You have full text access to this OnlineOpen article

Insects as leaf engineers: can leaf-miners alter leaf structure for birch aphids?

  1. S. N. Johnson1,2,*,
  2. P. J. Mayhew1,
  3. A. E. Douglas1,
  4. S. E. Hartley2,†

Article first published online: 23 SEP 2002

DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2002.00654.x

Issue

Functional Ecology

Functional Ecology

Volume 16, Issue 5, pages 575–584, October 2002

Additional Information

How to Cite

Johnson, S. N., Mayhew, P. J., Douglas, A. E. and Hartley, S. E. (2002), Insects as leaf engineers: can leaf-miners alter leaf structure for birch aphids?. Functional Ecology, 16: 575–584. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2002.00654.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Biology, University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK and

  2. 2

    Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Hill of Brathens, Banchory AB31 4DA, UK

  1. †

    Present address: School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 92G, UK.

* †Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: S.N.Johnson@reading.ac.uk

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 23 SEP 2002
  2. Article first published online: 23 SEP 2002
  3. Received 20 December 2001; revised 28 March 2002; accepted 23 April 2002

SEARCH

SEARCH BY CITATION

ARTICLE TOOLS

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (1418K)

Keywords:

  • Aphid;
  • midrib;
  • phenolics;
  • phloem

Summary

  • 1
    This study examined the indirect impacts of leaf-mining insects, Eriocrania spp. Zeller (Lepidoptera: Eriocraniidae) on a phloem-feeding insect, Euceraphis betulae Koch (Homoptera: Drepanosiphinae). While many insect herbivores affect one another through changes to host plant chemical composition, Eriocrania also has the potential to affect E. betulae through structural modification of a shared leaf.
  • 2
    Euceraphis betulae mortality was higher when caged on leaves with Eriocrania leaf-miners. Mortality was not affected by the amount of leaf mined or elevated phenolic compound concentrations in mined leaves, but leaf-miner induced damage to the midrib was strongly correlated with poor aphid survival. In field surveys, E. betulae was significantly less abundant on mined leaves with midrib damage than on mined leaves with just lamina damage, or mine-free leaves.
  • 3
    Experiments simulating leaf-miner damage on B. pendula leaves pinpointed midrib damage as being associated with higher E. betulae mortality, whereas lamina damage had no effect on aphid mortality. Disruption of phloem hydraulics is proposed as the mechanism underpinning the negative impacts on the aphid.
  • 4
    Eriocrania larvae mining leaves with manually damaged midribs weighed more than those in which the midrib was intact. There was also a trend towards higher nitrogen concentrations in leaves in which Eriocrania had damaged the midrib. There could therefore be a selective advantage to leaf-miners that damage the midrib if severance improves leaf nutritional quality, in addition to rendering the leaves unsuitable to potential competitors.
View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (1418K)