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Plant Herbivore Interactions at the Forest Edge

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Progress in Botany

Part of the book series: Progress in Botany ((BOTANY,volume 69))

An ever-increasing proportion of the global forested landscape is in close proximity to edges and edge effects have been shown to represent key forces affecting both organisms and ecological processes. Despite increasing recognition of edge effects on species interactions, a systematic review devoted to plantherbivore interactions along forest edges has not yet been performed. Here we synthesize published research attempting to detect patterns of herbivore densities and herbivory at forest edges, identify the underlying mechanisms generating these patterns, and explore their potential impacts for the forest edge as an ecosystem. Key conclusions are that herbivores, especially generalists, profoundly benefit from forest edges, often due to favourable microenvironmental conditions, an edge-induced increase in food quantity/quality, and (less well documented) disrupted top-down regulation of herbivores. Finally, we present evidence and causal explanations that edge-associated herbivores, via a range of direct and indirect impacts, may alter species interactions, delay successional processes at the edge, and amplify the often human-induced changes on forest biota.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Ecology & Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, 3049, D-67663, Kaiserslautern, Germany

    Rainer Wirth & Sebastian T. Meyer

  2. Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 50670-901 Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil

    Inara R. Leal (Av. Prof. Moraes Rego) & Marcelo Tabarelli

Authors
  1. Rainer Wirth
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  2. Sebastian T. Meyer
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  3. Inara R. Leal
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  4. Marcelo Tabarelli
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. TU Darmstadt, Institut für Botanik FB Biologie (10), Schnittspahnstraße 3–5, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany

    Ulrich Lüttge  & Ulrich Lüttge  & 

  2. Fakultät für Biologie Lehrstuhl für Experimentelle Ökologie und Ökosystembiologie, Universität Bielefeld, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany

    Wolfram Beyschlag  & Wolfram Beyschlag  & 

  3. Botanical Gardens Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 3-7-1 Hakusan, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-0001, Japan

    Jin Murata  & Jin Murata  & 

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Wirth, R., Meyer, S.T., Leal, I.R., Tabarelli, M. (2008). Plant Herbivore Interactions at the Forest Edge. In: Lüttge, U., Beyschlag, W., Murata, J. (eds) Progress in Botany. Progress in Botany, vol 69. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-72954-9_17

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