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.