Phenological mismatch affects individual fitness and population growth in the winter moth.

ABSTRACT: Climate change can severely impact species that depend on temporary resources by inducing phenological mismatches between consumer and resource seasonal timing. In the winter moth, warmer winters caused eggs to hatch before their food source, young oak leaves, became available. This phenological mismatch changed the selection on the temperature sensitivity of egg development rate. However, we know little about the fine-scale fitness consequences of phenological mismatch at the individual level and how this mismatch affects population dynamics in the winter moth. To determine the fitness consequences of mistimed egg hatching relative to timing of oak budburst, we quantified survival and pupation weight in a feeding experiment. We found that mismatch greatly increased mortality rates of fres

SUBMITTER: van Dis NE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10445013 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature