Do common plant species
experience more herbivory
than rare plant species?
Institution Name: University of Florida
Department: Entomology and Nematology
Principle Investigator: Phil Hahn
Starting on this project in the Fall of 2024
Objective
To determine the relationship between herbivore damage in rare plant species in comparison to common species.
Hypothesis
Common plants will have a
-
higher percentage of
damage
-
lower variability
as they are easier for
herbivores to find
Rare plants will have a
-
smaller percent of damage
-
more variability
as they are sparse and
therefore more difficult for
herbivores to find
So How and Why are You Doing This?
How?
-
field surveys (using HerVar protocol)
-
measuring reproductive structures, damage levels, observed herbivores, and herbivory types on each species
-
using these to calculate the mean along with other metrics of variability (such as variance and skew) to compare if the common and rare plant species metrics differ.
-
Why?
-
understanding variability can greatly aid in understanding plant-herbivore interactions
-
advancing ecological and evolutionary models
-
implications in agricultural practices