Herbivores, the functional diversity of plants species, and the cycling of nutrients in ecosystems (Q1370643)

Here, we explore the effect of herbivores on ecosystem nutrient and energy flow, given the assumption that plant species differ in herbivore preference, nutrient uptake rates, and decomposition rates. We will show that if the consumer selects a plant species based on the chemical factors that simultaneously control both digestion and decomposition, then over a very wide range of consumer return of fecal material, the rates of energy and nutrient flow through the system are less than that of a system where the consumer is absent. Moreover, one of the plants becomes extinct at high rates of consumption and nutrient return in fecal material.