Leaf Shelters Facilitate the Colonisation of Arthropods and Enhance Microbial Diversity on Plants

Autor(es)

dos Santos, Danilo F. B. ; Herschberger, Jacob E. ; Subedi, Bijay ; Pocius, Victoria M. ; Neely, Wesley J. ; Greenspan, Sasha E. ; Becker, C. Guilherme ; Romero, Gustavo Q. ; Kersch-Becker, Monica F.

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: ECOLOGY LETTERS; v. 27, n. 9, p. 11-pg., 2024-09-01.

Resumo

Shelter-building insects are important ecosystem engineers, playing critical roles in structuring arthropod communities. Nonetheless, the influence of leaf shelters and arthropods on plant-associated microbiota remains largely unexplored. Arthropods that visit or inhabit plants can contribute to the leaf microbial community, resulting in significant changes in plant-microbe interactions. By artificially constructing leaf shelters, we provide evidence that shelter-building insects influence not only the arthropod community structure but also impact the phyllosphere microbiota. Leaf shelters exhibited higher abundance and richness of arthropods, changing the associated arthropod community composition. These shelters also altered the composition and community structure of phyllosphere microbiota, promoting greater richness and diversity of bacteria at the phyllosphere. In leaf shelters, microbial diversity positively correlated with the richness and diversity of herbivores. These findings demonstrate the critical role of leaf shelters in structuring both arthropod and microbial communities through altered microhabitats and species interactions. This research demonstrates that ecosystem engineers, through the construction of leaf shelters, play a critical role in shaping not only arthropod community assembly but also the dynamics of the phyllosphere microbial community. We identified specific bacterial taxa with strong associations with leaf shelters, revealing a shift in microbial community dynamics with potentially significant implications for host plant health and resilience.image (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 22/10765-3 - Impactos antrópicos e seus efeitos sobre a biodiversidade, estrutura trófica e fluxos entre ecossistemas aquáticos e terrestres
• Beneficiário: Gustavo Quevedo Romero
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa BIOTA - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 23/01589-0 - Influência dos subsídios de origem aquática na resiliência das teias alimentares receptoras em florestas ripárias
• Beneficiário: Gustavo Quevedo Romero
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 19/08474-8 - Ecossistemas aquáticos continentais sob mudanças climáticas: impactos em múltiplos níveis de organização
• Beneficiário: Gustavo Quevedo Romero
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa de Pesquisa sobre Mudanças Climáticas Globais - Temático