Functional Plant Traits and Plant-Herbivore Interactions

Abstract

Functional diversity is a key concept to understand how plants respond to selective pressures and how they influence ecosystem processes. Although there is empirical information about the variation of the functional traits of plants in environmental gradients, their use to understand their biotic interactions has been little explored. Currently, novel proposals for the analysis of the plant-herbivore interactions integrating the study of functional traits have been put forward. This approach can help to generate projection models about the effect of herbivory on ecosystem processes under different environmental scenarios. In this chapter we present a review of the concept of functional diversity in plants and their application in herbivory studies, through the use of syndromes and their ecological and evolutionary implications. In addition, we propose some lines of research that can help build a comprehensive framework to relate the functional responses of plants and defense theories, as well as determine the biotic and abiotic factors that regulate herbivory and its impacts on ecosystem processes.