Herbivores munch the most helpful trees in tropical forests
Herbivory is a key factor in controlling nitrogen limitation and carbon sequestration by tropical forests affected by climate change.
Tag: herbivory
The importance of light for grassland plant diversity
Field experiment shows that competition for light is the key mechanism driving loss of plant diversity under eutrophication and lack of grazing.
Hawkmoths prefer for the young to eat with the competition
Food is critical for larvae development, so a good insect should lay her eggs away from other competition for food. That’s why scientists were surprised that female hawkmoths chose plants hosting competitors when laying eggs.
Herbivores can cause dioecious plants to partly swap sex
Rather than inherently being ‘male’ or ‘female’, Mercurialis annua can produce flowers as a plastic response to its environment.
A warming climate will change plants’ responses to herbivores in different ways
Invasive species might not always have the upper hand when temperatures rise.
Historical trends in herbarium specimens could cause misleading observations
Extra care should be taken to avoid misinterpretation of data when looking at centuries-spanning specimens.
Well-timed meals: how the impact of herbivory on plants changes depending on when it takes place
Buckleria paludum, the caterpillar that has a taste for danger
Far from being a victim, the caterpillar of Buckleria paludum feeds on carnivorous plants. But how?
Disentangling domestication and environmental effects on plant-herbivore interactions
How has domestication affected herbivory and anti-herbivore defenses of chaya, a plant crop grown for it’s leaves in the Yucatan pensula?
Climate Change Spells Bad News for Bambi
Optimum vegetation for the roe deer reproductive season is coming earlier in the year, but the birth dates lagging, leaving less forage for deer at a critical time.
Thicker roots: to grow or not to grow? Investigating the dynamics of secondary root growth
Secondary growth of the roots of annual dicots has functional significance with regards to soil resource acquisition and transport, interactions with soil organisms and carbon sequestration.
Feeding (or not feeding) a fungus: plants may not be so good to their fungal partners after all
Interactions between plants and fungal symbionts are not always balanced affairs.
Life in the canopy is different : How genetics impacts variation in herbivory on oak trees
Trees may invest more in protecting their canopy leaves from munching insects than their other leaves
