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GASTROPOD HERBIVORY IN RESPONSE TO ELEVATED CO 2 AND N ADDITION IMPACTS PLANT COMMUNITY COMPOSITION
Author(s) -
Cleland Elsa E.,
Peters Halton A.,
Mooney Harold A.,
Field Christopher B.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.1890/05-0529
Subject(s) - herbivore , palatability , seedling , grassland , ecology , nutrient , biology , plant community , ecosystem , agronomy , botany , ecological succession , food science
In this study, the influence of elevated carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and nitrogen (N) deposition on gastropod herbivory was investigated for six annual species in a California annual grassland community. These experimentally simulated global changes increased availability of important resources for plant growth, leading to the hypothesis that species with the most positive growth and foliar nutrient responses would experience the greatest increase in herbivory. Counter to the expectations, shifts in tissue N and growth rates caused by N deposition did not predict shifts in herbivore consumption rates. N deposition increased seedling N concentrations and growth rates but did not increase herbivore consumption overall, or for any individual species. Elevated CO 2 did not influence growth rates nor have a statistically significant influence on seedling N concentrations. Elevated CO 2 at ambient N levels caused a decline in the number of seedlings consumed, but the interaction between CO 2 and N addition differed among species. The results of this study indicate that shifting patterns of herbivory will likely influence species composition as environmental conditions change in the future; however, a simple trade‐off between shifting growth rates and palatability is not evident.

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