Sprecher
Beschreibung
Plant-insect interactions form the basis of virtually all modern terrestrial trophic networks. However, when and how this modernisation occurred remains unclear. Following the origin of herbivory during the Devonian, minimal levels of plant consumption have been reported in late Palaeozoic studies. From this, it has been hypothesised that during the Middle Pennsylvanian (late Carboniferous), detritivory was the dominant feeding strategy in Euramerican floras. The diversification of herbivorous species did not occur until the Late Pennsylvanian period, coinciding with the comprehensive expansion and solidification of contemporary trophic networks during the Early Permian epoch. In this communication, we challenge this view with the quantification of herbivory damage on the ecosystem of Nord-Pas-de-Calais (France). Through the study of the associational record on Medullosales, we assess the diversity and intensity of plant damage through time (Early-Middle Pennsylvanian). This pteridosperm group is a key component of the Carboniferous wetland biome, covering a wide array of ecological niches, proving to be a good indicator of trophic network complexity. Total plant damage from 4133 fossil specimens was evaluated, recording 703 feeding events belonging to 65 damage types, which covers all modern feeding strategies except mining. Significantly, results reveal that neither herbivory diversity not intensity is greatly affected by total Medullosales richness; however, together with Medullosales abundance, plant damage seems to be influenced by the rise and fall of glacial phases. This highlights the sensitivity of plant-arthropod interactions to global environmental changes, even at its early stages of development.