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Evidence for a Novel Mutualism in the Tropical Understory Shrub Piper urostachyum 1
Author(s) -
Hodson Amanda Kaye,
Gastreich Karin Rita
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
biotropica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1744-7429
pISSN - 0006-3606
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2006.00103.x
Subject(s) - miridae , biology , mutualism (biology) , herbivore , understory , piperaceae , shrub , hemiptera , ecology , botany , piper , canopy
We tested the impact of a predatory species of the family Miridae (Hemiptera) on its host plant Piper urostachyum (Piperaceae) by comparing folivory in mirid‐excluded plants and controls. We also tested the effect of resident anyphaenid spiders on mirid behavior and levels of folivory. Plants without mirids suffered significantly more folivory than plants with mirids. The impact of spider removal was less clear. Together, these results support the idea that resident mirids serve in anti‐herbivore defense for P. urostachyum plants.