A dominant plant species and insects independently and interactively shape plant community structure and ecosystem function above- and below-ground

It is well-established that dominant plant species and insects
independently shape community structure and ecosystem function in
terrestrial plant communities. Critically, few studies have
assessed the combined effects of these two drivers of plant community
structure and ecosystem function above- and below-ground or tracked
whether their effects change over time. We factorially manipulated the
dominant plant species Solidago canadensis (Canada goldenrod) and insects
in an old field at Matthaei Botanical Garden in Ann Arbor, Michigan for
three years and quantified their effects on plant diversity, biomass,
functional traits, microclimate, and decomposition. Solidago canadensis
and insects independently and interactivley shaped plant biomass, the
community weighted mean of plant functional traits, soil microclimate, and
the estimated decomposition rate of soil organic matter.
Overtime, S. canadensis and insects independently and
interactively affected the temporal stability of plant biomass but not
species richness. Taken together, our results highlight the need
to consider the combined effects of dominant plants and insects above- and
below-ground, as well as through time, in order to improve our
understanding of their role in structuring communities and ecosystems