Herbivory Modifies the Role of Spatial Processes in a Grassland Plant Metacommunity.

ABSTRACT: Trophic interactions can strongly influence metacommunity dynamics and patterns of biodiversity in spatially heterogeneous environments. Theory predicts that herbivory facilitates plant species coexistence at small scales by reducing extinctions and promoting colonisations but reduces diversity at larger scales by promoting dominance of herbivore-resistant species. We examined how mammalian herbivory interacts with habitat size and connectivity to affect plant diversity in a unique, naturally fragmented grassland metacommunity system located in Southern Finland. We found that herbivory increased plant diversity across scales of measurement. In addition, herbivory reversed the diversity-area relationship such that there was a positive diversity-area relationship in grazed grasslands, but a

SUBMITTER: Huovinen L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12628290 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature