20.500.12556/DiRROS-21958 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. leaf chemical defences Lymantria dispar larvae biomass pant–insect interactions drevesa kemijska obramba listov biomasa ličink true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Znanstveno delo 2025-04-14 13:28:24 2025-04-14 13:28:24 2025-10-24 03:50:15 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Opis vira z dne 14. 4. 2025; Skupno št. avtorjev: 30; str. 1-13 article no. ǂ61 Vol. 206 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2025-01-01 630*4 1432-1939 10.1007/s00442-025-05696-2 232529411 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00442-025-05696-2 1 95cde986-1923-11f0-963a-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=31669 RAZ_Valdes‑Correcher_Elena_2025.pdf RAZ_Valdes‑Correcher_Elena_2025.pdf 1 6D3EA01495513B500CC02439F30FB26A d8b176c27e44b23e98ddd923c2219d68c1834641299ded465c84ad1b2c243a98 9ea38304-1923-11f0-963a-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=31670 Gozdarski inštitut Slovenije 0 0 0