When oak trees are heavily damaged by caterpillars, they open buds later the following spring.
When oak trees are heavily damaged by caterpillars, they open buds later the following spring. An international research team has shown that this strategy is highly effective against their predators.
Spring in the forest: Many insects, particularly caterpillars, hatch just when the trees’ nutrient-rich leaves are still young and soft. This means they find a table laden with food and can start eating straight away.
If oak trees are heavily infested by caterpillars in a given year, they react to this the following spring: they delay their leaf emergence by three days. This is unfavourable for the caterpillars. After hatching, they are literally faced with empty plates, because the oak leaves are still firmly hidden in the buds.
This strategy is highly effective: the three-day delay is sufficient to drastically reduce the insects’ survival rate. And it reduces the damage caused by feeding on the tree by an impressive 55 per cent.
Read More: University of Würzburg
Image: The plate is empty: a caterpillar waits for the leaves to sprout. (Image: Sven Finnberg)
