Original title: Impact of water deficit stress on leaf quality, predator and herbivore communities in Ficuses
Authors: XIAO, Xue
Document type: Doctoral theses
Year: 2024
Language: eng
Abstract: This thesis addresses the mechanism by which drought affects tropical plant-insect interactions via leaf traits, focusing on Ficus species. I discovered that both drought intensity and duration indirectly influenced the leaf palatability of Ficus through changes in leaf mechanical traits such as leaf water content and specific leaf area. Furthermore, my research revealed that drought increased leaf herbivory by altering leaf latex outflow, without affecting insect communities. Additionally, I observed that drought enhanced Ficus indirect defense through changes in herbivore-induced plant volatiles. My findings suggest that the impact of drought on Ficus-insect interactions may vary between greenhouse and tropical rainforest environments and may be species-specific. This work underscores the importance and urgency of researching tropical plant-insect interactions under climate change.
Keywords: drought; herbivores; leaf mechanical traits; leaf secondary metabolites; leaf volatile; predators; tropical ecosystem
Citation: XIAO, Xue. Impact of water deficit stress on leaf quality, predator and herbivore communities in Ficuses. České Budějovice, 2024. disertační práce (Ph.D.). JIHOČESKÁ UNIVERZITA V ČESKÝCH BUDĚJOVICÍCH. Přírodovědecká fakulta

Institution: University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (web)
Document availability information: Fulltext is available in the Digital Repository of University of South Bohemia.
Original record: http://www.jcu.cz/vskp/60126

Permalink: http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-622628


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Universities and colleges > Public universities > University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice
Academic theses (ETDs) > Doctoral theses