Widespread herbivory cost in tropical nitrogen-fixing tree species

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 612; no. 7940; pp. 483 - 487
• Main Authors: Barker, Will, Comita, Liza S., Wright, S. Joseph, Phillips, Oliver L., Sedio, Brian E., Batterman, Sarah A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 15.12.2022; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/158/47; 704/158/2454; 704/158/47/4112; Animals; Carbon; Carbon - metabolism; Carbon Sequestration; Carbon sinks; Cellulose; Costs; Forests; Herbivores; Herbivory; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hypotheses; Leaves; Metabolism; Metabolites; multidisciplinary; Nitrogen; Nitrogen - metabolism; Nitrogen Fixation; Nitrogenation; Panama; Plant Leaves; Plant species; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Seedlings; Symbiosis; Trees; Trees - classification; Trees - metabolism; Tropical Climate; Tropical forests; Panama

Recent observations suggest that the large carbon sink in mature and recovering forests may be strongly limited by nitrogen 1 – 3 . Nitrogen-fixing trees (fixers) in symbiosis with bacteria provide the main natural source of new nitrogen to tropical forests 3 , 4 . However, abundances of fixers are...