Key message

This paper shows the intraspecific plant responses in leaf morphology, herbivory and FA between mature and successional tropical dry forests, as well as the difficulty associated with understanding the relationship between FA and herbivory

Abstract

Understanding the processes that affect biotic interactions during secondary succession has implications for the maintenance of species diversity in the tropics. We studied the changes in leaf morphology, fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and herbivory in three dominant tropical dry forest plant species that occur in mature and secondary forests. We selected eight study sites: four in mature and four in successional forests. At each site, a plot of 20 × 50 m was established to characterize the vegetation structure and soil fertility. Subsequently, leaf morphology, FA and herbivory were measured in all individuals of Cordia elaeagnoides, C. alliodora and Achatocarpus gracilis with DBH ≥ 2.5 cm found in the plots. Plant abundance and plant height decreased in secondary forest, while the content of nitrates and phosphates increased in soil of secondary forests. Differences in leaf morphology between forest conditions were found for the three species. Total leaf area was higher in mature than in secondary forests for C. elaeagnoides and A. gracilis. An opposite pattern was found for C. alliodora. In both Cordia species, herbivory was higher in secondary than in mature forests. The opposite pattern was found for A. gracilis in secondary forests. For all the cases, FA was higher in mature forests than in secondary forests. Herbivory was positively correlated with FA in secondary forests in C. elaeganoides and in A. gracilis, whereas in C. alliodora herbivory was positively related with FA in mature forests. Overall, we detected changes in foliar morphology, fluctuating asymmetry and herbivory between mature and secondary forests, with a general pattern of higher FA levels in mature forests. Our findings illustrate the difficulty associated with understanding the relationship between FA and herbivory throughout the regeneration process in tropical dry forests due to the complexity of abiotic and biotic factors that can affect plant–herbivore interactions.

中文翻译：

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热带旱林不同演替阶段的三种植物形态，起伏不对称和食草性的对比模式

关键信息

本文显示了成熟和演替的热带旱林在叶片形态，食草和FA内的种内植物反应，以及了解FA和食草之间关系的困难

抽象

了解在次生演替过程中影响生物相互作用的过程对维持热带地区物种多样性具有重要意义。我们研究了成熟和次生林中三种主要的热带旱林植物物种中叶片形态，波动不对称性（FA）和食草性的变化。我们选择了八个研究地点：四个在成熟森林中，四个在连续森林中。在每个地点都建立了一个20×50 m的地块，以表征植被结构和土壤肥力。随后，测定了Cordia elaeagnoides，C。alliodora和Achatocarpus gracilis的所有个体的叶片形态，FA和食草性。在图中发现DBH≥2.5 cm。次生林的植物丰度和株高下降，次生林地的硝酸盐和磷酸盐含量增加。发现这三种物种的森林状况之间的叶片形态差异。C的成熟叶总面积高于次生林。elaeagnoides和一个。细纹。发现与C相反的模式。Alliodora。在两种科迪亚物种中，次生食草性均高于成熟森林。相反图案被发现的A.眼虫在次生森林中。在所有情况下，成熟林中的FA高于次生林。取食于在次级森林与FA正相关C. elaeganoides和A.股薄肌，而在C. alliodora取食呈正FA在成熟森林相关。总体而言，我们检测到成熟林和次生林之间的叶形态变化，不对称波动和食草性变化，以及成熟林中较高FA水平的一般模式。我们的发现表明，由于可能影响植物与草食动物相互作用的非生物和生物因素的复杂性，在热带干旱森林的整个再生过程中，难以理解脂肪酸和草食动物之间的关系。