At the end of the past century, aquatic plants were considered as virtually free of control by herbivores. In the last two decades, however, empirical evidence showed that herbivory is actually 5 to 10 times greater than in terrestrial ecosystems.This review, discussing the effects of herbivores on aquatic plant abundance and composition, ecosystem functioning and services, and future responses to climate change is therefore a highly timely one.
The review, led by researchers with many years of experience in the study of aquatic systems, provides a unified treatment of freshwater and marine systems that we have been missing for all too long.
Bakker L, Wood K, Pages JF, Veen C, Christianen M, Santamaria L, Nolet BA, Hilt S. 2016. Herbivory on freshwater and marine macrophytes: a review and perspective. Aquatic Botany 135: 18-36.
