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Elevated CO 2 reduces leaf damage by insect herbivores in a forest community
Author(s) -
Knepp Rachel G.,
Hamilton Jason G.,
Mohan Jacqueline E.,
Zangerl Arthur R.,
Berenbaum May R.,
DeLucia Evan H.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2005.01399.x
Subject(s) - herbivore , trophic level , biology , ecosystem , hardwood , botany , agronomy , ecology
Summary• By altering foliage quality, exposure to elevated levels of atmospheric CO 2 potentially affects the amount of herbivore damage experienced by plants. • Here, we quantified foliar carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content, C : N ratio, phenolic levels, specific leaf area (SLA) and the amount of leaf tissue damaged by chewing insects for 12 hardwood tree species grown in plots exposed to elevated CO 2 (ambient plus 200 µl l −1 ) using free‐air CO 2 enrichment (FACE) over 3 yr. • The effects of elevated CO 2 varied considerably by year and across species. Elevated CO 2 decreased herbivore damage across 12 species in 1 yr but had no detectable effect in others. Decreased damage may have been related to lower average foliar N concentration and SLA and increased C : N ratio and phenolic content for some species under elevated compared with ambient CO 2 . It remains unclear how these changes in leaf properties affect herbivory. • Damage to the leaves of hardwood trees by herbivorous insects may be reduced in the future as the concentration of CO 2 continues to increase, perhaps altering the trophic structure of forest ecosystems.