Summary
The interaction between grazing by Gastrophysa viridula and interspecific plant competition was investigated for Rumex obtusifolius growing in the field. During an eight-month growing season non-competing R. obtusifolius grew larger than competing plants although herbivore loads (beetle productivity per unit leaf area) were similar for competing and non-competing plants. However, grazing significantly reduced the growth of R. obtusifolius only in competing plants thus demonstrating a synergism between plant competition and invertebrate herbivory. The relevance of these findings for the distribution of plant species is discussed.
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Cottam, D.A., Whittaker, J.B. & Malloch, A.J.C. The effects of chrysomelid beetle grazing and plant competition on the growth of Rumex obtusifolius . Oecologia 70, 452–456 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379511
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379511