Premise Leaf economic spectrum (LES) theory has historically been employed to inform vegetation models of ecosystem processes, but largely neglects intraspecific variation and biotic interactions. We attempt integrate across environment–plant trait–herbivore interactions within a species at range-wide scale. Methods measured traits in 53 populations spanning the range common milkweed (Asclepias...

The decline of monarch butterflies in both the eastern and western United States has garnered widespread public interest. Planting milkweeds, their larval host plants, been promoted as one action individuals can take, but little is known with respect to potential pesticide contamination store-bought milkweeds. In this study, we collected leaf samples from 235 milkweed plants purchased at 33 ret...

Since the GreenRevolution, the increasingproductivity of agriculture has largely been driven by intensification, i.e. the use of monocultures of selected crop varieties coupled with increased applications of fertilizers and pesticides to increase crop yield. An unfortunate side effect of intensification is that agricultural landscapes around the globe have become increasingly simplified [1]. Wh...