Geographic distribution of terpenoid chemotypes in Tanacetum vulgare mediates tansy aphid occurrence and abundance

Rahimova, H.; Neuhaus-Harr, A.; Clancy, M. V.; Guo, Y.; Junker, R. R.; Ojeda-Prieto, L.; Petren, H.; Senft, M.; Zytynska, S. E.; Weisser, W. W.; Heinen, R.; Schnitzler, J.-P.

doi:10.1101/2023.06.19.545570

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.06.19.545570

Geographic distribution of terpenoid chemotypes in Tanacetum vulgare mediates tansy aphid occurrence and abundance

Rahimova, H.·Neuhaus-Harr, A.·Clancy, M. V.·Guo, Y.·Junker, R. R.·Ojeda-Prieto, L.·Petren, H.·Senft, M.·Zytynska, S. E.·Weisser, W. W.·Heinen, R.·Schnitzler, J.-P.

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

AimIntraspecific variations of specialized metabolites in plants, such as terpenoids, are used to determine chemotypes. Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.) exhibits diverse terpenoid profiles, that affect insect communities. However, it is not fully known whether patterns of their chemical composition and associated insects vary on a large scale. Here, we investigated the geographic distribution of mono- and sesquiterpenoid chemotypes in tansy leaves and the effects of these chemotypes on colonization by insect communities across Germany. MethodsWe sampled tansy leaves from 26 sites along a north-south and west-east transect in Germany. Leaves from ten plants with and five plants without aphids was collected from each site. Hexane-extracted metabolites from leaf tissues were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Plant morphological traits, aphid occurrence and abundance, and occurrence of ants were recorded. The effect of plant chemotype, plant morphological parameters, and site parameters such as temperature and precipitation on insect occurrences were analysed. ResultsPlants clustered into four monoterpenoid and four sesquiterpenoid chemotype classes. Monoterpene classes differed in their latitudinal distribution, whereas sesquiterpenes were more evenly distributed across the transect. Aphid and ant occurrence were influenced by monoterpenoids and specific traits. Plants of monoterpenoid class 1 were colonized by Metopeurum fuscoviride and ants significantly more often than expected by chance compared to plants from monoterpenoid class 4. Aphid abundance was negatively affected by host plant height, and increasing average annual temperature positively influenced the occurrence of ants. ConclusionWe found significant geographic differences in the chemodiversity of tansy and show that monoterpenoids affect aphid and ant occurrence, while host plant height can influence aphid abundance. We show that geographic variation in plant chemistry and morphology influences insect communities assemblage on tansy plants.

Explore related subjects

ecology Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Rahimova, H., Neuhaus-Harr, A., Clancy, M. V., Guo, Y., Junker, R. R., Ojeda-Prieto, L., Petren, H., Senft, M., Zytynska, S. E., Weisser, W. W., Heinen, R., Schnitzler, J.-P.. 2023-06-21. Geographic distribution of terpenoid chemotypes in Tanacetum vulgare mediates tansy aphid occurrence and abundance. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.19.545570

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Species-composition distributions under competition, ecological drift and immigration

Understanding how species interactions, ecological drift, and immigration jointly shape community composition is a central goal of community ecology. These processes determine not only average community composition, but also how often different community states occur. Here, we ask how competition reshapes the neutral distribution of community composition generated by drift and immigration. We analyze a stochastic two-species competition model with immigration and derive the stationary distribution of relative species composition near neutrality. The stationary distribution shows when communities are usually balanced and when they are instead dominated by one species. Species dominance can become common even when the corresponding deterministic model predicts stable coexistence, particularly in smaller communities. Balanced and dominance states can also occur together, producing a trimodal distribution. Competitive asymmetry further biases the distribution toward the competitively favored species. Thus, the interplay between competition, ecological drift, and immigration determines not only how much community composition varies, but also which community states are most likely to be observed. Our results provide an analytical bridge between neutral and competition theory and a framework for interpreting variation in community composition.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

Floristic composition, phenology, and conservation value of four peat bogs in Bucovina, with the presence of Betula nana

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the floristic composition and site characteristics of four peat bogs in Bucovina, Romania: Poiana Stampei, Romanesti, Saru Dornei, and Gaina-Lucina. The research was based on phytosociological releves on 25 msq plots and direct field phenological observations, on six field visits from May to August 2026. Vegetation was characterised using the Braun Blanquet method, and floristic similarity between sites was assessed with the Sorensen and Bray Curtis indices. All four plots shared a common core of taxa characteristic of peatland vegetation: Sphagnum spp., Carex rostrata, Drosera rotundifolia, Eriophorum vaginatum, and Vaccinium species. Species richness was 13 taxa at Poiana Stampei, Romanesti, and Saru Dornei, and 12 at Gaina-Lucina. Romanesti and Saru Dornei showed the highest floristic similarity (descriptive values, not statistically tested, given a single releve per site), while Gaina-Lucina differed most markedly, not through species richness, which was similar across sites, but through species identity and through the presence of Betula nana, a glacial relict absent from the other sites. The results provide a descriptive basis for future research on the floristic composition and conservation of these habitats.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

Long-Term Surveillance Reveals Establishment of Aedes albopictus in Eastern Nebraska, USA

Aedes albopictus (Skuse), the Asian tiger mosquito, is a highly competent arboviral vector whose range has expanded substantially across the United States over the past four decades. Despite predictive models placing Nebraska within the species' climatically suitable range, its establishment status in the state has remained poorly characterized. Here, we report results from a nine-year mosquito surveillance program (2017-2025) conducted across 44 Nebraska counties in collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Ae. albopictus was detected in five counties, with sustained, annually increasing populations documented in Richardson, Douglas, and Lancaster counties. Richardson County recorded continuous detections during 2017-2025, with proportional representation rising to 60.50% of collected mosquitoes by 2025. In Douglas and Lancaster counties, temporal advancement of first seasonal detection in 2024 and 2025 provide evidence consistent with successful overwintering rather than annual reintroduction. A cumulative degree-day model predicted adult emergence in mid-May across all county-year combinations, consistently preceding trap deployment by two to seven weeks and revealing a systematic early-season surveillance gap. Generalized linear mixed-effects models indicated that trap-level detection persistence, rather than urban location, was the primary predictor of yearly Ae. albopictus positivity, suggesting that current invasion dynamics are driven by focal source populations. These findings provide strong evidence for the establishment of Ae. albopictus in eastern Nebraska and highlight the need for earlier seasonal surveillance and standardized criteria to define establishment in northward-expanding vector populations.

ecology↗