in Ecology

Timing matters for plants and their herbivores

98 Views


A study combining landscape-scale insect manipulation and remote sensing in temperate deciduous forests indicates that adaptive responses to herbivory should be considered alongside climate change to understand plant phenological shifts.

Access through your institution

Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: The tree and herbivore species of focus in Mallick et al.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

References

  1. Thackeray, S. J. et al. Nature 535, 241–245 (2016).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 

    Google Scholar 

  2. Hamann, E., Blevins, C., Franks, S. J., Jameel, M. I. & Anderson, J. T. New Phytol. 229, 1894–1910 (2021).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 

    Google Scholar 

  3. Lang, W. et al. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 9, 261–272 (2025).

    Article 
    PubMed 

    Google Scholar 

  4. Mallick, S. et al. Nat. Ecol. Evol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-03071-9 (2026).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  5. Dunne, J. A., Saleska, S. R., Fischer, M. L. & Harte, J. Ecology 85, 904–916 (2004).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  6. Caldararu, S., Rolo, V., Stocker, B. D., Gimeno, T. E. & Nair, R. Biogeosciences 20, 3637–3649 (2023).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  7. Bassett, K. R. et al. Nature 650, 629–635 (2026).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

  8. Murphy, E. J. et al. Earths Future 14, e2025EF006478 (2026).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  9. Leroy, B. M. L. et al. Ecol. Solutions Evid. 2, e12045 (2021).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  10. Forkner, R. E., Marquis, R. J., Lill, J. T. & Corff, J. L. Ecol. Entomol. 33, 276–285 (2008).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  11. Cipollini, D., Walters, D. & Voelckel, C. in Annual Plant Reviews: Insect-Plant Interactions vol. 47 (eds. Voelckel, C. & Jander, G.) 263–307 (John Wiley & Sons, 2014).

  12. Harvey, J. A. et al. Ecol. Monogr. 93, e1553 (2026).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Environment and Geoscience, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

    Daniel B. Metcalfe

Authors

  1. Daniel B. Metcalfe
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to
Daniel B. Metcalfe.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Metcalfe, D.B. Timing matters for plants and their herbivores.
Nat Ecol Evol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-03070-w

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-03070-w

Source: Ecology - nature.com

Neglected positive role of inactivating antibiotic resistance genes in the environment

Satellite data show trees delay budburst across landscapes to escape herbivores