Aim: The enemy release hypothesis (ERH) posits that exotic species suffer less enemy damage than natives, which promotes their successful invasion. However, the generality of less damage for exotics remains widely debated. A recent view proposes that enemy release (ER) could change systematically with latitude, potentially helping to explain these inconsistencies. Here, we test whether exotic plant species suffer consistently lower herbivore damage relative to natives and whether ER varies with latitude.Location: Global.Time period: 1960–2018.Major taxa studied: Plants.Methods: Using leaf herbivory data for 1,098 plant species, we compared the herbivory rate between exotic and native plants across all taxa, between the introduced and native range of exotic species and between exotic and native species co‐occurring in the same community. We tested the interaction effect between origin (exotic versus native) and latitude to assess variation in ER with latitude. We also examined whether the effect of origin and its interaction with latitude changed with plant growth form (woody versus non‐woody). Finally, based on two ER effect‐size datasets, two meta‐regressions were performed to demonstrate the relationship between ER and latitude.Results: Leaf herbivory rates were commonly lower for exotics than for natives. However, this differential herbivory rate was significant only for woody plants. No significant interactions were found between origin and latitude, indicating that ER did not change with latitude. The meta‐regressions also demonstrated that ER was not significantly correlated with latitude.Main conclusions: The widespread lower herbivory rate for exotic compared with native woody plant species supports the ERH for exotic woody plants. Consistent ER with latitude indicates that ER should play a similar role regardless of latitude. One future challenge is to assess the extent to which ER in woody exotic plants translates to performance advantages and thereby influences their invasion success.

An assortment of biological processes, like protein degradation and the transport of proteins across membranes, depend on protein unfolding events mediated by nanopore interfaces. In this work, we exploit fully atomistic simulations of an artificial, CNT-based nanopore to investigate the nature of ubiquitin unfolding. With one end of the protein subjected to an external force, we observe non-canonical unfolding behaviour as ubiquitin is pulled through the pore opening. Secondary structural elements are sequentially detached from the protein and threaded into the nanotube, interestingly, the remaining part maintains native-like characteristics. The constraints of the nanopore interface thus facilitate the formation of stable “unfoldon” motifs above the nanotube aperture that can exist in the absence of specific native contacts with the other secondary structure. Destruction of these unfoldons gives rise to distinct force peaks in our simulations, providing us with a sensitive probe for studying the kinetics of serial unfolding events. Our detailed analysis of nanopore-mediated protein unfolding events not only provides insight into how related processes might proceed in the cell, but also serves to deepen our understanding of structural arrangements which form the basis for protein conformational stability.

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is exerting growing pressure on natural ecosystems, but its impact on biological interactions remains unclear. This study aimed to assess how ALAN influences leaf functional traits and herbivory in two prevalent street tree species (Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott and Fraxinus pennsylvanica) through field surveys and paired experiments in the urban areas of Beijing, China. We found that ALAN led to increased leaf toughness and decreased levels of leaf herbivory. Additionally, ALAN showed species-specific effects on leaf nutrients, size as well as defense substances. The findings illustrate that ALAN can significantly alter some key functional traits and ecological processes (nutrient cycling, energy flow). In general, we suggest that high ALAN intensity will be detrimental to the energy flow from urban plants to higher trophic levels, posing a potential threat to the maintenance of biodiversity (e.g., arthropod diversity, bird diversity) in urban ecosystems.