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Plant palatability and trait responses to experimental warming
Tomáš Dostálek1,2, Maan Bahadur Rokaya3,4, Zuzana Münzbergová5,3
1Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, 252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic. tomas.dostalek@ibot.cas.cz.
Scientific Reports
|July 1, 2020
Summary
Climate warming increases plant palatability to herbivores. Warmer temperatures alter leaf traits, leading to greater herbivory and potentially increased pest pressure.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Climate Change Biology
- Plant-Insect Interactions
Background:
- Climate warming significantly impacts plant-herbivore dynamics.
- Indirect effects of temperature on herbivores via host plant quality are understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how temperature influences plant palatability to herbivores.
- To determine if changes in leaf traits mediate temperature effects on herbivory.
Main Methods:
- Multiple-choice feeding experiments with *Schistocerca gregaria* on *Impatiens* species.
- Cultivation of plants at three different temperatures.
- Analysis of leaf morphology and chemistry.
Main Results:
- Plants grown at warmer temperatures exhibited higher herbivory.
- Leaf morphology traits (specific leaf area, dry matter content, leaf area) mediated palatability.
- Herbivores preferred smaller leaves with lower specific leaf area and higher dry matter content.
Conclusions:
- Elevated temperatures increase plant palatability due to altered leaf traits.
- Increased herbivory may result from climate warming, exacerbating herbivore pressure.
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