Université de Fribourg

Community‐level plant palatability increases with elevation as insect herbivore abundance declines

Descombes, Patrice ; Marchon, Jérémy ; Pradervand, Jean-Nicolas ; Bilat, Julia ; Guisan, Antoine ; Rasmann, Sergio ; Pellissier, Loïc

In: Journal of Ecology, 2017, vol. 105, no. 1, p. 142–151

Plants protect themselves against herbivore attacks through a myriad of physical structures and toxic secondary metabolites. Together with abiotic factors, herbivores are expected to modulate plant defence strategies within plant assemblages. Because the abundance of insect herbivore decreases in colder environments, the palatability of plants in communities at higher elevation should shift...

Université de Fribourg

Differential allocation and deployment of direct and indirect defences by Vicia sepium along elevation gradients

Rasmann, Sergio ; Buri, Aline ; Gallot-Lavallée, Marie ; Joaquim, Jessica ; Purcell, Jessica ; Pellissier, Loïc

In: Journal of Ecology, 2014, p. -

Dissecting drivers of plant defence investment remains central for understanding the assemblage of communities across different habitats. There is increasing evidence that direct defence strategies against herbivores, including secondary metabolites production, differ along ecological gradients in response to variation in biotic and abiotic conditions. In contrast, intraspecific variation in...