Contrasting responses of above- and below-ground herbivore communities along elevation.

ABSTRACT: Above- and below-ground herbivory are key ecosystem processes that can be substantially altered by environmental changes. However, direct comparisons of the coupled variations of above- and below-ground herbivore communities along elevation gradients remain sparse. Here, we studied the variation in assemblages of two dominant groups of herbivores, namely, aboveground orthoptera and belowground nematodes, in grasslands along six elevation gradients in the Swiss Alps. By examining variations of community properties of herbivores and their food plants along montane clines, we sought to determine whether the structure and functional properties of these taxonomic groups change with elevation. We found that orthoptera decreased in both species richness and abundance with elevation. In contrast w

SUBMITTER: Pitteloud C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7644536 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature