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    Community Structure and Interaction Breadth in Beetle-Macrofungus Associations

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    Author
    Epps, Mary Jane
    Issue Date
    2012
    Keywords
    mycophagy
    networks
    specialization
    species interactions
    Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
    community assembly
    generalization
    Advisor
    Arnold, Anne Elizabeth
    
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    Publisher
    The University of Arizona.
    Rights
    Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
    Abstract
    A major goal of ecology is to understand the factors that shape interactions among species. In this study, I explored the little-known associations between beetles and macrofungal fruiting bodies to characterize patterns of beetle-fungus association and to investigate sources of variation in the structure of these trophic interactions. First, I characterized the composition and diversity of beetle-sporocarp associations at two sites in the Appalachian Mountains and foothills, and evaluated the extent to which beetle community structure varied with fungal species, sporocarp age, and sporocarp dry mass. My results showed that beetle abundance and diversity differed among fungal species and were positively associated with sporocarp age and dry mass. I also found evidence of a nested structure in beetle-sporocarp interactions, wherein specialists on both sides of the association interact preferentially with more generalized species. Next, I performed a field study of beetle-sporocarp associations over two summers to evaluate the factors related to interaction breadth in trophic associations. I found evidence that interaction breadth varies with the palatability of the food organism (as indicated by sporocarp toughness and sporocarp age) and showed that beetle interaction breadth was negatively correlated with sporocarp persistence. I found strong intraseasonal variation in interaction breadth, but no evidence that this variation was structured by precipitation or differences in beetle community composition. In my third chapter, I conducted a field experiment to investigate (1) the importance of an individual food organism's physical properties in determining its relative importance in the beetle-sporocarp interaction network and (2) whether the structure of the beetle-sporocarp interaction network cycles predictably with the time of day. My results show that size and density of individual food organisms may be important factors in determining their relative importance in an interaction network, and offer the first evidence of diurnal cycling in the structure of interaction networks.
    Type
    text
    Electronic Dissertation
    Degree Name
    Ph.D.
    Degree Level
    doctoral
    Degree Program
    Graduate College
    Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
    Degree Grantor
    University of Arizona
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