Evolutionary responses to environmental change: trophic interactions affect adaptation and persistence.

ABSTRACT: According to recent reviews, the question of how trophic interactions may affect evolutionary responses to climate change remains unanswered. In this modelling study, we explore the evolutionary dynamics of thermal and plant-herbivore interaction traits in a warming environment. We find the herbivore usually reduces adaptation speed and persistence time of the plant by reducing biomass. However, if the plant interaction trait and thermal trait are correlated, herbivores can create different coevolutionary attractors. One attractor has a warmer plant thermal optimum, and the other a colder one compared with the environment. A warmer plant thermal strategy is given a head start under warming, the only case where herbivores can increase plant persistence under warming. Persistence time of the

SUBMITTER: Mellard JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4389602 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature