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86 results for “plant–herbivore interactions”
Data from: Museum specimens provide novel insights into changing plant-herbivore interactions
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Phenotypic and genotypic divergence of plant-herbivore interactions along an urbanization gradient
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Climate seasonality drives ant-plant-herbivore interactions via plant phenology in an extrafloral nectary-bearing plant community
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Data from: Herbivores alter plant-wind interactions by acting as a point mass on leaves and by removing leaf tissue
In nature, plants regularly interact with herbivores and with wind. Herbivores can wound and alter the structure of plants, whereas wind can exert aerodynamic forces that cause the plants to flutter or sway. While herbivory has many negative consequences for plants, fluttering in wind can be beneficial for plants by facilitating gas exchange and loss of excess heat. Little is known about how herbivores affect plant motion in wind. We tested how the mass of an herbivore resting on a broad leaf of the tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera, and the damage caused by herbivores, affected the motion of the leaf in wind. For this, we placed mimics of herbivores on the leaves, varying each herbivore's mass or position, and used high-speed video to measure how the herbivore mimics affected leaf movement and reconfiguration at two wind speeds inside a laboratory wind tunnel. In a similar setup, we tested how naturally occurring herbivore damage on the leaves affected leaf movement and reconfiguration. We found that the mass of an herbivore resting on a leaf can change that leaf's orientation relative to the wind and interfere with the ability of the leaf to reconfigure into a smaller, more streamlined shape. A large herbivore load slowed the leaf's fluttering frequency, while naturally occurring damage from herbivores increased the leaf's fluttering frequency. We conclude that herbivores can alter the physical interactions between wind and plants by two methods: (1) acting as a point mass on the plant while it is feeding and (2) removing tissue from the plant. Altering a plant's interaction with wind can have physical and physiological consequences for the plant. Thus, future studies of plants in nature should consider the effect of herbivory on plant–wind interactions, and vice versa.
Data from: Plant-herbivore interactions: silicon concentration in tussock sedges and population dynamics of root voles
1. It has been hypothesized that the induction of silicon (Si)-based plant defence in response to herbivore damage may engender rodent population cycles. Many studies have also considered accumulation of Si as a process controlled by geo-hydrological factors. 2. To test these ideas, we investigated the relationship between concentration of Si in fibrous tussock sedge (Carex appropinquata) and the population density of a major sedge consumer, the root vole (Microtus oeconomus), in field enclosures in natural habitat under a variety of natural water regimes and weather conditions. 3. We found that a high density of voles at the end of summer resulted in the immediate accumulation of Si by rhizomes, followed by accumulation of Si in leaves with a one-year lag time. The level of river flooding in the same year had an additional impact on Si concentration in rhizomes but did not affect silicification of leaves. 4. Overwinter changes in concentration of Si in sedges were influenced by fluctuations in ambient temperature and the depth of snow cover (multiple freeze-thaw cycles), thus affecting the quality of winter food available for voles. 5. Smaller voles had lower mortality during early winter than large voles, which seemed to be connected with changes in the quality of the autumn rather than the winter food base. Winter survival of voles was not associated with Si concentration in their faeces, however. 6. Our results suggest that changes in Si concentration in fibrous tussock sedge can be induced by changes in vole population density and are also additionally affected by the amount of flooding and weather conditions.
