Discussion questions: ecological language

In lab meeting today, we talked a bit about strategies for discussing science with the general public, and how to speak clearly.

For instance, consider this sentence:

We are studying the impact of plant morphology and chemistry on herbivory in different tree species.

Is the above sentence easy or difficult to understand?

How would you paraphrase it into simpler language?

Are there particular words that make the sentence more difficult to understand?


What makes other pieces of scientific writing easier or harder to follow?