Altitude, habitat type and herbivore damage interact in their effects on plant population dynamics.

ABSTRACT: Insects represent one of the most abundant groups of herbivores, and many of them have significant impacts on the dynamics of plant populations. As insects are very sensitive to changes in climatic conditions, we hypothesize that their effects on plant population dynamics will depend on climatic conditions. Knowledge of the variation in herbivore effects on plant population dynamics is, however, still rather sparse. We studied population dynamics and herbivore damage at the individual plant level of Salvia nubicola along a wide altitudinal gradient representing a range of climatic conditions. Using integral projection models, we estimated the effect of changes in herbivore pressure on plant populations in different climates and habitat types. Since we recorded large differences in the exte

SUBMITTER: Dostalek T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6296709 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature