Abstract
Plants have evolved a variety of defensive strategies to resist herbivory, but at the interspecific level, the relative effectiveness of these strategies has been poorly evaluated. In this study, we compared the level of herbivory between species that depend on ants as indirect defenders and species that rely primarily on their own direct defenses. Using a dataset of 871 species and 1,405 data points, we found that in general, ant-associated species had levels of herbivory equal to those of species that are unattractive to ants; the pattern was unaffected by plant life form, climate and phylogenetic relationships between species. Interestingly, species that offer both food and nesting spaces for ants suffered significantly lower herbivory compared to species that offer either food or nesting spaces only or no reward for ants. A negative relationship between herbivory and latitude was detected, but the pattern can be changed by ants. These findings suggest that, at the interspecific level, the effectiveness of different defensive strategies may be equal. Considering the effects of herbivory on plant performance and fitness, the equal effectiveness of different defensive strategies may play an important role in the coexistence of various species at the community scale.
Highlights
Plants have evolved a variety of defensive strategies to resist herbivory, but at the interspecific level, the relative effectiveness of these strategies has been poorly evaluated
Using a dataset of 871 species and 1,405 data points, we found that in general, ant-associated species had levels of herbivory equal to those of species that are unattractive to ants; the pattern was unaffected by plant life form, climate and phylogenetic relationships between species
At the interspecific level, species with different defensive strategies have similar levels of herbivory
Summary
Plants have evolved a variety of defensive strategies to resist herbivory, but at the interspecific level, the relative effectiveness of these strategies has been poorly evaluated. A negative relationship between herbivory and latitude was detected, but the pattern can be changed by ants These findings suggest that, at the interspecific level, the effectiveness of different defensive strategies may be equal. Should expect a lower level of herbivory for species associated with ants Another meta-analysis found that there is a trade-off between direct and indirect defenses at both the intra- and interspecific levels[23]. Based on this finding, we should expect a similar level of herbivory between species that associate with ants and those that do not. The reward type of plants to ants is another key factor that mediates the anti-herbivory effect of ants on plants; more investments for ants often yield more benefits for plants[15,16,17]
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