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Figure: The photo shows a bumblebee on a yellow dandelion flower

Plants are in general colonized by a number of herbivorous insects varying in taxonomic affiliation and degree of specialization. The average specialization of an herbivorous insect community thereby varies among host plants. What causes these differences among host-plant species? Why are some host-plant faunas more specialized than others, or on the community level, why are the herbivore faunas of some plant communities more specialized than others? What are the community consequences of insect-host plant specialization? Does specialization of the insect species depends on land-use intensification?


(i)    Does land-use intensification decrease the average specialization of herbivore communities with respect to host-plant utilization? How do herbivore-plant networks change with land-use intensification? What are the consequences of land-use intensification on the phylogenetic structuring of herbivore-plant interactions?

(ii)    How do changes in herbivore-plant interactions affect the phylogenetic composition of plant communities?

(iii)    Are herbivore-plant interactions stronger affected by land-use intensification than pollinator-plant interactions?


We will analyze BExIS data from core project Botany and Arthropods sampled in the 150 experimental grassland plots. Based on known insect host-plant affiliations we will first calculate an average specialization index for the plant-herbivore community of each site considering the position of feeding records across an already available plant phylogeny. To compare the changes of herbivore-plant interactions with already available pollinator networks a number of network metrics will also be calculated. Second we will construct phylogenies for all considered herbivorous insect taxa combining already published phylogenetic relationships complemented with new sequence data.


Doc
Egorov E., Gossner M. M., Meyer S. T., Weisser W. W., Brändle M. (2017): Does plant phylogenetic diversity increase invertebrate herbivory in managed grasslands? Basic and Applied Ecology 20, 40–50. doi: 10.1016/j.baae.2017.03.004
More information:  doi.org
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Friess N., Gossner M. M., Weisser W. W., Brandl R., Brändle M. (2017): Habitat availability drives the distribution–abundance relationship in phytophagous true bugs in managed grasslands. Ecology 98 (10), 2561–2573. doi: 10.1002/ecy.1947
More information:  doi.org
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Egorov E. (2015): Community phylogenetics and invertebrate herbivory in managed grasslands. Dissertation, University Marburg
More information:  doi.org
Doc
Verringert die Intensivierung der Landnutzung die phylogenetische Vielfalt von Pflanzen auf Grünlandflächen?
Egorov E., Prati D., Durka W., Michalski S., Fischer M., Schmitt B., Blaser S., Brändle M. (2014): Does Land-Use Intensification Decrease Plant Phylogenetic Diversity in Local Grasslands? PLoS ONE 9 (7), e103252. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103252
More information:  doi.org
Doc
Effects of biogeography, specialization and resource availability on the distribution-abundance relationship of phytophagous insects in managed grasslands
Friess N. (2013): Effects of biogeography, specialization and resource availability on the distribution-abundance relationship of phytophagous insects in managed grasslands. Bachelor thesis, University Marburg

Scientific assistants

Dr. Martin Braendle
Alumni
Dr. Martin Braendle
Eugen Egorov
Alumni
Eugen Egorov
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