Towards an integrative mechanistic framework for biodiversity-consumer relationships

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Plant-Animal Interactions
• Plant-Pathogen Interactions

Background:

• Terrestrial plant diversity influences the abundance, diversity, and impacts of herbivores and pathogens.
• Research on plant diversity-herbivore and plant diversity-pathogen relationships has historically been siloed.
• Underlying ecological mechanisms driving these relationships remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a unified framework for understanding plant diversity-consumer relationships.
• To identify common ecological factors influencing interactions with both herbivores and pathogens.
• To highlight research opportunities in the field of plant-consumer interactions.

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of existing hypotheses in plant-consumer interaction research.
• Categorization of hypotheses based on five fundamental ecological factors.
• Matching established hypotheses to the proposed fundamental factors.

Main Results:

• Plant diversity-consumer relationships are influenced by five fundamental factors: focal plant density, total plant biomass, plant neighborhood quality, resource diversity, and structural complexity.
• These five factors provide a unifying framework applicable to both herbivore and pathogen interactions.
• The framework identifies areas for future research by connecting existing knowledge.

Conclusions:

• A unified ecological framework can advance the study of plant diversity-consumer interactions.
• Considering these five factors can bridge the gap between research on herbivores and pathogens.
• This approach offers a path for more integrated and comprehensive ecological research.