Climate-induced phenological shift of apple trees has diverse effects on pollinators, herbivores and natural enemies

• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5269
• Publication Date: 2018-07-26T08:00:39Z
• Authors: Ádám Kőrösi; Viktor Markó; Anikó Kovács-Host...; László Somay; Ákos Varga; Zoltán Elek; Virginie Boreux; Alexandra-Maria K...; Rita Földesi; András Báldi
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; QH301-705.5; R; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences; Phenological mismatch; Pest control; 13. Climate action; QH540 Ecology / ökológia; Climate change; Ecosystem services; Medicine; Trophic interactions; Biology (General); Pollination; Agricultural Science

Climate change is altering the phenology of trophically linked organisms, leading to increased asynchrony between species with unknown consequences for ecosystem services. Although phenological mismatches are reported from several ecosystems, experimental evidence multiple services hardly available. We examined how shift apple trees affected abundance and diversity pollinators, generalist specialist herbivores predatory arthropods. stored potted in greenhouse or cold store early spring before transferring them into orchards cause sampled arthropods on repeatedly. Assemblages pollinators manipulated control differed markedly, but their overall was similar indicating a potential insurance effect wild bee ensure fruit set flower-pollinator mismatch conditions. Specialized were almost absent trees, while less-specialized ones showed diverse responses, confirming expectation that more specialized interactions vulnerable mismatch. Natural enemies also responded shifted tree prey. While arthropod abundances either declined increased, tended be lower phenology. Our study indicates novel results role biodiversity specialization plant-insect situations.