Herbivores, Plant Defenses, and Tree Diversity
Year: 2024
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: The interactions between plants and herbivores shape the high species diversity of tropical forests as well as the evolution of both groups. We examine this interaction in the tree genus Inga, which is speciose and locally diverse and abundant. At the local scale, the growth and survival of Inga is reduced if it grows near conspecifics, and this negative-density dependence is not due to competition for resources but rather is due to sharing herbivores. Herbivores typically consume young leaves, with 75% of the lifetime damage occurring during the short window of leaf expansion. Inga have evolved multiple lines of defense, including secondary metabolites, hairs, extrafloral nectaries, rapid leaf expansion, and the timing and synchrony of leaf flushing. These six classes of defense have little or no phylogenetic signal, suggesting strong selection for divergence in defenses among close relatives. There is no congruence between the host and herbivore phylogenies, suggesting a lack of tight coevolution. Instead, related herbivores feed on plants with similar defenses.
DOI: 10.5479/si.26880772
Author: Phyllis D. Coley
Institutions: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, University of Utah
Language: English
Subfield: Insect Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4405506172