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Abstract Detail



Tropical Biology Section

Barrios Roque, Beyte [1], Salas, Andrea [2], Koptur, Suzanne [3].

Herbivory in fragmented populations of the Pineland golden trumpet (Angadenia berteroi).

Habitat destruction and habitat fragmentation may both reduce plant population size as well as modify ecological interactions between species, such as herbivory. Fragmentation alters the composition,abundance, and distribution of herbivorous insects; these changes may have a great influence on the growth, fruit production, and survival of plants. Plants that grow in fragmented habitat may either sustain similar, lower, or higher rates of herbivory compared to continuous habitat. Pineland golden trumpet (Angadeniaberteroi, Apocynaceae) is a perennial subshrub native to the south Florida pine rocklands. Syntomeida epilais (the oleander moth) is the primary herbivore of A. berteroi, with caterpillars often consuming all the foliage and flowers of stems they encounter. Damage to flowers and leaves of A. berteroi is also caused by orthoptera nymphs and coleoptera .We examined natural population of Angadenia berteroi in four pine rockland forest sites scattered along the Miami Rock Ridge, and in a continuous pine rockland forest in Everglades National Park to investigate the effects of fragmentation on the herbivory of this native species. At each site, the levels of herbivory were assessed as the percentage of the leaf area removed using an index of herbivory. The percentage of leaf area lost and the herbivory rates in small fragments were significantly greater than in continuous forest; whereas in large fragments, herbivory rates were not significantly different from the continuous forest. For pineland golden trumpet fragmentation results in higher levels of herbivory, presenting a greater challenge to successful reproduction.

Broader Impacts:


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1 - 9837 W Okeechobee Rd Apt 303, Hialeah Gardens, FL, 33016, USA
2 - 600 NE 36 St, Apt 1209, Miami, FL, 33137, USA
3 - Florida International University, Department of Biological Sciences, 11200 SW 8th St, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

Keywords:
herbivory
Fragmentation.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 25
Location: Rosedown/Riverside Hilton
Date: Tuesday, July 30th, 2013
Time: 10:30 AM
Number: 25002
Abstract ID:117
Candidate for Awards:None


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