Phytochemical diversity impacts herbivory in a tropical rainforest tree community
Creators
- 1. Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden
- 2. The University of Texas at Austin
- 3. South China Agricultural University
- 4. South China Institute of Botany
- 5. Kunming Institute of Botany
- 6. University of Notre Dame
Description
Metabolomics provides an unprecedented window into diverse plant secondary metabolites that represent a potentially critical niche dimension in tropical forests underlying species co-existence. Here, we used untargeted metabolomics to evaluate chemical composition of 358 tree species and its relationship with phylogeny and variation in light environment, soil nutrients, and insect-herbivore leaf damage in a tropical rain forest plot. We report no phylogenetic signal in most compound classes, indicating rapid diversification in tree metabolomes. We found that locally co-occurring species were more chemically dissimilar than random, and that local chemical dispersion and metabolite diversity was associated with lower herbivory, especially that of specialist insect herbivores. Our results highlight the role of secondary metabolites in mediating plant-herbivore interactions and their potential to facilitate niche differentiation in a manner that contributes to species coexistence. Furthermore, our findings suggest that specialist herbivore pressure is an important mechanism promoting phytochemical diversity in tropical forests.
Notes
Funding provided by: National Key Research and Development Program of China
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100012166
Award Number: 2022YFF1302401
Funding provided by: The NSFC China-US Dimensions of Biodiversity Grant*
Crossref Funder Registry ID:
Award Number: 32061123003
Funding provided by: NSF US-China Dimensions of Biodiversity Grant*
Crossref Funder Registry ID:
Award Number: 2124466
Funding provided by: Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences*
Crossref Funder Registry ID:
Award Number: XDB31000000
Funding provided by: National Natural Science Foundation of China
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809
Award Number: 31870410
Funding provided by: Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004739
Award Number: Y202080
Funding provided by: The Distinguished Youth Scholar of Yunnan*
Crossref Funder Registry ID:
Award Number: 202001AV070016
Funding provided by: The Ten Thousand Talent Plans for Young Top-notch Talents of Yunnan Province*
Crossref Funder Registry ID:
Award Number: YNWR-QNBJ-2018-309
Funding provided by: National Science Foundation
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001
Award Number: 2240430
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