Tropical forest secondary successional changes in plant biomass and diversity have been attributed to changes in abiotic resource availability. In addition to “predictable” changes in plant communities with resource availability, comparisons of plant successional communities across sites has led to the idea that tropical forest succession as highly unpredictable. One explanation to account for the unpredictability of tropical forest succession could be the influence of biotic agents in driving plant community dynamics. Herbivores can influence community assembly and functional composition of woody communities along succession as species vary in their investments to defense. The dynamics and abundance of plant seedling communities determine the future structure, composition and diversity of tree communities. Thus, it is critical to understand how woody seedlings of differing demographic strategies might be influenced by leaf herbivory along succession.

Field work for this project has been conducted June to September 2022 in successional plots (20-120 years old) in Panama.