Mind the gap: do herbivores shape light niches of trees?

Authors

Ernesto Gianoli, Luis Y Santiago-Rosario

Published in

Trends in ecology & evolution. Sep 08, 2026. Epub Sep 08, 2026.

Abstract

Moderately light-demanding juvenile tree species across light gradients are under-represented in forest ecosystems compared to shade-tolerant and strongly light-demanding species. We propose that herbivore-mediated constraints on shade adaptation provide a mechanistic explanation for this pattern because plant traits favoring shade adaptation often increase vulnerability to herbivory.

PMID:
42711217
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Sep 2026.

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