Landscape-level variability and insect herbivore outbreak captured within modern forests provides a framework for interpreting the fossil record.

ABSTRACT: Temporal patterns of plant-insect interactions are readily observed within fossil datasets but spatial variability is harder to disentangle without comparable modern methods due to limitations in preservation. This is problematic as spatial variability influences community structure and interactions. To address this we replicated paleobotanical methods within three modern forests, creating an analogous dataset that rigorously tested inter- and intra-forest plant-insect variability. Random mixed effects models, non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordinations, and bipartite network- and node-level metrics were used. Total damage frequency and diversity did not differ across forests but differences in functional feeding groups (FFGs) were observed across forests, correlating with plant

SUBMITTER: Azevedo-Schmidt L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10272219 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature