Assessing the potential for indirect interactions between tropical tree species via shared insect seed predators

Natural enemies of plants have the potential to influence the
dynamics of plant populations and the structure of plant communities. In
diverse tropical forests research on the effects of plant enemies has
largely focused on the diversity-enhancing effects of highly specialised
enemies, while the community-level effects of enemies with broader diets
have rarely been considered. We investigated the community of insect seed
predators interacting with seven tree species in the family Lauraceae on
Barro Colorado Island (Panama). We present one of the first quantitative
food webs for pre-dispersal insect seed predators and their host plants,
and use the information in the web to assess the potential for indirect
interactions between the tree species. Our data suggest that there is high
potential for indirect interactions between Lauraceae species via their
shared seed predators. The strength and direction of these interactions is
largely unrelated to the phylogenetic distance and trait simila...