Data from: Virus infection influences host plant interactions with non-vector herbivores and predators
1. Viruses are widespread in both natural and agricultural plant communities and can significantly alter diverse traits of their host plants that mediate key interactions with other organisms. Yet, the impacts of plant viruses on broader community dynamics remain little studied. 2. Here we explore the effects of Cucumber mosaic virus, a common non-persistently transmitted plant virus, on short and long-term interactions of herbivorous and predatory insects with squash (Cucurbita pepo) plants in a weedy field setting, as well as virus-induced changes in plant phenotypes that mediate these interactions. Cucumber mosaic virus has previously been shown to have numerous effects on host plants that likely influence interactions with arthropods, including reduced plant size, increased volatile emissions, and diminished plant quality and palatability for aphid vectors. 3. Infection reduced the likelihood of many herbivorous insects arresting and feeding on plants, as well as the apparency of plants to herbivores that base in-flight foraging on visual cues. In particular, infection drastically reduced numbers of a specialist squash herbivore (Anasa tristis) on plants in the field—a pattern likely driven by a reduction of phagostimulatory sugar levels in leaf tissue and concurrent increase in amino acid levels, as nymphal development was not obviously impacted by infection status. Relative to effects on herbivores, virus infection had little impact on the ability of predatory insects to locate aphid prey, although an experiment examining plant visitation in the absence of aphids revealed reduced numbers of foraging Syrphidae (Diptera) and Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) on infected plants but increased visitation and oviposition by Chrysopidae (Neuroptera). 4. CMV infection may reduce overall herbivore pressure on infected plants through effects on palatability and apparency, yet predators appear to locate herbivorous prey that do occur on infected plants as efficiently as those on healthy plants. 5. Virus infection can significantly influence plant interactions with the insect community (including non-vector as well as vector insects) with potential implications both for disease spread and for broader community dynamics.
Data from: Direct and indirect transgenerational effects alter plant-herbivore interactions
Theory suggests that environmental effects with transgenerational consequences, including rapid evolution and maternal effects, may affect the outcome of ecological interactions. However, indirect effects occur when interactions between two species are altered by the presence of a third species, and make the consequences of transgenerational effects difficult to predict. We manipulated the presence of insect herbivores and the competitor Medicago polymorpha in replicated Lotus wrangelianus populations. After one generation, we used seeds from the surviving Lotus to initiate a reciprocal transplant experiment to measure how transgenerational effects altered ecological interactions between Lotus, Medicago, and insect herbivores. Herbivore leaf damage and Lotus fecundity were dependent on both parental and offspring environmental conditions. The presence of insect herbivores or Medicago in the parental environment resulted in transgenerational changes in herbivore resistance, but these effects were non-additive, as a result of indirect effects in the parental environment. Indirect transgenerational effects interacted with more immediate ecological indirect effects on Lotus fecundity. These results suggest that explanations of ecological patterns require an understanding of transgenerational effects and that these effects may be difficult to predict in species-rich, natural communities where indirect effects are prevalent.
Data from: Intraspecific variation in herbivore-induced plant volatiles influences the spatial range of plant-parasitoid interactions
Chemical information influences the behaviour of many animals, thus affecting species interactions. Many animals forage for resources that are heterogeneously distributed in space and time, and have evolved foraging behaviour that utilizes information related to these resources. Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs), emitted by plants upon herbivore attack, provide information on herbivory to various animal species, including parasitoids. Little is known about the spatial scale at which plants attract parasitoids via HIPVs under field conditions and how intraspecific variation in HIPV emission affects this spatial scale. Here, we investigated the spatial scale of parasitoid attraction to two cabbage accessions that differ in relative preference of the parasitoid Cotesia glomerata when plants were damaged by Pieris brassicae caterpillars. Parasitoids were released in a field experiment with plants at distances of up to 60 m from the release site using intervals between plants of 10 or 20 m to assess parasitism rates over time and distance. Additionally, we observed host-location behaviour of parasitoids in detail in a semi-field tent experiment with plant spacing up to 8 m. Plant accession strongly affected successful host location in field set-ups with 10 or 20 m intervals between plants. In the semi-field set-up, plant finding success by parasitoids decreased with increasing plant spacing, differed between plant accessions, and was higher for host-infested plants than for uninfested plants. We demonstrate that parasitoids can be attracted to herbivore-infested plants over large distances (10m or 20m) in the field, and that stronger plant attractiveness via HIPVs increases this distance (up to at least 20m). Our study indicates that variation in plant traits can affect attraction distance, movement patterns of parasitoids, and ultimately spatial patterns of plant-insect interactions. It is therefore important to consider plant-trait variation in HIPVs when studying animal foraging behaviour and multi-trophic interactions in a spatial context.
