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  • Article
    Belbin FE, Dodd AN.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):661-663.
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  • Article
    Delgado-Baquerizo M, Maestre FT, Eldridge DJ, Bowker MA, Jeffries TC, Singh BK.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):824-835.
    Recent research indicates that increased aridity linked to climate change will reduce the diversity of soil microbial communities and shift their community composition in drylands, Earth's largest biome. However, we lack both a theoretical framework and solid empirical evidence of how important biotic components from drylands, such as biocrust-forming mosses, will regulate the responses of microbial communities to expected increases in aridity with climate change. Here we report results from a cross-continental (North America, Europe and Australia) survey of 39 locations from arid to humid ecosystems, where we evaluated how biocrust-forming mosses regulate the relationship between aridity and the community composition and diversity of soil bacteria and fungi in dryland ecosystems. Increasing aridity was negatively related to the richness of fungi, and either positively or negatively related to the relative abundance of selected microbial phyla, when biocrust-forming mosses were absent. Conversely, we found an overall lack of relationship between aridity and the relative abundance and richness of microbial communities under biocrust-forming mosses. Our results suggest that biocrust-forming mosses mitigate the impact of aridity on the community composition of globally distributed microbial taxa, and the diversity of fungi. They emphasize the importance of maintaining biocrusts as a sanctuary for soil microbes in drylands.
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  • Article
    Adams S, Grundy J, Veflingstad SR, Dyer NP, Hannah MA, Ott S, Carré IA.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):893-907.
    The LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY) transcription factor functions as part of the oscillatory mechanism of the Arabidopsis circadian clock. This paper reports the genome-wide analysis of its binding targets and reveals a role in the control of abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis and downstream responses. LHY directly repressed expression of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase enzymes, which catalyse the rate-limiting step of ABA biosynthesis. This suggested a mechanism for the circadian control of ABA accumulation in wild-type plants. Consistent with this hypothesis, ABA accumulated rhythmically in wild-type plants, peaking in the evening. LHY-overexpressing plants had reduced levels of ABA under drought stress, whereas loss-of-function mutants exhibited an altered rhythm of ABA accumulation. LHY also bound the promoter of multiple components of ABA signalling pathways, suggesting that it may also act to regulate responses downstream of the hormone. LHY promoted expression of ABA-responsive genes responsible for increased tolerance to drought and osmotic stress but alleviated the inhibitory effect of ABA on seed germination and plant growth. This study reveals a complex interaction between the circadian clock and ABA pathways, which is likely to make an important contribution to plant performance under drought and osmotic stress conditions.
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  • Article
    Tamim S, Cai Z, Mathioni SM, Zhai J, Teng C, Zhang Q, Meyers BC.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):865-877.
    Post-transcriptional gene silencing in plants results from independent activities of diverse small RNA types. In anthers of grasses, hundreds of loci yield noncoding RNAs that are processed into 21- and 24-nucleotide (nt) phased small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs); these are triggered by miR2118 and miR2275. We characterized these 'reproductive phasiRNAs' from rice (Oryza sativa) panicles and anthers across seven developmental stages. Our computational analysis identified characteristics of the 21-nt reproductive phasiRNAs that impact their biogenesis, stability, and potential functions. We demonstrate that 21-nt reproductive phasiRNAs can function in cis to target their own precursors. We observed evidence of this cis regulatory activity in both rice and maize (Zea mays). We validated this activity with evidence of cleavage and a resulting shift in the pattern of phasiRNA production. We characterize biases in phasiRNA biogenesis, demonstrating that the Pol II-derived 'top' strand phasiRNAs are consistently higher in abundance than the bottom strand. The first phasiRNA from each precursor overlaps the miR2118 target site, and this impacts phasiRNA accumulation or stability, evident in the weak accumulation of this phasiRNA position. Additional influences on this first phasiRNA duplex include the sequence composition and length, and we show that these factors impact Argonaute loading.
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  • Article
    Wang Y, Liang W, Tang T.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):922-935.
