Date: June 11, 2026
Guangzhou, China: Scientists have long struggled to explain why some plant species sustain more leaf damage than others. It has long been assumed that species adopting a resource-acquisitive strategy suffer more from leaf herbivory, and that those adapted to resource-rich environments face greater herbivory pressure.
However, empirical evidence testing these assumptions simultaneously across large-scale environmental gradients has been lacking. The researchers surveyed leaf herbivory levels, 11 leaf functional traits, insect richness and climatic factors across 61 woody species in five distinct forest sites across China.
"The herbivory patterns were far from what we expected. Species with tougher leaves actually suffered more herbivory," said first author Longxin Lu from SCBG. "This suggests an ongoing arms race between plants and insects, in which insects have evolved stronger mandibles to overcome such mechanical defenses."
In contrast, plants with higher leaf silicon concentrations sustained significantly less damage. Silicon-based defense appears to function independently of the leaf carbon economics spectrum.
"Surprisingly, species with higher heat tolerance experienced greater herbivory," said corresponding author Dr. Hui Liu. "Vigorous, high-performing plants are more attractive to herbivores."
At the environmental scale, plants growing in hotter, wetter forests with higher insect richness endured more herbivory. Nevertheless, when all factors were analyzed collectively, leaf functional traits explained variations in herbivory better than environmental factors.
As global temperatures rise and precipitation patterns shift, understanding the drivers of leaf herbivory is critical for predicting forest health. The researchers note that traditional frameworks for plant defense should be expanded to incorporate silicon-based defensive strategies and abiotic stress tolerance traits.
"Integrating multiple intrinsic and extrinsic drivers is essential," added Dr. Hui Liu. "Our study provides a framework for predicting herbivory under future climate scenarios."
This study, published in the journal Plant Diversity (IF=6.3, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pld.2026.04.005 ), was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and other funding bodies.