Data from: Experimental evidence for fundamental, and not realised, niche partitioning in a plant-herbivore community interaction network
Patterns of niche partitioning can result from local ecological interactions (e.g. interspecific competition) occurring within a contemporary time frame (realised niche partitioning). Alternatively they may represent the end-product of historical processes acting over long time frames (fundamental niche partitioning). Niche partitioning is often detected by analysing patterns of resource use within communities, but experiments are rarely conducted to test whether patterns of non-overlapping resource use reflect realised or fundamental niche partitioning. We studied a community of restio leafhoppers from the genus Cephalelus, and their host plants, the Restionaceae (restios). We used network and experimental approaches to determine whether network modularity (a measure of niche partitioning within local communities) reflects fundamental or realised niche partitioning. Using a weighted modularity index for two party networks (e.g. insect - plant) we determined whether the network of this community is modular (i.e. consists of groups of species interacting strongly, with weak interactions between groups). We also aimed to identify specific Cephalelus - restio modules (groups). Using knowledge of module membership to design experiments, we tested whether Cephalelus species from two different modules, C. uncinatus and C. pickeri, prefer and perform better on restios from their own modules versus restios from other modules. These experiments were performed under controlled conditions, eliminating the influences of competition and predation on host choices. The Cephalelus – restio community was modular, implying niche partitioning. Cephalelus also preferred and performed better on restios from their own modules in the absence of local contemporary factors. Most niche partitioning in the investigated Cephalelus community, is not caused by local interactions, and thus host use patterns represent fundamental niches. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding local community structure in the light of processes extrinsic to the local community context.
Data from: Mechanisms of plant–plant interactions: concealment from herbivores is more important than abiotic-stress mediation in an African savannah
Recent work on facilitative plant–plant interactions has emphasized the importance of neighbours' amelioration of abiotic stress, but the facilitative effects of neighbours in reducing plant apparency to herbivores have received less attention. Whereas theory on stress reduction predicts that competition should be more important in less stressful conditions, with facilitation becoming more important in harsh environments, apparency theory suggests that facilitation should be greater in the presence of herbivores, where it is disadvantageous to be conspicuous regardless of abiotic stress level. We tested the relative strength of neighbours' stress reduction versus apparency reduction on survival, growth, reproduction and lifetime fitness of Hibiscus meyeri, a common forb in central Kenya, using neighbour removals conducted inside and outside large-herbivore exclosures replicated in arid and mesic sites. In the absence of herbivores, neighbours competed with H. meyeri in mesic areas and facilitated H. meyeri in arid areas, as predicted by stress-reduction mechanisms. By contrast, neighbours facilitated H. meyeri in the presence of herbivory, regardless of aridity level, consistent with plant apparency. Our results show that the facilitative effects arising from plant apparency are stronger than the effects arising from abiotic stress reduction in this system, suggesting that plant-apparency effects may be particularly important in systems with extant large-herbivore communities.
Data from: Host plant associations and geography interact to shape diversification in a specialist insect herbivore
Disentangling the processes underlying geographic and environmental patterns of biodiversity challenges biologists as such patterns emerge from eco-evolutionary processes confounded by spatial autocorrelation among sample units. The herbivorous insect, Belonocnema treatae (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), exhibits regional specialization on three plant species whose geographic distributions range from sympatry through allopatry across the southern USA. Using range-wide sampling spanning the geographic ranges of the three host plants and genotyping-by-sequencing of 1,217 individuals, we tested whether this insect herbivore exhibited host-plant-associated genomic differentiation while controlling for spatial autocorrelation among the 58 sample sites. Population genomic structure based on 40,699 SNPs was evaluated using the hierarchical Bayesian model ENTROPY to assign individuals to genetic clusters and estimate admixture proportions. To control for spatial autocorrelation, distance-based Moran's eigenvector mapping was used to construct regression variables summarizing spatial structure inherent among sample sites. Distance based redundancy analysis (dbRDA) incorporating the spatial variables was then applied to partition host-plant-associated differentiation (HAD) from spatial autocorrelation. By combining ENTROPY and dbRDA to analyze SNP data we unveiled a complex mosaic of highly structured differentiation within and among gall former populations finding evidence that geography, HAD and spatial autocorrelation all play significant roles in explaining patterns of genomic differentiation in B. treatae. While dbRDA confirmed host association as a significant predictor of patterns of genomic variation, spatial autocorrelation among sites explained the largest proportion of variation. Our results demonstrate the value of combining dbRDA with hierarchical structural analyses to partition spatial/environmental patterns of genomic variation.