    The evolutionary dynamics of the conflict between transposable elements (TEs) and their host genome remain elusive. This conflict will be intense in stress-adapted plants as stress can often reactivate TEs. Mangroves reduce TE load convergently in their adaptation to intertidal environments and thus provide a unique opportunity to address the host-TE conflict and its interaction with stress adaptation. Using the mangrove Rhizophora apiculata as a model, we investigated methylation and short interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting patterns in relation to the abundance and age of long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons. We also examined the distance of LTR retrotransposons to genes, the impact on neighboring gene expression and population frequencies. We found differential accumulation amongst classes of LTR retrotransposons despite high overall methylation levels. This can be attributed to 24-nucleotide siRNA-mediated CHH methylation preferentially targeting Gypsy elements, particularly in their LTR regions. Old Gypsy elements possess unusually abundant siRNAs which show cross-mapping to young copies. Gypsy elements appear to be closer to genes and under stronger purifying selection than other classes. Our results suggest a continuous host-TE battle masked by the TE load reduction in R. apiculata. This conflict may enable mangroves, such as R. apiculata, to maintain genetic diversity and thus evolutionary potential during stress adaptation.
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  • Article
    Junker RR, Kuppler J, Amo L, Blande JD, Borges RM, van Dam NM, Dicke M, Dötterl S, Ehlers BK, ... Show More Etl F, Gershenzon J, Glinwood R, Gols R, Groot AT, Heil M, Hoffmeister M, Holopainen JK, Jarau S, John L, Kessler A, Knudsen JT, Kost C, Larue-Kontic AC, Leonhardt SD, Lucas-Barbosa D, Majetic CJ, Menzel F, Parachnowitsch AL, Pasquet RS, Poelman EH, Raguso RA, Ruther J, Schiestl FP, Schmitt T, Tholl D, Unsicker SB, Verhulst N, Visser ME, Weldegergis BT, Köllner TG.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):739-749.
    Chemical communication is ubiquitous. The identification of conserved structural elements in visual and acoustic communication is well established, but comparable information on chemical communication displays (CCDs) is lacking. We assessed the phenotypic integration of CCDs in a meta-analysis to characterize patterns of covariation in CCDs and identified functional or biosynthetically constrained modules. Poorly integrated plant CCDs (i.e. low covariation between scent compounds) support the notion that plants often utilize one or few key compounds to repel antagonists or to attract pollinators and enemies of herbivores. Animal CCDs (mostly insect pheromones) were usually more integrated than those of plants (i.e. stronger covariation), suggesting that animals communicate via fixed proportions among compounds. Both plant and animal CCDs were composed of modules, which are groups of strongly covarying compounds. Biosynthetic similarity of compounds revealed biosynthetic constraints in the covariation patterns of plant CCDs. We provide a novel perspective on chemical communication and a basis for future investigations on structural properties of CCDs. This will facilitate identifying modules and biosynthetic constraints that may affect the outcome of selection and thus provide a predictive framework for evolutionary trajectories of CCDs in plants and animals.
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  • Article
    Glenny WR, Runyon JB, Burkle LA.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):785-798.
    Climate change can alter species interactions essential for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function, such as pollination. Understanding the interactive effects of multiple abiotic conditions on floral traits and pollinator visitation are important to anticipate the implications of climate change on pollinator services. Floral visual and olfactory traits were measured from individuals of four forb species subjected to drought or normal water availability, and elevated or ambient concentrations of CO2 in a factorial design. Pollinator visitation rates and community composition were observed in single-species and multi-species forb assemblages. Drought decreased floral visual traits and pollinator visitation rates but increased volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, whereas elevated CO2 positively affected floral visual traits, VOC emissions and pollinator visitation rates. There was little evidence of interactive effects of drought and CO2 on floral traits and pollinator visitation. Interestingly, the effects of climate treatments on pollinator visitation depended on whether plants were in single- or multi-species assemblages. Components of climate change altered floral traits and pollinator visitation, but effects were modulated by plant community context. Investigating the response of floral traits, including VOCs, and context-dependency of pollinator attraction provides additional insights and may aid in understanding the overall effects of climate change on plant-pollinator interactions.
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  • Article
    Brendel VP.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):659-660.
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  • Article
    Ameye M, Allmann S, Verwaeren J, Smagghe G, Haesaert G, Schuurink RC, Audenaert K.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):666-683.
