Data from: Are dominant plant species more susceptible to leaf-mining insects? A case study at Saihanwula Nature Reserve, China

Dominant species significantly affect interspecific relationships, community structure and ecosystem function. In the field, dominant species are often identified by their high importance values. Selective foraging on dominant species is a common phenomenon in ecology. Our hypothesis is that dominant plant groups with high importance values are more susceptible to leaf-mining insects at the regional level.
Here, we used the Saihanwula National Nature Reserve as a case study to examine the presence-absence patterns of leaf-mining insects on different plants in a forest-grassland ecotone in Northeast China. We identified the following patterns: (1) After phylogenetic correction, plants with high importance values are more likely to host leafminers at the species, genus or family level. (2) Other factors including phylogenetic isolation, life form, water ecotype and phytogeographical type of plants, have different influences on the relationship between plant dominance and leafminer presence.
In summary, the importance value is a valid predictor of the presence of consumers, even when we consider the effects of plant phylogeny and other plant attributes. Dominant plant groups are large and susceptible targets of leaf-mining insects. The consistent leaf-mining distribution pattern across different countries, vegetation types and plant taxa can be explained by the ‘species-area relationship’ or the ‘plant apparency hypothesis’.

优势种对种间关系、群落结构与生态系统功能均具有显著调控作用。野外调查中，优势种通常凭借较高的重要值（importance value）被辨识，针对优势种的选择性取食是生态学领域的常见现象。本研究提出假说：在区域尺度下，具有较高重要值的优势植物类群，更易受到潜叶昆虫（leaf-mining insects）的侵袭。

本研究以中国东北赛罕乌拉国家级自然保护区为研究案例，探究了森林-草原交错带中不同植物上潜叶昆虫的有无分布格局。

研究得到以下结论：
（1）经系统发育校正（phylogenetic correction）后，无论在物种、属还是科的分类阶元上，重要值较高的植物均更易成为潜叶昆虫的寄主；
（2）其他因素——包括植物的系统发育隔离度、生活型、水分生态型与植物地理区系类型——对植物优势度与潜叶昆虫出现与否的关联存在不同程度的影响。

综上，即便考虑植物系统发育与其他植物性状的影响，重要值依然可作为消费者出现与否的有效预测因子。优势植物类群体量庞大，是潜叶昆虫的易感寄主。跨不同国家、植被类型与植物类群的潜叶昆虫分布一致性格局，可通过“种-面积关系（species-area relationship）”或“植物显见性假说（plant apparency hypothesis）”得到合理解释。