Evolutionary Trade-Offs in Plants Mediate the Strength of Trophic Cascades

Abstract

Trophic Trade-Offs There have been many attempts to document and explain the effects of predators on plant biomass in so-called “trophic cascades.” Theory suggests that fast-growing plants are relatively undefended and suffer more from herbivory, which implies a functional trade-off between investment in traits relating to growth and defensive strategies. Mooney et al. (p. 1642 ; see the Perspective by Hambäck ) compared responses to fertilization and aphid predators in 16 milkweed species. As predicted, interspecific variation in the strength of top-down control in terms of a tradeoff with growth was observed.