    666 I. Introduction 667 II. Biosynthesis 667 III. Meta-analysis 669 IV. The type of stress influences the total amount of GLVs released 669 V. Herbivores can modulate the wound-induced release of GLVs 669 VI. Fungal infection greatly induces GLV production 672 VII. Monocots and eudicots respond differentially to different types of stress 673 VIII. The type of stress does not influence the proportion of GLVs per chemical class 673 IX. The type of stress does influence the isomeric ratio within each chemical class 674 X. GLVs: from signal perception to signal transduction 676 XI. GLVs influence the C/N metabolism 677 XII. Interaction with plant hormones 678 XIII. General conclusions and unanswered questions 678 Acknowledgements 679 References 679 SUMMARY: Plants respond to stress by releasing biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). Green leaf volatiles (GLVs), which are abundantly produced across the plant kingdom, comprise an important group within the BVOCs. They can repel or attract herbivores and their natural enemies; and they can induce plant defences or prime plants for enhanced defence against herbivores and pathogens and can have direct toxic effects on bacteria and fungi. Unlike other volatiles, GLVs are released almost instantly upon mechanical damage and (a)biotic stress and could thus function as an immediate and informative signal for many organisms in the plant's environment. We used a meta-analysis approach in which data from the literature on GLV production during biotic stress responses were compiled and interpreted. We identified that different types of attackers and feeding styles add a degree of complexity to the amount of emitted GLVs, compared with wounding alone. This meta-analysis illustrates that there is less variation in the GLV profile than we presumed, that pathogens induce more GLVs than insects and wounding, and that there are clear differences in GLV emission between monocots and dicots. Besides the meta-analysis, this review provides an update on recent insights into the perception and signalling of GLVs in plants.
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  • Article
    Danner H, Desurmont GA, Cristescu SM, van Dam NM.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):726-738.
    Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) serve as specific cues to higher trophic levels. Novel, exotic herbivores entering native foodwebs may disrupt the infochemical network as a result of changes in HIPV profiles. Here, we analysed HIPV blends of native Brassica rapa plants infested with one of 10 herbivore species with different coexistence histories, diet breadths and feeding modes. Partial least squares (PLS) models were fitted to assess whether HIPV blends emitted by Dutch B. rapa differ between native and exotic herbivores, between specialists and generalists, and between piercing-sucking and chewing herbivores. These models were used to predict the status of two additional herbivores. We found that HIPV blends predicted the evolutionary history, diet breadth and feeding mode of the herbivore with an accuracy of 80% or higher. Based on the HIPVs, the PLS models reliably predicted that Trichoplusia ni and Spodoptera exigua are perceived as exotic, leaf-chewing generalists by Dutch B. rapa plants. These results indicate that there are consistent and predictable differences in HIPV blends depending on global herbivore characteristics, including coexistence history. Consequently, native organisms may be able to rapidly adapt to potentially disruptive effects of exotic herbivores on the infochemical network.
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  • Article
    Moreira X, Nell CS, Katsanis A, Rasmann S, Mooney KA.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):703-713.
    It is well known that plant damage by leaf-chewing herbivores can induce resistance in neighbouring plants. It is unknown whether such communication occurs in response to sap-feeding herbivores, whether communication is specific to herbivore identity, and the chemical basis of communication, including specificity. We carried out glasshouse experiments using the California-native shrub Baccharis salicifolia and two ecologically distinct aphid species (one a dietary generalist and the other a specialist) to test for specificity of plant-plant communication and to document the underlying volatile organic compounds (VOCs). We show specificity of plant-plant communication to herbivore identity, as each aphid-damaged plant only induced resistance in neighbours against the same aphid species. The amount and composition of induced VOCs were markedly different between plants attacked by the two aphid species, providing a putative chemical mechanism for this specificity. Furthermore, a synthetic blend of the five major aphid-induced VOCs (ethanone, limonene, methyl salicylate, myrcene, ocimene) triggered resistance in receiving plants of comparable magnitude to aphid damage of neighbours, and the effects of the blend exceeded those of individual compounds. This study significantly advances our understanding of plant-plant communication by demonstrating the importance of sap-feeding herbivores and herbivore identity, as well as the chemical basis for such effects.
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  • Article
    Chen G, Wang ZW, Wen P, Wei W, Chen Y, Ai H, Sun WB.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):714-725.
    Vespicochory, seed dispersal by hornets, is an uncommon seed dispersal pattern in angiosperms. To date, this phenomenon has been recorded in only four families. Because of its rarity, the causes and consequences of vespicochory remain unclear. Hence, this seed dispersal syndrome is often regarded as anecdotal. Through field investigations, chemical analyses, electrophysiological tests, identification of chemosensory proteins from the antennae of hornets, and behavioral assays, we investigated whether olfactory and/or visual cues of the diaspores of Stemona tuberosa mediate the behavior of the social hornets and maintain their mutualism. This study demonstrated that the elaiosome of S. tuberosa emits hydrocarbons, which are attractive to hornets. However, these compounds, which induce responses in the antennae of naive hornets, are ubiquitous substances on insect cuticle surfaces. Innate preference and experienced foraging behavior of hornets can increase their seed dispersal efficiency. This is the first example in which hydrocarbons have been identified as a diaspore odour involved in the attraction of hornets. Given that the ubiquity of hornets, and the communication function of hydrocarbons in insects, we predict that this rare seed dispersal mechanism may be an overlooked mechanism of insect-plant mutualism.
