The idea that plant-animal interactions are more intense in the tropics underpins much thinking about tropical ecology, global patterns in plant traits, and latitudinal gradients in biodiversity. In this project, we are making the first direct and global test of this idea by quantifying the intensity of herbivory and seed predation at 75 study sites around the world. We will investigate likely causes of these latitudinal gradients by quantifying relationships among site characteristics (soil fertility, rainfall, temperature etc); leaf chemical and physical defenses (e.g. toughness, C:N ratio, protein binding capacity); herbivore abundance, and the proportion of leaf area eaten. Finally, we will quantify the relationship between plant diversity and the strength of interactions between plants and animals.  

 

The major collaborators on this project are Lesley Hughes, Phyllis Coley, and Bill Foley, but I have established collaborations with about 40 other researchers from all around the world.

 

See the world herbivory project website for more information.

i) Matching plant traits with environmental conditions to understand invasions in California. With Eric Seabloom and Enrique Jurado.
ii) Combining information on changes in environmental conditions and the traits of native species to predict the traits of successful invaders. With Joanna Buswell.
iii) Naturalisation to invasion: how do naturalised plants become successful invaders? With Michelle Leishman; Brad Murray; David Richardson and John Klironomos

Amy Zanne, Michelle Leishman, Nate Swenson, Laura Warman and I have assembled a database of max height for 21,000 species.

 

We are using this to:
i) Quantify the latitudinal gradient in plant height.
ii) Follow the evolutionary history of plant height (using phylogenetic techniques)
iii) Quantify relationships between plant height and hydraulic efficiency.

i) Quantifying the relationship between seed traits and the evolution of plant breeding systems. With Steven Vamosi and Susan Mazer.
ii) Extending the mid-domain model to include non-spatial factors. With Kate Lyons.

BIG ECOLOGY LAB WEBSITE