Studying latitudinal patterns in diversity and species interactions is important because it can reveal fundamental effects of geography and climate on ecological processes. Research has shown that plants at higher latitudes are more palatable to herbivores. However, it is unknown if increased palatability of plants will lead to increased performance of herbivores. If it does, is better herbivore performance explained by better plant nutritional quality? To answer these questions, this project is using plants and associated herbivores from 16 salt marsh sites along the U.S. Atlantic Coast, from Florida to Maine. This project is measuring plant traits and herbivore sizes in the field, and herbivore performance in the laboratory. Preliminary data indicated that plants from high latitudes supported better herbivore growth. Whether high latitude plants are more nutritious is being investigated by chemical analyses funded by this proposal.
This project will help develop a larger-scale understanding of ecological process, which is important as humans face the consequences of global change and other anthropogenic impacts that act at large scales. In addition, it will support the Ph.D. research of one graduate student.