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  • Article
    Kessler A.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):655-658.
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  • Article
    Eberl F, Hammerbacher A, Gershenzon J, Unsicker SB.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):760-772.
    Plants release complex volatile blends after separate attack by herbivores and pathogens, which play many roles in interactions with other organisms. Large perennials are often attacked by multiple enemies, but the effect of combined attacks on volatile emission is rarely studied, particularly in trees. We infested Populus nigra trees with a pathogen, the rust fungus Melampsora larici-populina, and Lymantria dispar caterpillars alone and in combination. We investigated poplar volatile emission and its regulation, as well as the behavior of the caterpillars towards volatiles from rust-infected and uninfected trees. Both the rust fungus and the caterpillars alone induced volatile emission from poplar trees. However, the herbivore-induced volatile emission was significantly reduced when trees were under combined attack by the herbivore and the fungus. Herbivory induced terpene synthase transcripts as well as jasmonate concentrations, but these increases were suppressed when the tree was additionally infected with rust. Caterpillars preferred volatiles from rust-infected over uninfected trees. Our results suggest a defense hormone crosstalk upon combined herbivore-pathogen attack in poplar trees which results in lowered emission of herbivore-induced volatiles. This influences the preference of herbivores, and might have other far-reaching consequences for the insect and pathogen communities in natural poplar forests.
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  • Article
    Sharifi R, Lee SM, Ryu CM.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):684-691.
    Plants emit a plethora of volatile organic compounds in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. These compounds act as infochemicals for ecological communication in the phytobiome. This study reviews the role of microbe-induced plant volatiles (MIPVs) in plant-microbe interactions. MIPVs are affected by the taxonomic position of the microbe, the identity of the plant and the type of interaction. Plants also emit exclusive blends of volatiles in response to nonhost and host interactions, as well as to beneficial microbes and necrotrophic/biotrophic pathogens. These MIPVs directly inhibit pathogen growth and indirectly promote resistance/susceptibility to subsequent plant pathogen attack. Viruses and phloem-limiting bacteria modify plant volatiles to attract insect vectors. Susceptible plants can respond to MIPVs from resistant plants and become resistant. Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of MIPV synthesis in plants and how plant pathogen effectors manipulate their biosynthesis are discussed. This knowledge will help broaden our understanding of plant-microbe interactions and should facilitate the development of new emerging techniques for sustainable plant disease management.
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  • Article
    Rering CC, Beck JJ, Hall GW, McCartney MM, Vannette RL.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):750-759.
    The plant microbiome can influence plant phenotype in diverse ways, yet microbial contribution to plant volatile phenotype remains poorly understood. We examine the presence of fungi and bacteria in the nectar of a coflowering plant community, characterize the volatiles produced by common nectar microbes and examine their influence on pollinator preference. Nectar was sampled for the presence of nectar-inhabiting microbes. We characterized the headspace of four common fungi and bacteria in a nectar analog. We examined electrophysiological and behavioral responses of honey bees to microbial volatiles. Floral headspace samples collected in the field were surveyed for the presence of microbial volatiles. Microbes commonly inhabit floral nectar and the common species differ in volatile profiles. Honey bees detected most microbial volatiles tested and distinguished among solutions based on volatiles only. Floral headspace samples contained microbial-associated volatiles, with 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and 2-nonanone - both detected by bees - more often detected when fungi were abundant. Nectar-inhabiting microorganisms produce volatile compounds, which can differentially affect honey bee preference. The yeast Metschnikowia reukaufii produced distinctive compounds and was the most attractive of all microbes compared. The variable presence of microbes may provide volatile cues that influence plant-pollinator interactions.
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  • Article
    Fernández-Martínez M, Llusià J, Filella I, Niinemets Ü, Arneth A, Wright IJ, Loreto F, Peñuelas J.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):773-784.
