Aboveground insect herbivory increases plant competitive asymmetry, while belowground herbivory mitigates the effect.

ABSTRACT: Insect herbivores can shift the composition of a plant community, but the mechanism underlying such shifts remains largely unexplored. A possibility is that insects alter the competitive symmetry between plant species. The effect of herbivory on competition likely depends on whether the plants are subjected to aboveground or belowground herbivory or both, and also depends on soil nitrogen levels. It is unclear how these biotic and abiotic factors interactively affect competition. In a greenhouse experiment, we measured competition between two coexisting grass species that respond differently to nitrogen deposition: Dactylis glomerata L., which is competitively favoured by nitrogen addition, and Festuca rubra L., which is competitively favoured on nitrogen-poor soils. We predicted: (1) that

SUBMITTER: Borgstrom P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4824911 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature