Aboveground insect herbivory increases plant competitive asymmetry, while belowground herbivory mitigates the effect
Insect herbivores can shift the composition of a plant community, but the mechanismunderlying such shifts remains largely unexplored. A possibility is that insects alter thecompetitive symmetry between plant species. The effect of herbivory on competitionlikely depends on whether the plants are subjected to aboveground or belowgroundherbivory or both, and also depends on soil nitrogen levels. It i