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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 12, 2025

Herbivore-induced Blueberry Volatiles and Intra-plant Signaling

Herbivore-induced Blueberry Volatiles and Intra-plant Signaling

Published on: December 18, 2011

Phenological sensitivity to temperature mediates herbivory.

Emily K Meineke¹, Charles C Davis², T Jonathan Davies^3,4

¹Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.

Global Change Biology

|March 18, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Climate change impacts insect-plant interactions. Warmer years increase insect herbivory on temperature-sensitive plants, suggesting a new cost of climate change adaptation for plant species.

Keywords:

Anthropocene climate change global change herbivore insect phenology species interactions warming

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Published on: May 15, 2019

Area of Science:

Ecology
Climate Change Biology
Entomology

Background:

Species interactions are crucial for ecosystem functions and are central to global change research.
Climate change is expected to alter insect herbivore-plant interactions, which are sensitive to temperature.
Data on climate change-induced shifts in insect-plant synchrony are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how climate warming affects insect herbivory on plants.
To determine if plant phenological sensitivity influences herbivory levels under warming conditions.
To assess the empirical evidence for changes in insect-plant interactions due to climate change.

Main Methods:

Analysis of herbivory damage on herbarium specimens collected between 1900 and 2015 in the northeastern United States and France.
Comparison of herbivory levels between plant species with varying temperature-sensitive phenologies.
Correlation of herbivory patterns with annual temperature variations.

Main Results:

Plant species with temperature-sensitive phenologies exhibited increased insect damage in warmer years.
Co-occurring plant species with less temperature-sensitive phenologies did not show similar increases in herbivory.
Warmer years may extend growing seasons for sensitive plants, increasing their exposure to herbivores.

Conclusions:

Plant phenological sensitivity to temperature influences insect herbivory under climate warming.
Elevated herbivory in warmer years may be an underappreciated consequence of phenological tracking of climate change.
Findings highlight the complex impacts of climate change on species interactions and ecosystem processes.