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Variable Effects Of Temperature On Insect Herbivory, Nathan P. Lemoine, Deron E. Burkepile, John D. Parker
Variable Effects Of Temperature On Insect Herbivory, Nathan P. Lemoine, Deron E. Burkepile, John D. Parker
Department of Biological Sciences
Rising temperatures can influence the top-down control of plant biomass by increasing herbivore metabolic demands. Unfortunately, we know relatively little about the effects of temperature on herbivory rates for most insect herbivores in a given community. Evolutionary history, adaptation to local environments, and dietary factors may lead to variable thermal response curves across different species. Here we characterized the effect of temperature on herbivory rates for 21 herbivore-plant pairs, encompassing 14 herbivore and 12 plant species. We show that overall consumption rates increase with temperature between 20 and 30 degrees C but do not increase further with increasing temperature. However, …