Herbivory as a confounding factor in an experiment measuring competition among plants
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Authors: R. J. Reader
Date: 1992
Journal: Ecology
Volume: 73
Number: 1
Pages: 373-376
Summary of Methods: Reader determined plant mortality caused by herbivory and competition for three plant species (Medicago lupulina, Centaurea nigra, Taraxacum officinale), by excluding herbivores and removing neighboring plants. When plants were exposed to herbivores, survival was greater when neighboring plants were removed, suggesting that competition from neighboring plants may reduce target plant survival. However, when plants were protected from herbivory, the removal of neighboring plants did not affect survival, indicating that competition actually had minimal impacts on the survival of these three species in this growth environment. The authors concluded that herbivory was reduced for some unknown reason when neighboring plants were removed and they caution that the impacts of small mammal and insect grazing should be evaluated in all experiments measuring plant competition to determine if herbivory is a confounding factor at the site.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: medicago lupulina, centaurea nigra, taraxacum officinale, neighbor removal, competition, plant performance, herbivory
Annotation: Two levels of neighbor removal and 3 levels of plant caging were used in this experiment. Neighbors were either left intact (control) or plant parts were removed from a 1-m2 plot. Shoots were clipped and root stocks were removed using a shovel. The 3 levels of caging used were no cage (control), half cage, and a full cage that excluded potential herbivores > 6 mm in size.
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