Insect community composition and network dynamics along a climate warming-induced plant range shift gradient

Climate warming promotes intra-continental range shifts of plants, animals and microbes from lower to higher latitudes and altitudes. Plant ranges can shift independent of their co-evolved aboveground and belowground biota. As a result, multitrophic networks may become disrupted during range shift. The multitrophic communities associated to a range shifting plant species may reassemble in the new range, however, little is known how this process works and what may be consequences for community dynamics and ecosystem functioning. We studied aboveground insect community composition on range shifting plant species along latitudinal and altitudinal transects within Europe. We compared insect communities on congeneric pairs of plant species, each pair including a range expander and a species that is native along the entire gradient. We analysed insect community composition and network structure and developed hypotheses on possible functional consequences of insect network dynamics during plant range shifts.