| Title: | Herbivory of an invasive slug in a model grassland community can be affected by earthworms and mycorrhizal fungi |
| Author(s): | Trouve R; Drapela T; Frank T; Hadacek F; Zaller JG; |
| Address: | "Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Gregor Mendel Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria ; Agro Paris Tech, Paris Institute of Technology for Life, Food and Environmental Sciences, 14 rue Girardet, CS 14216, 54042 Nancy, France. Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Gregor Mendel Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria ; Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL Austria), Seidengasse 33-35/13, 1070 Vienna, Austria. Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Gregor Mendel Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria. Albrecht-von-Haller Institute, Plant Biochemistry, Georg-August-University of Gottingen, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, 370077 Gottingen, Germany" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00374-013-0827-1 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 0178-2762 (Print) 1432-0789 (Electronic) 0178-2762 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Invasion of non-native species is among the top threats for the biodiversity and functioning of native and agricultural ecosystems worldwide. We investigated whether the herbivory of the slug Arion vulgaris (formerly Arion lusitanicus; Gastropoda), that is listed among the 100 worst alien species in Europe, is affected by soil organisms commonly present in terrestrial ecosystems (i.e. earthworms-Annelida: Lumbricidae and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi-AMF, Glomerales). We hypothesized that slug herbivory would be affected by soil organisms via altered plant nutrient availability and plant quality. In a greenhouse experiment, we created a simple plant community consisting of a grass, a forb, and a legume species and inoculated these systems with either two earthworm species and/or four AMF taxa. Slugs were introduced after plants were established. Earthworms significantly reduced total slug herbivory in AMF-inoculated plant communities (P = 0.013). Across plant species, earthworms increased leaf total N and secondary metabolites, AMF decreased leaf thickness. Mycorrhizae induced a shift in slug feeding preference from non-legumes to legumes; the grass was generally avoided by slugs. AMF effects on legume herbivory can partly be explained by the AMF-induced increase in total N and decrease in C/N ratio; earthworm effects are less clear as no worm-induced alterations of legume plant chemistry were observed. The presence of earthworms increased average AMF colonization of plant roots by 140 % (P < 0.001). Total shoot mass was significantly increased by AMF (P < 0.001). These data suggest that the feeding behavior of this invasive slug is altered by a belowground control of plant chemical quality and community structure" |
| Keywords: | Aboveground-belowground interactions Gastropods Invasive species Lumbricidae Neobiota Plant-soil interactions Soil ecology Symbiotic fungi; |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINETrouve, Raphael Drapela, Thomas Frank, Thomas Hadacek, Franz Zaller, Johann G eng P 20171/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria Germany 2014/01/01 Biol Fertil Soils. 2014; 50(1):13-23. doi: 10.1007/s00374-013-0827-1. Epub 2013 Jun 18" |
