Abstract

Fires are ubiquitous features of many terrestrial ecosystems and can greatly impact the structure and evolution of plant communities. However, much less is known about how fire history impacts higher trophic levels. Using detailed records on the history and intensity of fires at the Archbold Biological Station (ABS) in central Florida, USA, we examined how time-since-fire affects the cynipid gall wasp assemblage (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) associated with four oak species (Quercus) that are dominant components of the plant community in this region. Cynipid abundance, richness and diversity were quantified from 1249 oak trees/shrubs in 20 sites that varied in time-since-fire from 1.5 to 91 years. Among all sites and oaks, we found 24 species of cynipids and there was very little species overlap among oak species, even within the same site. Gall abundance increased with time-since-fire and was correlated with tree height, suggesting that available host material or plant architecture may be a primary driver of cynipid recovery. Within 3 years of a fire, 14 of the 23 cynipid species were detected among the sites, and by seven years since fire, all but two species could be detected. Overall, species richness and diversity reached an asymptote within ≈ 7 years. Given how quickly the cynipid assemblage recovers after a fire, frequent fires at ABS are unlikely to negatively impact these insects. However, in smaller or more isolated scrub-oak fragments, recovery could be much slower.

中文翻译：

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橡树上的时光火和塞浦路斯胆黄蜂组合

摘要

火灾是许多陆地生态系统无处不在的特征，可以极大地影响植物群落的结构和进化。但是，关于火灾历史如何影响较高营养水平的了解还很少。使用美国佛罗里达州中部的Archbold生物站（ABS）的火灾历史和烈度的详细记录，我们研究了自燃以来时间如何影响与四种橡树种（Quercus）相关的胆黄蜂群（膜翅目：Cy科）。）是该地区植物群落的主要组成部分。从20个地点的1249棵橡树/灌木中量化了Cynipid的丰富度，丰富度和多样性，这些地点的火灾时间从1.5年到91年不等。在所有地点和橡树中，我们发现了24种鲤科鱼类，即使在同一地点，橡树种之间也几乎没有重叠。胆汁的丰度随着时间的推移而增加，并且与树高相关，这表明可用的宿主材料或植物结构可能是鲤鱼恢复的主要驱动力。在大火的3年内，在这些地点中发现了23种鲤科鱼类中的14种，到大火以来的7年，除了两种以外，其他所有物种都可以被发现。总体而言，物种丰富性和多样性在大约7年内达到了渐近线。鉴于赛普拉斯族群在大火后恢复的速度有多快，ABS频繁起火不太可能对这些昆虫产生负面影响。但是，在较小或更孤立的灌木丛碎片中，恢复可能会慢得多。