Rare plant species are at a disadvantage when both herbivory and pollination interactions are considered in an alpine meadow

1. Rare plant species often suffer less damage than common species because of positive density-dependent herbivory, and it has been suggested that this “rare species advantage” fosters plant species coexistence. However, it is unknown whether rare species have an advantage when pollination interactions are also considered.

2. We hypothesized that a “positive density-dependent pollination success” across plant species would result in common plants experiencing higher seed set rates compared to rare species, and that positive density-dependent effects would negate or even override the positive density dependent damage due to herbivory resulting in higher seed loss rates in common plant species.

3. We tested this hypothesis by concurrently examining a plant-predispersal seed predator system and a plant-pollinator system for 24 Asteraceae species growing in an alpine meadow community (Sichuan Province, China). Having previously reported a positive density-dependent effect on seed loss...