Abstract
The Baccharis dracunculifolia (Asteraceae) system is a reasonably self-contained community including the host plant and its rich fauna of arthropods. Over the last three decades, ecological researchers in Brazil have intensively used the system as a study model. Several interactions, across multiple trophic levels, among the plant species B. dracunculifolia and associated arthropods, have been empirically demonstrated. Half of these interactions are indirect and include effects propagated via changes in density, trait, habitat or interaction strength. Here we describe the components of this system and summarize their interactions in a network. We hope that this work will spark new ideas for experimental tests of ecological hypotheses on the role of indirect interactions at the level of the whole community in the field.
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Acknowledgements
M.B. and G.F.M. were supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and G.W.F. by CNPq and Fapemig. We also thank Reserva Vellozia and Planta Ltda.
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Barbosa, M., Monteiro, G.F., Fernandes, G.W. (2021). Multitrophic and Indirect Interactions in the Baccharis dracunculifolia System. In: Fernandes, G.W., Oki, Y., Barbosa, M. (eds) Baccharis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83511-8_5
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