    The emission of isoprenoids (e.g. isoprene and monoterpenes) by plants plays an important defensive role against biotic and abiotic stresses. Little is known, however, about the functional traits linked to species-specific variability in the types and rates of isoprenoids emitted and about possible co-evolution of functional traits with isoprenoid emission type (isoprene emitter, monoterpene emitter or both). We combined data for isoprene and monoterpene emission rates per unit dry mass with key functional traits (foliar nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations, and leaf mass per area) and climate for 113 plant species, covering the boreal, wet temperate, Mediterranean and tropical biomes. Foliar N was positively correlated with isoprene emission, and foliar P was negatively correlated with both isoprene and monoterpene emission rate. Nonemitting plants generally had the highest nutrient concentrations, and those storing monoterpenes had the lowest concentrations. Our phylogenetic analyses found that the type of isoprenoid emission followed an adaptive, rather than a random model of evolution. Evolution of isoprenoids may be linked to nutrient availability. Foliar N and P are good predictors of the type of isoprenoid emission and the rate at which monoterpenes, and to a lesser extent isoprene, are emitted.
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  • Article
    Patel P, Mathioni S, Kakrana A, Shatkay H, Meyers BC.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):851-864.
    Little is known about the characteristics and function of reproductive phased, secondary, small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs) in the Poaceae, despite the availability of significant genomic resources, experimental data, and a growing number of computational tools. We utilized machine-learning methods to identify sequence-based and positional features that distinguish phasiRNAs in rice and maize from other small RNAs (sRNAs). We developed Random Forest classifiers that can distinguish reproductive phasiRNAs from other sRNAs in complex sets of sequencing data, utilizing sequence-based (k-mers) and features describing position-specific sequence biases. The classification performance attained is > 80% in accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive predicted value. Feature selection identified important features in both ends of phasiRNAs. We demonstrated that phasiRNAs have strand specificity and position-specific nucleotide biases potentially influencing AGO sorting; we also predicted targets to infer functions of phasiRNAs, and computationally assessed their sequence characteristics relative to other sRNAs. Our results demonstrate that machine-learning methods effectively identify phasiRNAs despite the lack of characteristic features typically present in precursor loci of other small RNAs, such as sequence conservation or structural motifs. The 5'-end features we identified provide insights into AGO-phasiRNA interactions. We describe a hypothetical model of competition for AGO loading between phasiRNAs of different nucleotide compositions.
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  • Article
    Xiao H, Zhang Q, Qin X, Xu Y, Ni C, Huang J, Zhu L, Zhong F, Liu W, Yao G, Zhu Y, Hu J.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):878-892.
    The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein family is a large family characterized by tandem arrays of a degenerate 35-amino-acid motif whose members function as important regulators of organelle gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Despite the roles of PPRs in RNA editing in organelles, their editing activities and the underlying mechanism remain obscure. Here, we show that a novel DYW motif-containing PPR protein, PPS1, is associated with five conserved RNA-editing sites of nad3 located in close proximity to each other in mitochondria, all of which involve conversion from proline to leucine in rice. Both pps1 RNAi and heterozygous plants are characterized by delayed development and partial pollen sterility at vegetative stages and reproductive stage. RNA electrophoresis mobility shift assays (REMSAs) and reciprocal competition assays using different versions of nad3 probes confirm that PPS1 can bind to cis-elements near the five affected sites, which is distinct from the existing mode of PPR-RNA binding because of the continuity of the editing sites. Loss of editing at nad3 in pps1 reduces the activity of several complexes in the mitochondrial electron transport chain and affects mitochondrial morphology. Taken together, our results indicate that PPS1 is required for specific editing sites in nad3 in rice.
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  • Article
    Visakorpi K, Gripenberg S, Malhi Y, Bolas C, Oliveras I, Harris N, Rifai S, Riutta T.
    New Phytol. 2018 11;220(3):799-810.
    Insect herbivores cause substantial changes in the leaves they attack, but their effects on the ecophysiology of neighbouring, nondamaged leaves have never been quantified in natural canopies. We studied how winter moth (Operophtera brumata), a common herbivore in temperate forests, affects the photosynthetic and isoprene emission rates of its host plant, the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur). Through a manipulative experiment, we measured leaves on shoots damaged by caterpillars or mechanically by cutting, or left completely intact. To quantify the effects at the canopy scale, we surveyed the extent and patterns of leaf area loss in the canopy. Herbivory reduced photosynthesis both in damaged leaves and in their intact neighbours. Isoprene emission rates significantly increased after mechanical leaf damage. When scaled up to canopy-level, herbivory reduced photosynthesis by 48 ± 10%. The indirect effects of herbivory on photosynthesis in undamaged leaves (40%) were much more important than the direct effects of leaf area loss (6%). If widespread across other plant-herbivore systems, these findings suggest that insect herbivory has major and previously underappreciated influences in modifying ecosystem carbon cycling, with potential effects on atmospheric chemistry.
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