Herbivory, intraspecific trait variability and back to herbivory

This research paper examines the effects of long-term ungulate herbivory on leaf trait syndromes, leaf size, and spine size in grass and woody legume species, distinguishing between plastic and hereditary responses.

• Long-term ungulate herbivory (at least 40 years) led to divergent responses based on plant life form: grasses shifted toward more acquisitive leaf trait syndromes primarily through plasticity, while woody legume species shifted toward more conservative leaves, smaller leaves, and longer spines, with these changes being mostly hereditary.
• The study suggests that vertebrate herbivory can drive evolutionary processes on contemporary time scales for long-lived perennial plants, and that the direction of this change may be influenced by whether the species employs a strategy of tolerance or resistance.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Herbivory, intraspecific trait variability and back to herbivory. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/herbivory-intraspecific-trait-variability-and-back-to-herbivory/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Herbivory, intraspecific trait variability and back to herbivory. 2025. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/herbivory-intraspecific-trait-variability-and-back-to-herbivory/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Herbivory, intraspecific trait variability and back to herbivory |date=5 January 2025 |url=https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/herbivory-intraspecific-trait-variability-and-back-to-herbivory/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025herbivory, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Herbivory, intraspecific trait variability and back to herbivory}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/herbivory-intraspecific-trait-variability-and-back-to-herbivory/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }