Macroevolutionary and global patterns of intraspecific variability in herbivory: Data from the HerbVar Network

WILLIAM WETZEL ; KAREN ABBOTT ; EMILIO BRUNA ; CAROLINA QUINTERO; ET AL.

Denver

Congreso; Entomological Society of America 2021; 2021

Plant-herbivore interactions are characterized by immense variability in time and space. This variation, however, is not spread equally across populations, communities, and ecosystems. Instead, ecological interactions may occur consistently in some regions and populations, while being highly variable in others. Despite the fact that variability in species interactions can be critical for shaping ecological and evolutionary outcomes, we have a limited understanding of the factors that determine the magnitude of variability in herbivory, explaining community and ecosystem processes. Here we report a global assessment of variability in plant–herbivore interactions based on global surveys of 745 populations, 480 plant species, 134 families and 6 continents. We found that variability in herbivory increased with latitude, across biomes, and showed strong phylogenetic signal. Moreover, these relationships were often stronger or different in direction than those for mean herbivory. These results demonstrate that differences in the amount and pattern of leaf damage across species and sites is not random, as is commonly assumed, but instead is linked to broad biogeographic and evolutionary factors. Thus, treating variability as a key feature of natural systems is critical for improving our understanding of patterns and processes in evolution and ecology.