Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36964400›Full record

ArticleOecologia2023

Effects of plant diversity on species-specific herbivory: patterns and mechanisms.

M Bröcher, A Ebeling, L Hertzog, C Roscher, W Weisser, S T Meyer

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Oecologia, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Plant diversity influences plant volatile emission with varying effects at the species and community levels.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

M BröcherInstitute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Jena, Jena, Germany. maximilian.broecher@uni-jena.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2570-092X
A EbelingInstitute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Jena, Jena, Germany.
L HertzogThünen Institute of Biodiversity, Brunswick, Germany.
C RoscherDepartment of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.
W WeisserTerrestrial Ecology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.
S T MeyerTerrestrial Ecology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft FOR 5000
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Invertebrate herbivory can shape plant communities when impacting growth and fitness of some plant species more than other species. Previous studies showed that herbivory varies among plant species and that species-specific herbivory is affected by the diversity of the surrounding plant community. However, mechanisms underlying this variation are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigate how plant traits and plant apparency explain differences in herbivory among plant species and we explore the effect of plant community diversity on these species-specific relationships. We found that species differed in the herbivory they experienced. Forbs were three times more damaged by herbivores than grasses. Variability within grasses was caused by differences in leaf dry matter content (LDMC). Furthermore, higher plant diversity increased herbivory on 15 plant species and decreased herbivory on nine species. Variation within forb and grass species in their response to changing plant diversity was best explained by species' physical resistance (LDMC, forbs) and biomass (grasses). Overall, our results show that herbivory and diversity effects on herbivory differ among species, and that, depending on the plant functional group, either species-specific traits or apparency are driving those differences. Thus, herbivores might selectively consume palatable forbs or abundant grasses with contrasting consequences for plant community composition in grasslands dominated by either forbs or grasses.

Indexed as

HerbivoryInvertebratesAnimalsBiodiversityBiomassEcosystemPlantsPoaceaeBiodiversityEcosystem functionFunctional groupsGrasslandsPlant–insect interaction

Identifiers

PMID36964400
PMCPMC10113292

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.