Data from: Plant and insect microbial symbionts alter the outcome of plant-herbivore-parasitoid interactions: implications for invaded, agricultural and natural systems
1. Understanding how soil microbial communities influence plant interactions with other organisms, and how this varies with characteristics of the interacting organisms, is important for multiple systems. Solanum spp. are a suitable model for trophic interactions in studies of agricultural and natural systems and can also provide useful corollaries in invaded systems. This study examined the influence of soil mutualist arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on growth of different Solanum types fed on by the potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae, in relation to presence of the aphid facultative endosymbiont Hamiltonella defensa. 2. Four Solanum types comprising two wild species, S. berthaultii and S. polyadenum, and two accessions of S. tuberosum, were grown with or without AM fungi and infested with one of four clonal lines of a single M. euphorbiae genotype (two with and two without H. defensa). Two experiments were conducted to i) characterise plant responses to AM fungi and aphids and ii) assess whether soil AM fungi could influence the success of the parasitoid wasp Aphidus ervi when attacking aphids reared on each Solanum type. 3. In both experiments, similar patterns of plant biomass were observed in relation to AM fungal and aphid treatments. Solanum biomass depended on plant type and aphid infection with H. defensa. Plants exposed to aphids harbouring H. defensa had smaller root biomass, and therefore total plant biomass, compared to plants infested with H. defensa-free aphids. M. euphorbiae performance varied with aphid clonal line, Solanum type and presence of AM fungi. 4. Parasitoid success, measured as the proportion of aphids from which a wasp emerged, was highest from aphids that had fed on plants colonised by AM fungi, although this result also varied with Solanum type and aphid clonal line. 5. Synthesis: The presence of soil AM fungi, combined with within-species plant and insect variation in key traits, can have subtle - but significant - effects on plant fitness and insect success. This study highlights the importance of exploring genotypic variation in plant and pest responses to soil microbiota to identify suitable biocontrol options.
Endemic island plant-herbivore interactions: Kamehameha butterfly (Nymphalidae) and Hawaiian Urticaceae
<p>Insect-plant interactions are less well studied than other types of herbivory on islands, precluding a comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary ecology of these interactions. Declines in native island plants and insects call for urgent attention to characterize these species' interactions for their conservation and to better understand evolution in these unique, insular ecosystems. In Hawai'i, the Kamehameha butterfly (<em>Vanessa tameamea</em>) is one of only two native butterflies, and larvae are specialists on native urticaceous plants. Using a no-choice bioassay, we investigated performance of <em>V. tameamea</em> reared from egg hatching through eclosion on four native urticaceous host plants, <em>Boehmeria grandis</em>, <em>Pipturus albidus</em>, <em>Touchardia latifolia</em>, and <em>Touchardia oahuensis</em>, and one exotic urticaceous species, <em>Cecropia obtusifolia</em>. Performance varied significantly among the plant diets, with <em>V. tameamea</em> performing best on <em>P. albidus</em> and <em>T. oahuensis</em> among the performance metrics of survival, pupal and adult body mass, and development time. Larval responses to the exotic host plant <em>C. obtusifolia </em>varied among populations, with O'ahu caterpillars successfully completing development on it, but Hawai'i Island caterpillars rejecting it completely, suggesting a geographic mosaic for this novel species interaction. Characterization of a suite of nutritive and defensive plant traits revealed significant variability among plant species, but patterns did not align well with <em>V. tameamea </em>performance rankings, making it difficult to identify key drivers of host plant quality. Future work examining additional plant traits under natural conditions would provide new insights, contributing critical ecological information to conserve this charismatic island species.</p>
Intraspecific interaction of host plants leads to concentrated distribution of a specialist herbivore through metabolic alterations in the leaves
