Conclusion
Using functional CNVs, the impact of plant defense responses to natural
enemies to species coexistence and diversity maintenance was found in a
subtropical forest. Survival rate of seedling communities was negatively
correlated with gene copy number of defense responses to fungus, insect
and virus. And dominant species with lower gene copy number of defense
responses to insect tended to have a higher survival rate. Here we found
that high dissimilarities in gene copy numbers of defense responses to
virus and bacterium of seedlings to adult neighbors increased seedling
survival. This can result in a functionally over-dispersed community
through the negative density dependence process. Low dissimilarities in
gene copy numbers of defense responses to insect to seedling neighbors
also increased seedling survival. This can lead to a functionally
clustered community via insect-mediated biotic filtering or competitive
exclusion process. Overall, our analyses with transcriptomic data
related to defense response to four lineages of enemies illustrate that
the defense responses of plants to natural enemies can affect seedling
survival.