[en] Interactions between plants and herbivores are central in most ecosystems, but their strength is highly variable. The amount of variability within a system is thought to influence most aspects of plant-herbivore biology, from ecological stability to plant defense evolution. Our understanding of what influences variability, however, is limited by sparse data. We collected standardized surveys of herbivory for 503 plant species at 790 sites across 116° of latitude. With these data, we show that within-population variability in herbivory increases with latitude, decreases with plant size, and is phylogenetically structured. Differences in the magnitude of variability are thus central to how plant-herbivore biology varies across macroscale gradients. We argue that increased focus on interaction variability will advance understanding of patterns of life on Earth.
Disciplines :
Environmental sciences & ecology Entomology & pest control Phytobiology (plant sciences, forestry, mycology...)
Author, co-author :
Herbivory Variability Network*†
Robinson, M L; Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA ; Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
Hahn, P G; Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Inouye, B D; Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
Underwood, N; Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
Whitehead, S R; Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
Abbott, K C; Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
Bruna, E M; Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA ; Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Cacho, N I; Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
Dyer, L A; Biology Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
Abdala-Roberts, L; Departamento de Ecología Tropical, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, México
Allen, W J; Bio-Protection Research Centre, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
Andrade, J F; Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
Angulo, D F; Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Departamento de Recursos Naturales, Mérida, Yucatán, México
Anjos, D; Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
Anstett, D N; Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA ; Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA ; Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Bagchi, R; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
Bagchi, S; Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Barbosa, M; Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Barrett, S; Department of Biodiversity Conservation & Attractions Western Australia, Albany, Western Australia, Australia
Baskett, C A; Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria
Ben-Simchon, E; Department of Natural Resources, Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization - Volcani Institute, Rishon Le Tzion, Israel ; Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
Bloodworth, K J; Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
Bronstein, J L; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
Buckley, Y M; School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Burghardt, K T; Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Bustos-Segura, C; Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
Calixto, E S; Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Carvalho, R L; Institute of Advanced Studies, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Castagneyrol, B; BIOGECO, INRAE, University of Bordeaux, Cestas, France
Chiuffo, M C; Grupo de Ecología de Invasiones, INIBIOMA, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, CONICET, San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
Cinoğlu, D; Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
Cinto Mejía, E; Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Cock, M C; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa, Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina
Cogni, R; Department of Ecology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Cope, O L; Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA ; Department of Biology, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA, USA
Cornelissen, T; Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Cortez, D R; Department of Biology, California State University San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA, USA
Crowder, D W; Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
Dallstream, C; Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Dáttilo, W; Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología AC, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
Davis, J K; Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Dimarco, R D; Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA ; Grupo de Ecología de Poblaciones de Insectos, IFAB, San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
Dole, H E; Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Egbon, I N; Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria
Eisenring, M; Forest Entomology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Ejomah, A; Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria
Elderd, B D; Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Endara, M-J; Grupo de Investigación en Ecología y Evolución en los Trópicos-EETROP, Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
Eubanks, M D; Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
Everingham, S E; Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland ; Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Farah, K N; Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
Farias, R P; Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brasil
Fernandes, A P; Department of Botany, Ganpat Parsekar College of Education Harmal, Pernem, Goa, India
Fernandes, G W; Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil ; Knowledge Center for Biodiversity, Brazil
Ferrante, M; Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Environment, University of the Azores, Ponta Delgada, Portugal ; Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
Finn, A; School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Florjancic, G A; Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
Forister, M L; Biology Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
Fox, Q N; Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
Frago, E; CIRAD, UMR CBGP, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France
França, F M; School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK ; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil
Getman-Pickering, A S; No Affiliation
Getman-Pickering, Z; Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
Gianoli, E; Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile
Gooden, B; CSIRO Black Mountain Laboratories, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Canberra, Australia
Gossner, M M; Forest Entomology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland ; Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Greig, K A; Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
Gripenberg, S; School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
Groenteman, R; Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
Grof-Tisza, P; Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
Haack, N; Independent Institute for Environmental Issues, Halle, Germany
Hahn, L; Molecular Evolution and Systematics of Animals, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Haq, S M; Wildlife Crime Control Division, Wildlife Trust of India, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
Helms, A M; Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
Hennecke, J; Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany ; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany
Hermann, S L; Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
Holeski, L M; Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Adaptive Western Landscapes, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
Holm, S; Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland ; Department of Zoology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
Hutchinson, M C; Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, USA
Jackson, E E; School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
Kagiya, S; Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Kalske, A; Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
Kalwajtys, M; Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Karban, R; Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
Kariyat, R; Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
Keasar, T; Department of Biology and the Environment, University of Haifa - Oranim, Oranim, Tivon, Israel
Kersch-Becker, M F; Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
Kharouba, H M; Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Kim, T N; Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
Kimuyu, D M; Department of Natural Resources, Karatina University, Karatina, Kenya
Kluse, J; Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Koerner, S E; Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
Komatsu, K J; Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA ; Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, USA
Krishnan, S; Center for Sustainable Future, Amrita University and EIACP RP, Amrita Viswa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, India
Laihonen, M; Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
