Effects of climate on leaf phenolics, insect herbivory, and their relationship in pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) across its geographic range in Europe
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.
Authors
- Kateřina Sam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3436-0579)
- Maarten de Groot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5721-6676)
- Michał Bogdziewicz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6777-9034)
- Yasmine Kadiri
- Jonas Hagge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8938-6680)
- Ayco J. M. Tack (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3550-1070)
- Slobodan Milanović (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8260-999X)
- Elena Valdés‐Correcher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6842-1280)
- Mar Sobral (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6995-0491)
- Bastien Castagneyrol (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8795-7806)
- Anna Mrázová (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9268-0896)
- Aurélien Sallé (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3876-9272)
- Martin M. Goßner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1516-6364)
- Manuela Branco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8140-1257)
- Andrea Piotti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3324-5325)
- Elina Mäntylä (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2267-7114)
- Flavius Bălăcenoiu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9818-1086)
- Audrey Bourdin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6575-4119)
- Maria Faticov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8206-9332)
- Jan P. J. G. ten Hoopen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5765-6225)
- Mona Chor Bjørn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2748-4231)
- Sofia Gripenberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8788-2258)
- Jovan Dobrosavljević (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6155-5654)
- Víctor M. Rodríguez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2861-4093)
- Dmitry L. Musolin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3913-3674)
- Gábor L. Löveï (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6467-9812)
- Zulema Varela (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4751-7686)
- Thomas Damestoy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5802-5137)
- Xoaquín Moreira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0166-838X)
- Cristina Saez-Asensio
Institutions
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Université d'Orléans (FR)
- CEA CESTA (FR)
- University of Debrecen (HU)
- Université de Sherbrooke (CA)
- University of Lisbon (PT)
- Sewanee: The University of the South (US)
- Université de Bordeaux (FR)
- University of Turku (FI)
- Stockholm University (SE)
- Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (ES)
- Czech Academy of Sciences (CZ)
- Aarhus University (DK)
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (CH)
- ETH Zurich (CH)
- University of Belgrade (RS)
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR)
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (ES)
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (ES)
- National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry "Marin Drăcea" (RO)
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NL)
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources (IT)
- Hôpital Fernand-Widal (FR)
- Slovenian Forestry Institute (SI)
- Institute of Entomology (CZ)
- UMR BIOdiversity, GEnes & Communities (FR)
- Nordwestdeutsche Forstliche Versuchsanstalt (DE)
- National Research Council (IT)
- UniLaSalle (FR)
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre (CZ)
- Mendel University in Brno (CZ)
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (PL)
- University of Reading (GB)
- University of Göttingen (DE)
- Organisation Européenne et Méditerranéenne pour la Protection de Plantes (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Oecologia
- Published
- 2025-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-025-05696-2
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.15
Funders
- Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement