Dynamics of seedling recruitment and tree seedling–herbivore interactions during forest recovery

在“物种相互作用网络的重组”研究单位内，次级项目SP 5“森林恢复期间幼苗补充和树苗-草食动物相互作用的动态”侧重于幼苗补充和树苗-草食动物相互作用。这两个，幼苗招聘和幼苗草食动物的相互作用将在整个森林恢复时序的所有地块进行监测。物种特有的形态和化学性状，如叶片厚度或叶片代谢物的特点和叶食草量化。此外，我们将评估遗传多样性的早期和晚期演替物种沿着时序。种子雨和幼苗补充的实验将有助于量化种子传播网络的不同组成部分的功能贡献和它们对扰动的反应。种子雨和幼苗补充预计会有所不同，这取决于种子的大小和传播综合征的幼苗物种。幼苗的遗传多样性和功能性状与叶类植食性、幼苗-植食性网络的结构和动态密切相关。

Within the research unit “Reassembly of species interactions networks”, the subproject SP5 “Dynamics of seedling recruitment and tree seedling–herbivore interactions during forest recovery” focuses on seedling recruitment and seedling–herbivore interactions. Both, seedling recruitment and seedling-herbivore interactions will be monitored in all plots across the forest recovery chronosequence. Species-specific morphological and chemical traits such as leaf thickness or leaf metabolites will be characterized and leaf herbivory quantified. We will additionally assess the genetic diversity in early and late-successional species along the chronosequence. An experiment on seed rain and seedling recruitment will help to quantify the functional contribution of different components of the seed dispersal network and their responses to perturbation. Seed rain and seedling recruitment are expected to differ depending on seed size and dispersal syndrome of the seedling species. Genetic diversity and functional traits of seedlings will be related to leaf herbivory as well as the structure of seedling-herbivore networks and their dynamics in recovering forests.