Lamelas-López, L; Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Environment, University of the Azores, Ponta Delgada, Portugal
LaScaleia, M C; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
Lecomte, N; Canada Research Chair in Polar and Boreal Ecology, Department of Biology and Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université de Moncton, Moncton, Canada
Lehn, C R; Biological Sciences Course, Instituto Federal Farroupilha, Panambi, RS, Brazil
Li, X; College of Resources and Environmental sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
Lindroth, R L; Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
LoPresti, E F; Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
Losada, M; Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain
Louthan, A M; Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
Luizzi, V J; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
Lynch, S C; Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
Lynn, J S; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway ; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Lyon, N J; Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Maia, L F; Bio-Protection Research Centre, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand ; School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Maia, R A; Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Mannall, T L; Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Martin, B S; Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA ; Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Massad, T J; Department of Scientific Services, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
McCall, A C; Biology Department, Denison University, Granville, OH, USA
McGurrin, K; Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Merwin, A C; Department of Biology and Geology, Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, OH, USA
Mijango-Ramos, Z; Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
Mills, C H; Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Moles, A T; Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Moore, C M; Department of Biology, Colby College, Waterville, ME, USA
Moreira, X; Misión Biológica de Galicia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
Morrison, C R; Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
Moshobane, M C; South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria National Botanical Garden, Brummeria, Silverton, South Africa ; Centre for Functional Biodiversity, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Muola, A; Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Tromsø, Norway
Nakadai, R; Faculty of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Nakajima, K; Insitute of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan ; Institute of Cave Research, Shimohei-guun, Iwate Prefecture, Japan
Novais, S; Red de Interacciones Multitróficas, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
Ogbebor, C O; Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
Ohsaki, H; Department of Biological Sciences, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan
Pan, V S; Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA ; Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Pardikes, N A; Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
Pareja, M; Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
Parthasarathy, N; Department of Ecology and Evironmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
Pawar, R R; No affiliation
Paynter, Q; Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Auckland, New Zealand
Pearse, I S; U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Penczykowski, R M; Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
Pepi, A A; Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
Pereira, C C; Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Phartyal, S S; School of Ecology & Environment Studies, Nalanda University, Rajgir, India
Piper, F I; Millennium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life and Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile ; Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Ñuñoa, Santiago
Poveda, K; Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Pringle, E G; Biology Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
Puy, J; School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland ; Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Sevilla, Spain
Quijano, T; Departamento de Ecología Tropical, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, México
Quintero, C; INIBIOMA, CONICET - Universidad Nacional del Comahue, San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
Rasmann, S; Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
Rosche, C; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany ; Institute of Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
Rosenheim, L Y; Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
Rosenheim, J A; Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
Runyon, J B; Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Bozeman, MT, USA
Sadeh, A; Department of Natural Resources, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Volcani Institute, Ramat Yishay, Israel
Sakata, Y; Department of Biological Environment, Akita Prefectural University, Shimoshinjyo-Nakano, Akita, Japan
Salcido, D M; Biology Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
Salgado-Luarte, C; Instituto de Investigación Multidisciplinario en Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile
Santos, B A; Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
Sapir, Y; The Botanic Garden, School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Faculty of Life Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Sasal, Y; INIBIOMA, CONICET - Universidad Nacional del Comahue, San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
Sato, Y; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Sawant, M; Department of Ecology, University of Pune, Maharashtra, India
Schroeder, H; Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Schumann, I; Department of Human Genetics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Segoli, M; Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
Segre, H; Department of Natural Resources, Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization - Volcani Institute, Rishon Le Tzion, Israel ; Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel ; Department of Natural Resources, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Volcani Institute, Ramat Yishay, Israel
Shelef, O; Department of Natural Resources, Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization - Volcani Institute, Rishon Le Tzion, Israel
Shinohara, N; Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
Singh, R P; McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Smith, D S; Department of Biology, California State University San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA, USA
Sobral, M; Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain
Stotz, G C; Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
Tack, A J M; Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
Tayal, M; Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
Tooker, J F; Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
Torrico-Bazoberry, D; Laboratorio de Comportamiento Animal y Humano, Centro de Investigación en Complejidad Social, Universidad del Desarrollo, Las Condes, Chile
Tougeron, Kévin ; Université de Mons - UMONS > Faculté des Science > Service Écologie des Interactions et Changements Globaux ; Écologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, UMR 7058 CNRS, Amiens, France
Trowbridge, A M; Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
Utsumi, S; Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Uyi, O; Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria ; Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA, USA
Vaca-Uribe, J L; Programa de ingeniría agroecológica, Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios, Bogotá, Colombia
Valtonen, A; Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
van Dijk, L J A; Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden ; Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
Vandvik, V; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Villellas, J; Department of Life Sciences, University of Alcalá, Madrid, Spain
Waller, L P; Bioprotection Aotearoa, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand
Weber, M G; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Yamawo, A; Department of Biological Sciences, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan ; Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsu, Japan
Yim, S; Biology Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
Zarnetske, P L; Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA ; Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Zehr, L N; Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Zhong, Z; Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education/Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China ; Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Beijing, China
Wetzel, W C; Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA ; Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA ; Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA ; Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA ; W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA ; Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
