Agricultural landscape simplification affects wild plant reproduction indirectly through herbivore-mediated changes in floral display.

ABSTRACT: As natural landscapes are modified and converted into simplified agricultural landscapes, the community composition and interactions of organisms persisting in these modified landscapes are altered. While many studies examine the consequences of these changing interactions for crops, few have evaluated the effects on wild plants. Here, we examine how pollinator and herbivore interactions affect reproductive success for wild resident and phytometer plants at sites along a landscape gradient ranging from natural to highly simplified. We tested the direct and indirect effects of landscape composition on plant traits and reproduction mediated by insect interactions. For phytometer plants exposed to herbivores, we found that greater landscape complexity corresponded with elevated herbivore dama

SUBMITTER: Schroeder H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11192729 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature