Data for: Pearse et al 2015 Ecological Entomology "Leaf phenology mediates provenance differences in herbivore populations on valley oaks in a common garden"

1. Plants from different populations often display a variation in herbivore
resistance. However, it is rarely understood what plant traits mediate such differences.
2. It was tested how leaf phenology affects herbivore populations in a 15-year-old
common garden of valley oaks (Quercus lobata Née) with different populations and
maternal parents from throughout the Q. lobata range.
3. The abundance of leaf miners (Stigmella sp.) and leaf phenology of oaks in the
common garden was measured.
4. Leaf miner abundance varied among provenance locations (population), but not among maternal parents within populations. Leaf phenology varied by provenance location and maternal parent, and trees that leafed out earlier accrued higher leaf-miner abundance. Path analysis indicated that leaf phenology was the likely driver of
provenance and parental differences in resistance to leaf miners.
5. Understanding population differences is particularly important when considering transport of genotypes for ornamental or restoration purposes. The present study suggests that similarity in leaf phenology may be one factor that could be used to find genotypes with a similar herbivore resistance to local genotypes.