Effects of climate on leaf phenolics, insect herbivory, and their relationship in pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) across its geographic range in Europe
: Valdés-Correcher, Elena; Kadiri, Yasmine; Bourdin, Audrey; Mrazova, Anna; Bălăcenoiu, Flavius; Branco, Manuela; Bogdziewicz, Michal; Bjørn, Mona Chor; Damestoy, Thomas; Dobrosavljević, Jovan; Faticov, Maria; Gripenberg, Sofia; Gossner, Martin M.; de Groot, Maarten; Hagge, Jonas; Hoopen, Jan ten; Lövei, Gabor L.; Milanović, Slobodan; Musolin, Dmitrii L.; Mäntylä, Elina; Moreira, Xoaquín; Piotti, Andrea; Rodríguez, Víctor M.; Saez-Asensio, Cristina; Sallé, Aurélien; Sam, Katerina; Sobral, Mar; Tack, Ayco J. M.; Varela, Zulema; Castagneyrol, Bastien
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
: 2025
: Oecologia
: Oecologia
: 61
: 207
: 0029-8549
: 1432-1939
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-025-05696-2
: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-025-05696-2
: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/491714769
An increase in biotic interactions towards lower latitudes is one of the most consistent patterns in ecology. Higher temperatures and more stable climatic conditions at low latitudes are thought to enhance biotic interactions, accelerating biological evolution and leading to stronger anti-herbivore defences in plants. However, some studies report contradictory findings, highlighting the need for further investigation into the underlying mechanisms. We used a combination of field observations and feeding trials in controlled environments to investigate the effect of climate on chemical defences and insect herbivory in pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) throughout most of its geographic range in Europe, while controlling for physical defences. The concentration of lignin, flavonoids, and total phenolics increased significantly with temperature, whereas both field herbivory and weight of spongy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) larvae were negatively influenced by temperature. Lignin concentration positively influenced the weight of spongy moth larvae whereas it had no effect on field herbivory. We found no evidence of strong positive relationships between insect herbivory and larvae growth with leaf defences. Our study underscores the complexity of plant–herbivore interactions along climatic gradients and highlights the need for further research to disentangle these intricate relationships.
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Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This study received financial support from the French National Research Agency (ANR) under the Investments for the Future Programme, through the Cluster of Excellence COTE (Continental To Coastal Ecosystems: Evolution, Adaptability, and Governance) (ANR-10-LABX-45). Additional funding was provided by the BNP Paribas Foundation as part of its Climate and Biodiversity Initiative and the citizen science project Tree Bodyguards and Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine throught the project Arbor’ECOL. The work of EVC was also supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) (Spain) through a Juan de la Cierva fellowship no. FJC2021-046608-I. The work of AM was supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic PIF Outgoing grant No. 23-07045O and Programme of Support of Promising Human Resources: Postdoctoral Researchers no. L200962302, awarded by the Czech Academy of Sciences. FB was supported by the project PN 23090102. EM was supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (19-28126X). KS was supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic JUNIOR STAR project No. 22-17593M. XM was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2022-141761OB-I00 and EUR2023-143463 projects). ZV was supported by the María Zambrano Programme of the Spanish Ministry of Universities. MdG was supported by the core research group ‘Forest biology, ecology and technology’ (P4-0107) of the Slovenian Research Agency. SG was supported by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. MB was supported by the Forest Research Centre, a research unit funded by FCT, Portugal (UIBD/00239/2020) and the Laboratory for Sustainable Land Use and Ecosystem Services-TERRA (LA/P/0092/2020).
