Effects of soil moisture and temperature on plant palatability and herbivore plant preference

Abstract

Climate change is predicted to lead to increased water and temperature stress for plants. Reduced soil moisture and higher temperatures have the potential to impact plant growth, development, and survival. Changes in plant physiology due to climate change may also impact insect herbivores. Herbivores influence plant community composition and plant distribution, so changes in herbivore feeding with climate change could alter plant communities. To better understand the potential impacts of climate change on plant-insect interactions, this study investigates the combined and separate effects of soil moisture and increased temperature on leaf palatability and herbivore plant preference. Four treatment types, ambient precipitation + ambient temperature, watered + ambient temperature, ambient precipitation + warmed, and watered + warmed, were established in the field in plots containing five common plants growing near Gothic, Colorado, Erigeron speciosus, Helianthella quinquenervis, Potentilla pulcherrima, Heliomeris multiflora, and Lupinus bakeri. Plants were warmed with open topped chambers and watered twice a week. Multi-choice feeding tests with the generalist herbivore Melanoplus borealis were conducted to assess plant palatability and herbivore preference in different treatments. In single species trials, fewer Helianthella quinquenervis leaves were eaten from warmed plots than ambient temperature plots and fewer Heliomeris multiflora leaves were eaten from watered plots than ambient rainfall plots. In multiple species trials more Helianthella quinquenervis was eaten than Lupinus bakeri and Potentilla pulcherrima and more Heliomeris multiflora was eaten than Potentilla pulcherrima in heated only treatments. More Erigeron speciosus was eaten than Lupinus bakeri, and Potentilla pulcherrima and more Heliomeris multiflora was eaten than Potentilla pulcherrima in watered only treatments. Changes in herbivore preferences in treatments that reflect possible future climate scenarios suggest that shifts in herbivory could reshape plant communities in the coming decades.

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