<p>1. Recent studies suggest that changes in leaf traits due to interactions between plants affect resource utilisation by and the distribution of herbivores. However, this has not yet been confirmed experimentally. Here, we investigated the effects of phenotypic plasticity in leaf traits of <i>Rumex obtusifolius</i> (host plant) in response to intra- and interspecific interaction on the distribution of two leaf beetles, <i>Gastrophysa atrocyanea</i> (specialist herbivore) and <i>Galerucella grisescens</i> (generalist herbivore).</p> <p>2. We investigated the local population density of <i>R. obtusifolius</i> plants and the presence of leaf beetles on the plants at five study sites. Leaf chemicals (condensed tannins and total phenolics) were compared between aggregated and solitary <i>R. obtusifolius</i> plants. To clarify the effects of the interaction environment of <i>R. obtusifolius</i> plants on their leaf traits and on resource utilisation by the leaf beetles, we compared leaf chemicals and preferences of adult leaf beetles among treatments where <i>R. obtusifolius</i> experienced intraspecific interaction, interspecific interaction, or no interaction in cultivation experiments. Finally, we evaluated the independent and combined effects of patch size and intraspecific interaction on leaf beetle distribution in mesocosm experiments.</p> <p>3. In the field, the presence of the specialist leaf beetle <i>G. atrocyanea</i> was positively correlated with the local population density (rosette overlap ratio) of <i>R. obtusifolius</i> plants; however, there was no correlation in the case of the generalist leaf beetle <i>G. grisescens</i>. In the cultivation experiments, plants in the intraspecific interaction treatment increased their leaf contents of condensed tannins and total phenolics, and <i>G. atrocyanea</i> consumed more of these leaves than leaves in other treatments. Similar results were observed in the field. In the mesocosm experiments, larger numbers of <i>G. atrocyanea</i> were distributed on <i>R. obtusifolius</i> plants exposed to below-ground intraspecific interaction than on plants not exposed to intraspecific interaction.</p> <p>4. Our results provide experimental evidence that leaf-trait changes in response to intraspecific interaction between host plants influence specialist herbivore distribution. This highlights the need to integrate plant–plant interactions into our understanding of plant–animal interactions. </p>
Tri-trophic interactions with avian predators: the effect of host plant species and herbivore-induced plant volatiles on recruiting avian predators
<div> <p><span><span>Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) are important signaling compounds released by plants upon wounding. These compounds have been shown to mediate tri-trophic interactions in recruiting insect predators and parasitoids. Recent work has begun to show that avian species, which were once thought to have a very limited sense of smell, can cue in on these HIPVs to find insect prey. Here, we test the ability for two general HIPVs, methyl jasmonate and methyl salicylate, to recruit avian predators. We test the recruitment efficacies of these HIPVs across 4 different host plant species (black walnut, red maple, cattail, and wheat) and use clay caterpillars to quantify predation by insectivorous birds. We found no significant differences in predation between treatment groups across any of our host plants. However, there was a nearly-significant effect of methyl salicylate in black-walnut trees. Interestingly, our results did show a significant effect of host plant species on predation levels. The two tree species, particularly black walnut, had higher levels of predation than the herbaceous species. We discuss the implications of these results and suggest a number of ideas and suggestions for future studies investigating the role of HIPVs in attracting insectivorous birds.</span></span></p> </div>
Plant herbivore interactions: Combined effect of ground water level, root vole grazing and sedge silicification
<p>1. Accumulation of silica (Si) by plants can driven by (1) herbivore pressure (and therefore, plant-herbivore interactions) (2) geo-hydrological cycles or (3) a combination of (1) and (2), with (1-3) possibly affecting Si concentration with a 1-year delay.</p> <p>2. To identify the relative significance of (1-3) we analysed the concentration of Si in fibrous tussock sedge (<em>Carex appropinquata</em>), the population density of the root vole (Microtus oeconomus) and the ground water level, over 11 years.</p> <p>3. The largest influence of autumn Si concentration in leaves (Sileaf) was the level of the current year's ground water table, which was positive and accounted for 13.3% of its variance. The previous year's vole population density was weakly positively correlated with Sileaf and alone explained 9.5% of its variance.</p> <p>4. The only variable found to have a positive, significant effect on autumn Si concentration in rhizomes (Sirhiz) was the current year spring water level explaining as much as 60.9% of its variance.</p> <p>5. We conclude that the changes in Si concentration in fibrous tussock sedge are predominantly driven by hydrology, with vole population dynamics being secondary.</p> <p>6. Our results provide only partial support for the existence of plant-herbivore interactions, as we did not detect the significant effects of Si tussock concentration on the vole density dynamics. This was mainly due to low level of silification of sedges, which was insufficient to impinge herbivores.</p> <p>7. Future studies on plant-herbivore interactions should therefore aim at disentangling whether anti-herbivore protection is dependent on threshold values of herbivore population dynamics. Furthermore, studies on Si accumulation should focus on the effect of water-mediated Si availability.</p>
