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Additive And Nonadditive Effects Of Herbivory And Competition On Tree Seedling Mortality, Growth, And Allocation, Scott J. Meiners, Steven N. Handel
Additive And Nonadditive Effects Of Herbivory And Competition On Tree Seedling Mortality, Growth, And Allocation, Scott J. Meiners, Steven N. Handel
Scott J. Meiners
The interaction between simulated cotyledon herbivory and interspecific competition was studied in a greenhouse experiment using two species of trees, Acer rubrum and Quercus palustris, which commonly invade abandoned agricultural fields. Herbivory treatments were applied as a gradient of cotyledon removal for A. rubrum with 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of cotyledon tissue removed. Cotyledons from Q. palustris were clipped and removed (control, early, and late removal) to create a gradient of seed reserve availability. The competition treatment consisted of plugs of old-field vegetation that filled the pots with perennial cover. Mortality of seedlings was higher with competition. There …