Adapting to change: Exploring the consequences of climate-induced host plant shifts in two specialist Lepidoptera species.

ABSTRACT: Asynchronous migration of insect herbivores and their host plants towards higher elevations following climate warming is expected to generate novel plant-insect interactions. While the disassociation of specialised interactions can challenge species' persistence, consequences for specialised low-elevation insect herbivores encountering novel high-elevation plants under climate change remain largely unknown. To explore the ability of two low-elevation Lepidoptera species, Melitaea celadussa and Zygaena filipendulae, to undergo shifts from low- to high-elevation host plants, we combined a translocation experiment performed at two elevations in the Swiss Alps with experiments conducted under controlled conditions. Specifically, we exposed M. celadussa and Z.

SUBMITTER: Bovay B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11199125 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature