Effect of climate change on plant-herbivore interactions along and elevational gradient in the Himalayan region (2013-2015)
Tomáš Dostálek, Maan Rokaya, Zuzana Münzbergová
Effects of climate change at high altitudes are expected to be more adverse in near future. In response to climate change, many organisms will have to move to higher elevations and will do so at different rate. The aim of our project is to study plant population dynamics and herbivory patterns along a wide elevational range (1800-3500 m asl) in the Himalayan region, which will give insights into effects of climate change at edges of climate gradient. The results of the project will be used in predicting effects of climate change in plant-herbivore interactions by estimating performance of plant populations (population growth rates, extinction probabilities of plant populations) in the presence of changing herbivore pressure, and under different scenarios of temperature changes.
Publications:
Dostálek T., Rokaya M.B. & Münzbergová Z. 2018: Altitude, Habitat Type and Herbivore Damage Interact in Their Effects on Plant Population Dynamics. PLoS ONE 13, e0209149.
Dostálek T., Rokaya M. B., Maršík P., Rezek J., Skuhrovec J., Pavela R. & Münzbergová Z. 2016: Trade-off among different anti-herbivore defence strategies along an altitudinal gradient. AoB Plants 8, 1–18.
Rokaya M. B., Dostálek T. & Münzbergová Z. 2016: Plant-herbivore interactions along elevational gradient: Comparison of field and common garden data. Acta Oecologica 77, 168–175.