European Lepidoptera-Plant Associations: A Species-Level Interaction Matrix.

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Biodiversity Science

Background:

• Understanding plant-herbivore interactions is key to biodiversity.
• Large-scale data are needed to study ecological and evolutionary processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a continental-scale plant-Lepidoptera interaction matrix for Europe.
• To provide a resource for studying host specialization, network structure, and herbivore diversity.
• To support fundamental ecological research and applied conservation biology.

Main Methods:

• Compiled data from published literature, monographs, online repositories, and gray literature.
• Standardized all taxa to current classifications.
• Resolved plant-herbivore associations at the species level.

Main Results:

• Created an interaction matrix of 5152 Lepidoptera species and 3275 vascular plant species across Europe.
• The dataset enables investigation of host specialization, network structure, and biogeographic patterns.
• Identified potential keystone host plants and assessed vulnerability of insect communities to host loss.

Conclusions:

• The plant-herbivore interaction matrix is a robust resource for ecological and evolutionary studies.
• The dataset has applied value for conservation biology, particularly in the context of global change.
• Open data accessibility ensures transparency, reproducibility, and long-term use.