03%到700米海拔处的F. hombroniana的6.1%不等。植食性危害和植食性昆虫丰度随海拔以及不同物种间存在显著差异……