Stochastic LTRE analysis of the effects of herbivory on the 5 population dynamics of a perennial grassland herb 6 7

Comparing the direct and community-mediated effects of disturbance on plant population dynamics: flooding, herbivory and Mimulus guttatus

1 Competition, trophic interactions and abiotic disturbances play important roles in governing plant population dynamics, yet few studies have addressed their relative contributions or interacting effects. 2 We used Life Table Response Experiment (LTRE) analysis, coupled with stochastic analyses, to examine how a major abiotic disturbance, flooding, influences the fitness and population growth ...

Stochastic LTRE analysis of the effects of herbivory on the

Influence of drought stress on nutritive value of perennial forage legumes

In the next decades, forage legumes are likely to become more important. However, predicted climate change may increase the risk of droughts and thus influence their agricultural performance. Decreases in yield due to water shortage are well documented, while influences on nutritive values are inconsistent. Therefore, we examined the effects of drought on crude protein (CP), neutral deterge...

Impacts of insect herbivory on cactus population dynamics: experimental demography across an environmental gradient

Understanding the role of consumers in plant population dynamics is important, both conceptually and practically. Yet, while the negative effects of herbivory on plant performance have been well documented, we know much less about how individuallevel damage translates to impacts on population growth or whether spatial variation in herbivory affects patterns of plant distribution. We studied the...

Population growth rate of a common understory herb decreases non-linearly across a gradient of deer herbivory

Overabundant white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are a significantmanagement problem in North America that exerts unprecedented herbivory pressure on native understory forest communities. Conserving understory plant populations requires quantifying a sustainable level of deer herbivory. To date, most population projection models consider only deer presence and absence. To estimate popula...