Enemies mediate distance- and density-dependent mortality of tree seeds and seedlings: a meta-analysis of fungicide, insecticide and exclosure studies.

ABSTRACT: Conspecific negative distance- and density-dependence is often assumed to be one of the most important mechanisms controlling forest community assembly and species diversity globally. Plant pathogens, and insect and mammalian herbivores, are the most common natural enemy types that have been implicated in this phenomenon, but their general effects at different plant life stages are still unclear. Here, we conduct a meta-analysis of studies that involved robust manipulative experiments, using fungicides, insecticides and exclosures, to assess the contributions of different natural enemy types to distance- and density-dependent effects at seed and seedling stages. We found that distance- and density-dependent mortality caused by natural enemies was most likely at the seedling stage and was g

SUBMITTER: Song X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7893257 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature