%0 Journal Article
%A Galmán, A.
%A Abdala-Roberts, L.
%A Covelo Núñez, Felisa
%A Rasmann, S.
%A Moreira, X.
%T Parallel increases in insect herbivory and defenses with increasing elevation for both saplings and adult trees of oak (Quercus) species
%D 2019
%U https://hdl.handle.net/10433/21824
%X PREMISE: Herbivory is predicted to increase toward warmer and more stable climatesfound at lower elevations, and this increase should select for higher plant defenses. Still,a number of recent studies have reported either no evidence of such gradients or reversepatterns. One source of inconsistency may be that plant ontogenetic variation is usuallynot accounted for and may influence levels of plant defenses and herbivory.METHODS: We tested for elevational gradients in insect leaf herbivory and leaf traitsputatively associated with herbivore resistance across eight oak (Quercus, Fagaceae)species and compared these patterns for saplings and adult trees. To this end, we surveyedinsect leaf herbivory and leaf traits (phenolic compounds, toughness and nutrients) innaturally occurring populations of each oak species at low-, mid- or high-elevation sitesthroughout the Iberian Peninsula.RESULTS: Leaf herbivory and chemical defenses (lignins) were unexpectedly higher at midandhigh-elevation sites than at low-elevation sites. In addition, leaf chemical defenses(lignins and condensed tannins) were higher for saplings than adult trees, whereasherbivory did not significantly differ between ontogenetic stages. Overall, elevationalvariation in herbivory and plant chemical defenses were consistent across ontogeneticstages (i.e., elevational gradients were not contingent upon tree ontogeny), and herbivoryand leaf traits were not associated across elevations.CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest disassociated patterns of elevational variation inherbivory and leaf traits, which, in turn, are independent of plant ontogenetic stage.
%K Elevational gradients; Fagaceae
%K Fagaceae
%K Iberian Peninsula
%K Nutrients
%K Phenolic compounds
%K Plant–Herbivore Interactions
%K Plant Ontogeny
%K Quercus
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