Herbivory in Forested Ecosystems

Abstract

Primarily considers the activities of foliage-consuming and sap-feeding insects, though wood-feeding insects that attack living trees are discussed when their activity affects ecological processes at the community or ecosystem level. The paper integrates biochemical and ecosystem views of herbivory, emphasising the consequences of herbivory at the tree and ecosystem level. Factors influencing herbivory in forested ecosystems include a range of abiotic environmental elements, a number of chemical and physical defences by the plants, nutrients (where deficiency causes high juvenile mortality among phytophagous insects), predation and parasitism, and the actual forest structure.-P.J.Jarvis