loading page

Beetles, berries, bumble bees and Bittersweet: Do frequency-dependent selection processes contribute to the maintenance of steroidal glycoside diversity in Solanum dulcamara?
  • Redouan Adam Anaia,
  • Nicole van Dam
Redouan Adam Anaia
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Corresponding Author:redouan_adam.anaia@idiv.de

Author Profile
Nicole van Dam
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Author Profile

Abstract

Intraspecific chemodiversity is common among plant species. Frequency-dependent selection (FDS), combined with chemotype-specific costs and benefits may be drivers maintaining chemodiversity. Here, we tested the effect of heritable steroidal glycoside (SG) chemotypes on herbivory, plant performance and pollinator visits. We manipulated plot-level SG chemodiversity using a replacement series of two Solanum dulcamara chemotypes accumulating predominantly saturated (S) or unsaturated (U) SGs, creating homogeneous (4S+4U), heterogeneous (3S+U, 3U+S) and balanced (2U+2S) plots. Herbivory, and reproductive output were interactively affected by SG chemodiversity and chemotype, with the highest fruit counts in 2U+2S plots. U-chemotype plants had longer stems, more and faster ripening berries, received more visits from Bombus lapidarius, but were more damaged by leaf-chewers and produced fewer seeds with higher germination rates. Our results indicate that the level of plot chemodiversity differentially affects reproductive output of the two chemotypes, suggesting that FDS may contribute to the maintenance of heritable chemical polymorphisms.
16 Dec 2024Submitted to Ecology Letters
19 Dec 2024Submission Checks Completed
19 Dec 2024Assigned to Editor
19 Dec 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
08 Jan 2025Reviewer(s) Assigned