Abstract
Plants adapted to different habitats exhibit differences in functional traits and these characteristics are influenced by soil properties. We tested the hypothesis that soil resource availability influences the functional traits of plants, affecting therefore herbivory levels. We examined three Byrsonima plant species with different life forms that occurred across a distinct edaphic habitat along the Doce River Basin, South-eastern Brazil. We characterized habitats according to soil nutrient concentration and measured functional characteristics of crown architecture, leaf nutrients, sclerophylly, leaf area and leaf density. In addition, we evaluated how these variables influenced herbivory levels of congeneric plants. Our data show that species along a gradient of soil nutrients have functional characteristics influenced by habitat, which in turn affect herbivory levels. By comparing congeners with different life forms found along a stress-gradient of continuous habitats, we describe a corresponding gradient of plant functional traits and tissue consumption by herbivorous insects.
Highlights
Plants adapt to habitat characteristics by morphological and physiological adjustments to specific abiotic conditions (Harper 1977; Mark et al 2001; Mello et al 2020)
By comparing species from different life forms but within the same genus along a stress-gradient of continuous habitats, we described a corresponding gradient of plant functional traits and tissue consumption by herbivorous insects
We found strong evidence that the variation of functional characteristics is influenced by soil nutrient content and that, these functional characteristics affect herbivory levels experienced by plants
Summary
Plants adapt to habitat characteristics by morphological and physiological adjustments to specific abiotic conditions (Harper 1977; Mark et al 2001; Mello et al 2020). Edaphic factors can influence plant growth (Dighton and Krumins 2004), morphology (Wand et al 2018) and secondary chemistry (Fine et al 2004, 2006). These morphological, physiological and/or phenological characteristics that affect growth, survival or reproduction are considered functional traits (Violle et al 2007). Plant survival and fitness are influenced by insect herbivory, which can be an important selective pressure (Coley and Barone 1996; Allan and Crawley 2011; Jogesh et al 2016). Nutritious plants are those with high concentrations of macronutrients, such as nitrogen - which is essential for insect survival and reproduction (Raubenheimer and Simpson 2003; Roeder and Behmer 2014) - and are likely to occur more frequently on fertile soils
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