Herbivores and Pathogens in Forest Ecosystems in a Rapidly Changing World

Forests in many regions of the globe have been, and still are, increasingly affected by a number of biotic and abiotic factors, including climate and land use changes, wildfires, droughts, wind throw, and inadequate management practices. These factors often modify susceptibility of woody plants to herbivores and pathogens, potentially leading to losses of forest productivity and/or ecosystem stability. Additionally, globalization facilitates introduction of species into new regions, imposing further threats to forests.

For this Research Topic we welcome fundamental and applied submissions on herbivores and pathogens of woody plants, from their ecology and new emerging threats, to methods for monitoring.

Topics can include, but are not limited to:
• Global patterns in the impacts of herbivores and pathogens on forest structure and functions
• Tri-trophic interactions in forest ecosystems
• Pest and disease ecology and management
• Actions to increase tree resistance and resilience
• Management challenges posed by global change
• Environmentally friendly pest and disease control
• Impacts of herbivores and pathogens on biodiversity and on species of conservation concern
• Tools and methods for cost effective monitoring
• Use, abuse and misuse of citizen science data.

Keywords: biodiversity, woody plants, herbivores, diseases, predators, wildfires, droughts, wind throw, temperature, precipitation, carbon dioxide, ozone, forest health, productivity, ecosystem stability

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.