2011 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships in gall-forming insects
| Project/Area Number |
21658056
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Forest science
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| Research Institution | Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute |
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Principal Investigator |
OZAKI Kenichi 独立行政法人森林総合研究所, 北海道支所, グループ長 (50343794)
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| Research Collaborator |
SANO Masakazu 北海道大学, 大学院, 専門研究員 (40532453)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2009 – 2011
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| Keywords | 森林生態 / 保護 / 保全 |
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| Research Abstract |
Plant-insect interactions can alter ecosystem processes, especially if the insects modify plant architecture, quality or the quantity of leaf litter inputs. In this study, we investigated the interactions between gall-forming adelgids(Adelgidae) and ezo-spruce(Picea jezoensis) to quantify how the galls affect rates of litter decomposition and nutrient release in an forest ecosystem. Two adelgids species leads to the formation of shoot galls on P. jezoensis. Overall decomposition rate was lower in galled litter relative to ungalled litter. Decomposition rate did not differ between galls induced by two different species. The proportion of N remaining was always higher in galled litter than in ungalled litter indicating differential release of nitrogen in galled litter. Our results illustrate how plant-insect interactions in an tree species can affect ecosystem processes by altering the quality and quantity of litter inputs.
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