TESTS FOR ARTIFACTS IN SOME METHODS USED TO STUDY HERBIVORY AND PREDATION IN MANGROVE FORESTS

Ecologists have recently been cautioned about the potential for comple x interactive artefacts to complicate the interpretation of field and laboratory experiments. This study in northern Australia tested for su ch effects in 2 methods commonly used to investigate herbivory and pre dation in mangrove forests: tethering and caging. There was no evidenc e that tethering leaves or propagules caused biases which would invali date comparisons among habitats, but the method was likely to underest imate the intensity of feeding on propagules. There was also Little ev idence that cages had any effect on seedlings other than to reduce the intensity of herbivory. The results indicate that these methods are L ikely to provide useful, and non-problematic, information about the ro le of herbivory in mangrove forests.