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The impact of insect herbivory on biogeochemical cycling in broadleaved forests varies with temperature

Hwang, Bernice C. LU ; Giardina, Christian P. ; Adu-Bredu, Stephen ; Barrios-Garcia, M. Noelia ; Calvo-Alvarado, Julio C. ; Dargie, Greta C. ; Diao, Haoyu ; Duboscq-Carra, Virginia G. ; Hemp, Andreas and Hemp, Claudia , et al. (2024) In Nature Communications 15(1).
Abstract

Herbivorous insects alter biogeochemical cycling within forests, but the magnitude of these impacts, their global variation, and drivers of this variation remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap and help improve biogeochemical models, we established a global network of 74 plots within 40 mature, undisturbed broadleaved forests. We analyzed freshly senesced and green leaves for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and silica concentrations, foliar production and herbivory, and stand-level nutrient fluxes. We show more nutrient release by insect herbivores at non-outbreak levels in tropical forests than temperate and boreal forests, that these fluxes increase strongly with mean annual temperature, and that they exceed atmospheric... (More)

Herbivorous insects alter biogeochemical cycling within forests, but the magnitude of these impacts, their global variation, and drivers of this variation remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap and help improve biogeochemical models, we established a global network of 74 plots within 40 mature, undisturbed broadleaved forests. We analyzed freshly senesced and green leaves for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and silica concentrations, foliar production and herbivory, and stand-level nutrient fluxes. We show more nutrient release by insect herbivores at non-outbreak levels in tropical forests than temperate and boreal forests, that these fluxes increase strongly with mean annual temperature, and that they exceed atmospheric deposition inputs in some localities. Thus, background levels of insect herbivory are sufficiently large to both alter ecosystem element cycling and influence terrestrial carbon cycling. Further, climate can affect interactions between natural populations of plants and herbivores with important consequences for global biogeochemical cycles across broadleaved forests.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Nature Communications
volume
15
issue
1
article number
6011
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:85199090867
  • pmid:39019847
ISSN
2041-1723
DOI
10.1038/s41467-024-50245-9
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ece2c4f0-83fa-41c9-be31-5342f1d6cf01
date added to LUP
2024-08-30 14:29:13
date last changed
2025-07-05 20:07:31
@article{ece2c4f0-83fa-41c9-be31-5342f1d6cf01,
  abstract     = {{<p>Herbivorous insects alter biogeochemical cycling within forests, but the magnitude of these impacts, their global variation, and drivers of this variation remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap and help improve biogeochemical models, we established a global network of 74 plots within 40 mature, undisturbed broadleaved forests. We analyzed freshly senesced and green leaves for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and silica concentrations, foliar production and herbivory, and stand-level nutrient fluxes. We show more nutrient release by insect herbivores at non-outbreak levels in tropical forests than temperate and boreal forests, that these fluxes increase strongly with mean annual temperature, and that they exceed atmospheric deposition inputs in some localities. Thus, background levels of insect herbivory are sufficiently large to both alter ecosystem element cycling and influence terrestrial carbon cycling. Further, climate can affect interactions between natural populations of plants and herbivores with important consequences for global biogeochemical cycles across broadleaved forests.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hwang, Bernice C. and Giardina, Christian P. and Adu-Bredu, Stephen and Barrios-Garcia, M. Noelia and Calvo-Alvarado, Julio C. and Dargie, Greta C. and Diao, Haoyu and Duboscq-Carra, Virginia G. and Hemp, Andreas and Hemp, Claudia and Huasco, Walter Huaraca and Ivanov, Aleksandr V. and Johnson, Nels G. and Kuijper, Dries P.J. and Lewis, Simon L. and Lobos-Catalán, Paulina and Malhi, Yadvinder and Marshall, Andrew R. and Mumladze, Levan and Ngute, Alain Senghor K. and Palma, Ana C. and Petritan, Ion Catalin and Rordriguez-Cabal, Mariano A. and Suspense, Ifo A. and Zagidullina, Asiia and Andersson, Tommi and Galiano-Cabrera, Darcy F. and Jiménez-Castillo, Mylthon and Churski, Marcin and Gage, Shelley A. and Filippova, Nina and Francisco, Kainana S. and Gaglianese-Woody, Morgan and Iankoshvili, Giorgi and Kaswamila, Mgeta Adidas and Lyatuu, Herman and Mampouya Wenina, Y. E. and Materu, Brayan and Mbemba, M. and Moritz, Ruslan and Orong, Karma and Plyusnin, Sergey and Puma Vilca, Beisit L. and Rodríguez-Solís, Maria and Šamonil, Pavel and Stępniak, Kinga M. and Walsh, Seana K. and Xu, Han and Metcalfe, Daniel B.}},
  issn         = {{2041-1723}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Nature Communications}},
  title        = {{The impact of insect herbivory on biogeochemical cycling in broadleaved forests varies with temperature}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50245-9}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41467-024-50245-9}},
  volume       = {{15}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}