Highlights•The magnitude of variation in plant traits, as well as the combined influence of
key plant and consumer traits determines plant diversity effects on associated insects.• …

To achieve ecological and reproductive success, plants need to mitigate a multitude of
stressors. The stressors encountered by plants are highly dynamic but typically vary …

Plant defense theory explores how plants invest in defenses against natural enemies but
has focused primarily on the traits expressed by juvenile and mature plants. Here we …

Plants need to defend themselves against a diverse and dynamic herbivore community.
Such communities may be shaped by keystone herbivores that through their feeding alter …

Apparent feeding damage by insects on plants is often slight. Thus, the influences of insect
herbivores on plant populations are likely minor. The role of insects on host-plant …

Plant phenotypic plasticity in response to herbivore attack includes changes in flower traits.
Such herbivore-induced changes in flower traits have consequences for interactions with …

Plants downregulate their defences against insect herbivores upon impending competition
for light. This has long been considered a resource trade-off, but recent advances in plant …

Plants need to deal with antagonists, such as herbivores, while maintaining interactions with
mutualists, such as pollinators that help plants to maximize their reproductive output …

The top‐down and indirect effects of insects on plant communities depend on patterns of
host use, which are often poorly documented, particularly in species‐rich tropical forests. At …

Evaluating plant functional traits helps to understand how plants respond to changing
environmental conditions and resource availability associated with disturbance events …