Data from: Independent and interactive effects of plant genotype and environment on plant traits and insect herbivore performance: a meta-analysis with Salicaceae
1. Ecological research has increasingly highlighted the importance of intraspecific variation in shaping the structure and function of communities and ecosystems. Indeed, the effects of intraspecific variation can match or exceed those of interspecific variation. Previous reviews of intraspecific variation in plant traits across heterogeneous environments have focused primarily on mean phenotypic effects. We propose that a richer and fuller understanding of the ecological causes and consequences of intraspecific variation would be provided by partitioning trait variance into its subcomponents (genetic, environment, genotype by environment interaction). 2. We used a meta-analysis of 352 sets of genetic, environment, and genotype by environment (GxE) variation estimates from 72 studies of Salicaceae to compare these sources of variation across plant traits (growth, foliar nitrogen, defense compounds), insect herbivore performance metrics (e.g., survival, growth, fecundity), and environmental conditions (e.g., soil nutrients, water, defoliation). 3. Our findings revealed that variation in levels of defense compounds (both condensed tannins and salicinoids) and insect herbivore performance were primarily genetically determined, while variation in plant growth and foliar nitrogen were more environmentally determined. 4. Plasticity in plant growth, foliar nitrogen levels, and insect herbivore performance varied substantially across different sites (year x location), and nutrient, water, and carbon dioxide environments. Plasticity was lowest for chemical defense traits and all traits in contrasting ozone and defoliation environments. 5. Our quantitative review also revealed several gaps in the literature, including a need for surveying more mature plants (>2 years-old), a wider variety of insect herbivore species (e.g., leaf-modifiers, specialist insects), and underrepresented environmental treatments (e.g., competition, defoliation, disease, light, water). This work will help to assess how the patterns within this meta-analysis may or may not be confined within particular parameters (e.g., plant maturity). 6. Findings from this analysis further highlight the importance of and patterns within intraspecific variation in shaping the evolvability and plasticity of traits and in governing plant-insect interactions.
Data from: Experimental assemblage of novel plant-herbivore interactions: ecological host shifts after 40 million years of isolation
Geographic isolation is the first step in insect herbivore diet specialization. Such specialization is postulated to increase insect fitness, but may simultaneously reduce insect ability to colonize novel hosts. During the Paleocene-Eocene, plants from the order Zingiberales became isolated either in the Paleotropics or in the Neotropics. During the Cretaceous, rolled-leaf beetles diversified in the Neotropics concurrently with neotropical Zingiberales. Using a community of Costa Rican rolled-leaf beetles and their Zingiberales host plants as study system, we explored if previous geographic isolation precludes insects to expand their diets to exotic hosts. We recorded interactions between rolled-leaf beetles and native Zingiberales by combining DNA barcodes and field records for 7450 beetles feeding on 3202 host plants. To determine phylogenetic patterns of diet expansions, we set 20 field plots including five exotic Zingiberales, recording beetles feeding on these exotic hosts. In the laboratory, using both native and exotic host plants, we reared a subset of insect species that had expanded their diets to the exotic plants. The original plant-herbivore community comprised 24 beetle species feeding on 35 native hosts, representing 103 plant-herbivore interactions. After exotic host plant introduction, 20% of the beetle species expanded their diets to exotic Zingiberales. Insects only established on exotic hosts that belong to the same plant family as their native hosts. Laboratory experiments show that beetles are able to complete development on these novel hosts. In conclusion, rolled-leaf beetles are pre-adapted to expand their diets to novel host plants even after millions of years of geographic isolation.
Tri-trophic interactions with avian predators: the effect of host plant species and herbivore-induced plant volatiles on recruiting avian predators
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Data from: Plant-herbivore interactions: silicon concentration in tussock sedges and population dynamics of root voles
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