Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungi Strengthen the Beneficial Effects of Warming on the Growth of Gynaephora Menyuanensis Larvae

Abstract

Herbivores experience an unprecedented variously impacts of climate warming. Besides, arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi(AMF) also is influence on herbivores through their common host plants. Surprisingly, there are no reports about how AMF affect the responses of herbivores to warming. To close this gap, we conducted a two factors experiment to research the effects of warming, fungicide (AMF suppression), and their interaction on the development of Gynaephora menyuanensis larvae, an endemic generalist herbivore species in northeastern Tibetan Plateau, and nitrogen content of Elymus nutans, which was the main food of G. menyuanensis. Warming significantly advanced the pupation time (PT), expanded the phenomena of protandry and increased the growth rate (GR) of G. menyuanensis larvae. Fungicide not affected the development of G. menyuanensis larvae, despite their negative effects on the content of E. nutans. Warming with fungicide decreased the GR of G. menyuanensis compared with warming treatment. In other words, AMF strengthen the beneficial effects of warming to G. menyuanensis. This study provides the first evidence of the impacts of AMF on the response of herbivore to warming.