Herbivory and leaf traits of Amazonian tree species as affected by irradiance

Herbivory is one of the major biotic stress factors that affect the establishment of plants. However, the main factors that drive herbivory in seedlings of Amazonian tree species are still not well understood. Here we investigated whether contrasting levels of irradiance influence the herbivory according to different herbivory indicators and which leaf traits are most related to interspecific variation in herbivory under contrasting irradiance conditions. We measured the leaf area lost as a result of insect herbivory in five tree species planted in a silvicultural system of secondary forest enrichment according to two indicators, herbivory damage (accumulated since plant germination) and herbivory rate (measured over time), and two irradiance conditions, understory (photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) = 2.6 mol m^-2 day^-1 ) and gap (PPFD = 33.1 mol m^-2 day^-1 ). Furthermore, we related the interspecific variation in herbivory to a set of leaf traits: specific leaf area, leaf water content, sclerophylly, phenolic compound content, tannins, condensed tannins, and nonstructural carbohydrates. Herbivory damage was significantly affected by light availability and species, with the highest percentage of variation observed in the Meliaceae family (Carapa guianensis and Swietenia macrophylla). For the herbivory rate, only the interspecific variation was significant, with Bertholletia excelsa having the lowest rates. Chemical characteristics (phenolic compounds and tannins) were most related to herbivory rates, as well as highly influenced by the light conditions. Nonstructural carbohydrates (starch and sucrose) were also related to the interspecific variation in herbivory. The phenolic compounds and starch affected by light are species dependent. Thus, the selective pressure of herbivores may be driven by species-dependent responses to light conditions.

Keywords: biotic stress; ecophysiology; enrichment planting; phenolic compounds; soluble sugars.