Trees heavily affected by herbivores can delay budburst in the following year by ~3 days, disrupting synchrony with caterpillars and reducing subsequent damage by up to 55%.
Using satellite radar data across 60 forest sites and ~27,500 tree crowns, the study provides rare landscape-scale evidence that prior-year herbivory delays budburst and reduces subsequent herbivory.
Andrew Liebhold (FISC, FLD CZU) is a co-author of this work, led by Soumen Mallick together with an international team of researchers.
Read more on the FISC website.