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Multitrophic effects of experimental changes in plant diversity on cavity-nesting bees, wasps, and their parasitoids

  • Plant-Animal Interactions - Original Research
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Abstract

Plant diversity changes can impact the abundance, diversity, and functioning of species at higher trophic levels. We used an experimental gradient in grassland plant diversity ranging from 1 to 16 plant species to study multitrophic interactions among plants, cavity-nesting bees and wasps, and their natural enemies, and analysed brood cell density, insect diversity (species richness), and bee and wasp community similarity over two consecutive years. The bee and wasp communities were more similar among the high (16 species) diversity plots than among plots of the lower diversity levels (up to 8 species), and a more similar community of bees and wasps resulted in a more similar community of their parasitoids. Plant diversity, which was closely related to flower diversity, positively and indirectly affected bee diversity and the diversity of their parasitoids via increasing brood cell density of bees. Increasing plant diversity directly led to higher wasp diversity. Parasitism rates of bees and wasps (hosts) were not affected by plant diversity, but increased with the diversity of their respective parasitoids. Decreases in parasitism rates of bees arose from increasing brood cell density of bees (hosts), whereas decreasing parasitism rates of wasps arose from increasing wasp diversity (hosts). In conclusion, decreases in plant diversity propagated through different trophic levels: from plants to insect hosts to their parasitoids, decreasing density and diversity. The positive relationship between plant diversity and the community similarity of higher trophic levels indicates a community-stabilising effect of high plant diversity.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge E.D. Schulze and B. Schmid for helping to establish “The Jena Experiment”. For the provision of plant biomass and plant cover data, we greatly thank A. Weigelt and E. Marquard. Further, we thank all people helping with the management of “The Jena Experiment”, especially A. Weigelt as field coordinator and the gardeners, S. Eismann, S. Hengelhaupt, S. Junghans, U. Köber, K. Kunze, G. Kratzsch, H. Scheffler, and U. Wehmeier. The help during fieldwork by S. Creutzburg, M. Knauer and H. Baldeweg and all the helpers during the weeding campaigns is greatly acknowledged. “The Jena Experiment” is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, FOR 456), with additional support from the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena and the Max Planck Society.

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  1. Wolfgang W. Weisser

    Present address: Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop Sciences, Griesebachstr. 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    Anne Ebeling, Alexandra-Maria Klein & Teja Tscharntke

  2. Institute of Ecology, University of Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, 07743, Jena, Germany

    Anne Ebeling & Wolfgang W. Weisser

  3. Institute of Ecology, University of Lüneburg, Scharnhorststr. 1, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany

    Alexandra-Maria Klein

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Ebeling, A., Klein, AM., Weisser, W.W. et al. Multitrophic effects of experimental changes in plant diversity on cavity-nesting bees, wasps, and their parasitoids. Oecologia 169, 453–465 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-2205-8

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