Influence of global atmospheric change on the feeding behavior and growth performance of a mammalian herbivore, Microtus ochrogaster.

Global atmospheric change is influencing the quality of plants as a resource for herbivores. We investigated the impacts of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone (O3) on the phytochemistry of two forbs, Solidago canadensis and Taraxacum officinale, and the subsequent feeding behavior and growth pe...

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Main Authors: Christopher W Habeck, Richard L Lindroth
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2013-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3747069?pdf=render
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spelling doaj-4c8f52ab9c7c45b2ad2c58281c52708a2020-11-25T01:18:39ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032013-01-0188e7271710.1371/journal.pone.0072717Influence of global atmospheric change on the feeding behavior and growth performance of a mammalian herbivore, Microtus ochrogaster.Christopher W HabeckRichard L LindrothGlobal atmospheric change is influencing the quality of plants as a resource for herbivores. We investigated the impacts of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone (O3) on the phytochemistry of two forbs, Solidago canadensis and Taraxacum officinale, and the subsequent feeding behavior and growth performance of weanling prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) feeding on those plants. Plants for the chemical analyses and feeding trials were harvested from the understory of control (ambient air), elevated CO2 (560 µl CO2 l(-1)), and elevated O3 (ambient × 1.5) rings at the Aspen FACE (Free Air CO2 Enrichment) site near Rhinelander, Wisconsin. We assigned individual voles to receive plants from only one FACE ring and recorded plant consumption and weanling body mass for seven days. Elevated CO2 and O3 altered the foliar chemistry of both forbs, but only female weanling voles on the O3 diet showed negative responses to these changes. Elevated CO2 increased the fiber fractions of both plant species, whereas O3 fumigation elicited strong responses among many phytochemical components, most notably increasing the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio by 40% and decreasing N by 26%. Consumption did not differ between plant species or among fumigation treatments. Male voles were unaffected by the fumigation treatments, whereas female voles grew 36% less than controls when fed O3-grown plants. These results demonstrate that global atmospheric change has the potential to affect the performance of a mammalian herbivore through changes in plant chemistry.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3747069?pdf=render
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Christopher W Habeck
Richard L Lindroth
spellingShingle Christopher W Habeck
Richard L Lindroth
Influence of global atmospheric change on the feeding behavior and growth performance of a mammalian herbivore, Microtus ochrogaster.
PLoS ONE
author_facet Christopher W Habeck
Richard L Lindroth
author_sort Christopher W Habeck
title Influence of global atmospheric change on the feeding behavior and growth performance of a mammalian herbivore, Microtus ochrogaster.
title_short Influence of global atmospheric change on the feeding behavior and growth performance of a mammalian herbivore, Microtus ochrogaster.
title_full Influence of global atmospheric change on the feeding behavior and growth performance of a mammalian herbivore, Microtus ochrogaster.
title_fullStr Influence of global atmospheric change on the feeding behavior and growth performance of a mammalian herbivore, Microtus ochrogaster.
title_full_unstemmed Influence of global atmospheric change on the feeding behavior and growth performance of a mammalian herbivore, Microtus ochrogaster.
title_sort influence of global atmospheric change on the feeding behavior and growth performance of a mammalian herbivore, microtus ochrogaster.
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
series PLoS ONE
issn 1932-6203
publishDate 2013-01-01
description Global atmospheric change is influencing the quality of plants as a resource for herbivores. We investigated the impacts of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone (O3) on the phytochemistry of two forbs, Solidago canadensis and Taraxacum officinale, and the subsequent feeding behavior and growth performance of weanling prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) feeding on those plants. Plants for the chemical analyses and feeding trials were harvested from the understory of control (ambient air), elevated CO2 (560 µl CO2 l(-1)), and elevated O3 (ambient × 1.5) rings at the Aspen FACE (Free Air CO2 Enrichment) site near Rhinelander, Wisconsin. We assigned individual voles to receive plants from only one FACE ring and recorded plant consumption and weanling body mass for seven days. Elevated CO2 and O3 altered the foliar chemistry of both forbs, but only female weanling voles on the O3 diet showed negative responses to these changes. Elevated CO2 increased the fiber fractions of both plant species, whereas O3 fumigation elicited strong responses among many phytochemical components, most notably increasing the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio by 40% and decreasing N by 26%. Consumption did not differ between plant species or among fumigation treatments. Male voles were unaffected by the fumigation treatments, whereas female voles grew 36% less than controls when fed O3-grown plants. These results demonstrate that global atmospheric change has the potential to affect the performance of a mammalian herbivore through changes in plant chemistry.
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3747069?pdf=render
work_keys_str_mv AT christopherwhabeck influenceofglobalatmosphericchangeonthefeedingbehaviorandgrowthperformanceofamammalianherbivoremicrotusochrogaster
AT richardllindroth influenceofglobalatmosphericchangeonthefeedingbehaviorandgrowthperformanceofamammalianherbivoremicrotusochrogaster
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