Hungry animals may explain a gap in forest tree diversity
Gianoli E, Santiago-Rosario LY
Plant Signaling
Next time you're hiking through a forest and notice it's mostly deep-shade ferns and sun-loving saplings with little in between, deer and insects nibbling on seedlings might be the reason that middle ground is missing.
Forests tend to have plenty of tree species that love full shade and plenty that need full sun, but surprisingly few that thrive in the in-between, dappled light. This paper suggests a reason: the plant features that let a young tree cope with shade, like softer, thinner leaves, also make it easier prey for deer, insects, and other herbivores. So trees trying to occupy that middle light zone may get eaten before they get the chance to grow up.
Key Findings
Moderately light-demanding juvenile tree species are under-represented in forests relative to shade-tolerant and strongly light-demanding species
The authors propose herbivory as a mechanistic explanation for this light-niche gap
Traits that promote shade adaptation in young trees are hypothesized to simultaneously increase vulnerability to herbivores
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists propose that plant-eating animals may explain why forests have relatively few tree species adapted to medium-light conditions: the traits that help young trees tolerate shade also seem to make them tastier and more vulnerable to herbivores.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Mind the gap: do herbivores shape light niches of trees?
Moderately light-demanding juvenile tree species across light gradients are under-represented in forest ecosystems compared to shade-tolerant and strongly light-demanding species. We propose that h...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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