Table of Contents - PeerJ (Biology Articles)

Distribution of the Solidago altissima surveyed for Rhopalomyia solidaginis

The mechanisms that shape the distribution of an ecosystem engineer

Certain organisms are known as ecosystem engineers, meaning that they create or significantly modify habitats. Although these effects have been known for some time, few studies have examined the suite of processes that shape the abundance of ecosystem engineers. In this new study, the authors evaluate the relative influence of temporal variation, local processes, and latitude on the abundance of an engineering insect (a rosette-galling midge, Rhopalomyia solidaginis) as they manipulated genetic variation, soil nutrient availability, and the removal of other insects from the host plant (the tall goldenrod). Read More in this peer reviewed article by Crustinger et al.

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