Quantifying leaf herbivory: A guide to methodological trade-offs and best practices.

ABSTRACT: Leaf herbivory is a ubiquitous ecological interaction that varies significantly in intensity across species, habitats, and biogeographic regions. Although quantification of leaf damage is crucial for understanding many ecological processes, the accuracy and precision of various damage estimation methods used by researchers, including visual estimation, digital image analysis, and artificial intelligence, have not been evaluated and compared. We use a phylogenetically diverse group of tropical plants to compare the accuracy and precision of damage estimation methods and use the results to provide a guide to herbivory estimation that balances the advantages and disadvantages of each method. We found that visual estimation tended to overestimate herbivory levels compared to digital methods bu

SUBMITTER: Cornelissen T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12867601 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature