Data from: Herbivore resistance in congeneric and sympatric Nothofagus species is not related to leaf habit ...

• Main Authors: Piper, Frida I., Gundale, Michael J., Fuenzalida, Tomás, Fajardo, Alex
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2019
• Subjects: Nothofagus betuloides; Polyphenols; Secondary metabolites; Nothofagus antarctica; Carbon-based defences; outbreaks; tannins; Leaf traits; Ormiscodes amphimone; Nothofagus pumilio; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.j146p05; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.j146p05

Premise of the study Two fundamental hypotheses on herbivore resistance and leaf habit are the resource availability hypothesis (RAH) and the carbon-nutrient balance hypothesis (CNBH). The RAH predicts higher constitutive resistance by evergreens and the CNBH predicts higher induced resistance by deciduous species. Although support for these hypotheses is mixed, they have rarely been examined in congeneric species. Methods We compared leaf constitutive and induced resistance (as leaf polyphenols and tannin concentrations, and damage level in non-choice experiments) and leaf traits associated with herbivory of coexisting Nothofagus species using 1) a defoliation experiment, and 2) a natural defoliation caused by an outbreak of a common defoliator of Nothofagus species. Key Results In the defoliation experiment, polyphenol and tannin concentrations were similar between deciduous and evergreen species; regardless of leaf habit, polyphenols increased in response to defoliation. In the natural defoliation survey, ... : leaf C based defences experiment DryadLeaf concentrations of total polyphenols and tannins in juvenile trees of Nothofagus pumilio and N. betuloides subjected to three levels of defoliation during three years.Dryad data on field studyLeaf traits (N, P, NSC, polyphenols, C/N and humidity), field herbivory, and relative consumption rate by Ormiscodes amphimone in non choice experiments of Nothofagus pumilio, N. antarctica and N. betuloides in Patagonia; relative consumption rate by Ormiscodes amphimone in non choice experiments with foliage of N. pumilio and N. antarctica from stands with and without ongoing outbreaks. ...