Five years of satellite monitoring of forests in Germany found that trees that had been attacked by the gypsy moth delayed leaf production the following year, starving the emerging moth larvae and halving the subsequent leaf damage.

Summary: https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/oak-trees-can-starve-caterpillars-by-delaying-their-spring-leaves/

Original paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-026-03071-9

#Science #Ecology #ForestEcology #Trees #GypsyMoth

Oak Trees Can Starve Caterpillars By Delaying Their Spring Leaves

Trees seem to remember their past and plan accordingly.

ZME Science