Kari Taylor
Research Mentor: Aadia Moseley-Mccloud
Mentor Department: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, LSA
Author(s): Karin Rand, Aimee Classen
Session: Session 6 (3:00 PM – 3:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 68
Abstract
Invertebrates have various individual effects on ecosystem functioning. Their impact can place pressure on plants by forcing them to reallocate resources for defenses. This alteration can impact plant communities by shifting plant growth, soil microbiome activity and plant biodiversity. Although some studies have looked at individual herbivore impacts on ecosystems, there is a gap in how these combined invertebrate interactions alter ecosystems. Our study was conducted in tandem with a Bug Network (BugNet) that facilitated an ongoing herbivore exclusion experiment across multiple sites. BugNet questions how the dynamics of invertebrates impact ecosystem composition and functioning. Experimental plots included a control along with consumer removal in blocks separated by insect, mollusk and pathogenic fungi exclusion as well as a combined insect, mollusk and pathogenic fungi exclusion block. Data for plant community diversity, plant biomass, greenness and soil respiration was then collected over the course of four years. Our results showed that plant greenness is altered by consumer presence. This is most likely due to shifts in chemical composition allowing plants to allocate resources towards chloroplast production and photosynthesis rather than plant defenses. While BugNet has begun to uncover trends in invertebrate consumer’s impact on plant systems, there is still more work needed to fully understand their role in ecosystem dynamics and the mechanisms of plant chemical shifts.
