The roots of most land plants are colonised by mycorrhizal fungi that provide mineral nutrients in exchange for carbon. Here, we show that mycorrhizal mycelia can also act as a conduit for signalling between plants, acting as an early warning system for herbivore attack. Insect herbivory causes systemic changes in the production of plant volatiles, particularly methyl salicylate, making bean pl...

Natural and anthropogenic stressors can cause phase shifts from coral-dominated to algal-dominated states. In the Caribbean, over-fishing of large herbivorous fish and disease among the long-spined urchin, Diadema, have facilitated algal growth on degraded reefs. We found that diminutive species of urchin and parrotfish, which escaped die-offs and fishing pressure, can achieve abundances compar...

Abstract. In the present study, we consider a nutrient-autotroph-herbivore ecosystem model where the herbivore species is assumed to have a commercial value. We use a Holling type-II harvest function to model density dependent herbivore harvesting. Stability criteria of the resulting model is investigated both from analytical and numerical viewpoints. The investigation revealed the existence of...

Previous explanations for the evolution of induced resistance of plants to herbivory emphasized arguments based on saving costs when allocations to defense were not needed; these models met with limited empirical support. We offer a novel explanation based on induced resistance providing increased variability in defense. As long as maximal levels of defense are constrained, variability will inc...

Local adaptation is central for creating and maintaining spatial variation in plant-herbivore interactions. Short-lived insect herbivores feeding on long-lived plants are likely to adapt to their local host plants, because of their short generation time, poor dispersal, and geographically varying selection due to variation in plant defences. In a reciprocal feeding trial, we investigated the im...

Despite increasing evidence that herbivore-mediated indirect effects play a major role in plant competition, it is unclear how and when they contribute to invasiveness. The outcomes of are primarily dependent on the environment have complex interactions with direct between plants. We evaluated Solidago altissima (Asteraceae) other co-occurring native Asteraceae species at multiple sites range [...

Plant communities vary tremendously in terms of productivity, species diversity, and genetic diversity within species. This vegetation heterogeneity can impact both the likelihood and strength of interactions between plants and insect herbivores. Because altering plant-herbivore interactions will likely impact the fitness of both partners, these ecological effects also have evolutionary consequ...

This paper provides a conceptual framework for increasing our understanding of the relationships between plant resistance to insect herbivores and insect herbivore influences on ecosystem nutrient cycling and succession. For a given plant species, adequate nutrient/light availability favors establishment and productivity; small insect herbivore populations regulated by plant biochemistry stimul...

Climate change can modify ecological interactions, but whether it can have cascading effects throughout ecological networks of multiple interacting species remains poorly studied. Climate-driven alterations in the intensity of plant-herbivore interactions may have particularly profound effects on the larger community because plants provide habitat for a wide diversity of organisms. Here we show...

Conspecific and heterospecific aboveground and belowground herbivores often occur together in nature and their interactions may determine community structure. Here we show how aboveground adults and belowground larvae of the tallow tree specialist beetle Bikasha collaris and multiple heterospecific aboveground species interact to determine herbivore performance. Conspecific aboveground adults f...