Leaf herbivory in Yuanjiang (Photo: Longxin Lu) (IMAGE)
Caption
The paper quantified leaf herbivory in 61 woody species across five Chinese forests, and disentangled the effects of leaf functional traits, insect richness, and climate on insect feeding. Leaf functional traits were the dominant drivers of herbivory. Leaf silicon concentration served as a key anti-herbivore trait, while high heat tolerance increased plant susceptibility to insects. Herbivory intensified in hot, wet regions with rich insect richness. Evergreen plants experienced heavier leaf damage than deciduous plants. This study advances our understanding of plant-insect interactions across forest ecosystems.
Credit
Longxin Lu, Yangsiding Wang, Muhammad Waseem, Ruifang Jiao, Qiurui Ning, Han Chen, Yi Li, Xiaojuan Liu, Pengcheng He, Huizhong Fan, Qing Ye, and Hui Liu.
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License
CC BY-NC-ND