MULTIPLE PLANT EXPLOITERS ON A SHARED HOST: TESTING FOR NONADDITIVE EFFECTS ON PLANT PERFORMANCE.

The article focuses on the study that investigates the combined effects of multiple plant parasites on plant performance in the U.S. According to the author, the effects of multiple plant parasites can either be additive or non-additive. The study cites two statistical methods which are usable for testing additive effects including the natural history of the plant-parasite system. The study determined that no evidence has been found for nonlinearities in the relationship between cumulative parasite effect to plant performance. It is suggested that understanding of plant performance is important in plant-parasite interactions.