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Dryad

Data for: Elevational changes in insect herbivory on woody plants in six mountain ranges of temperate Eurasia: Sources of variation

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Nov 15, 2022 version files 363.46 KB

Abstract

Current theory predicts that the intensity of biotic interactions, and particularly herbivory, decreases with increasing latitude and elevation. However, recent studies have revealed substantial variation in both the latitudinal and elevational patterns of herbivory. This variation is often attributed to differences in study design and type of data collected by different researchers. Here, we used a standardised sampling protocol along elevational gradients in six mountain ranges, located at different latitudes within temperate Eurasia, to uncover the sources of variation in elevational patterns in insect herbivory on woody plant leaves. We discovered the considerable variation in elevational patterns among different mountain ranges; nevertheless, herbivory generally decreased with increasing elevation at both the community-wide and individual plant species levels. This decrease was mostly due to openly living defoliators, whereas no significant association was detected between herbivory and elevation among insects living within plant tissues (i.e. miners and gallers). The elevational decrease in herbivory was significant for deciduous plants but not for evergreen plants, and for low-stature plants but not for tall plants. The community-wide herbivory increased with increases in both specific leaf area and leaf size. The strength of the negative correlation between herbivory and elevation increased from lower to higher latitudes. We conclude that elevational gradients in herbivory demonstrate considerable variation, and that this variation is mostly associated with herbivore feeding habit, some plant traits and latitude of the mountain range.